Untitled Goose Review (I'm So Clever)

“Honk!” exclaimed the Goose as it lurked behind the park bench. The soccer ball dropped as the kid threw his hands up in fear. Where was that horrendous noise coming from? And whatever is making it- is it coming for me? The boy slowly turned around and…

“Honk!” “Honk!”

The goose popped out from behind the wall flapping its wings wildly. The crazed look in its eye signaled to the boy that this goose was out for blood-at least that’s what the boy thought. Forget the ball, forget the toy plane! I gotta run! I gotta get away from this goose! With his hands still flailing around, the boy ran to the nearest place that could offer isolation. He needed to be somewhere…anywhere…besides out here with the goose. The honking was growing louder, and he knew he couldn’t outlast the goose’s rapid pace. He thought he could hide in the car by the curb, but he didn’t have the keys to get in. There might have been shelter in the TV boutique shop, but the lady behind the counter did not look very welcoming. Then he saw it. A phone booth. Perfect.

Harbinger of Destruction...

While the phone booth was in sight, the boy didn’t realize the goose had actually caught up to him. And within the next step, it was also apparent what the goose had done. Falling toward the ground, the boy was able to look down and see that the goose had nimbly untied his shoelaces. After making contact with the ground, the boy was able to open his eyes and see the goose waddling away gleefully with his glasses. Why does a goose need glasses? Come back...I...I can't see...

The boy was left without his eyesight, forever damned to walk the city blind.

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There is a lot to say about something like House House's Untitled Goose Game. Despite its short length, there is a lot to experiment with. Each person and each item in the game can be a potential tool to complete objectives. At its best, Untitled Goose Game is an amazing sandbox stealth game that increases in complexity and humor the further you progress in the game. At its worst, it’s a chaotic and hilarious mess. I mean, how bad could a game like this really be? You’re a freaking goose, man.

Master of Trickery...

Like I said before, the name of the game is stealth. And while I found the controls a little clunky, the game is pretty forgiving. There is no game over, the worst that happens is that you get pushed out of an area or a person takes back what you unlawfully stole from them. Objectives are well designed ranging from relatively straightforward objectives like “Rake in the Lake” (can’t really get much more specific than that). While others aren't as direct like “Make the groundskeeper wear his sun hat” which requires you to figure out how to remove and hide the current hat he is wearing so that he goes to his sunhat. What bothered me was the lengths these people will go to get back their stuff. One of the first items you encounter is a radio, and the groundskeeper will stop at nothing to get it back-even if it means walking through a lake. The game builds on what it teaches you, even up until the end of this goose’s short adventure.

The art style is simple and elegant. The simplicity is ever-present throughout the game from the designs and speech bubbles of the townspeople all the way down to the menu interfaces. It’s an indie game so it makes sense that the budget for art direction must have been low. The coloring and design of the world pops and while the simple design might feel like low effort, the colors keep the game very pleasant to look at.

                                          

The minimal use of music is a great approach to a stealth game like this. While other games of the genre either have the persistent soundtrack in the game or just have the upbeat tempo kick in when getting caught, Untitled Goose Game has piano-like notes chime in whenever you get caught. The more in interact with townspeople, the louder and longer the music lasts. It's brilliant. I loved hearing the music fade in once I was spotted and then pick up the tempo as I was chased. The music provides this very Benny Hill-esque sort of tension to the game which helps with the immersion. I’m convinced all geese have this type of soundtrack in their heads when they go about making everyone’s lives miserable.

I honestly only got this game as a joke. I mean the premise is so meme-able, I had to take a stab at it. But it’s actually a decent, competently made, and fun game. The short length and imprecise controls don’t stop the game from being a very fun time. The game even has some replay value with new missions and a time attack. So there's still stuff to do even after the last bell is rung.

The time attack mode, however, is the low light of the game. The imprecise controls come out in full force here, causing me to just about give up in frustration. Trying to do all objectives in a six minute time limit almost feels like going on a wild goose chase. The missions are obviously doable it's just not as enticing as being able to take your time creating devilish pranks. The added stress takes away from the game's vibe rather than add to it. Timed missions become exercises in micromanaging. Not to mention that trying to check how much time you have left is inconvenient slog through objective menus rather than a persistent timer on-screen.  

All in all, I'd recommend Untitled Goose Game. The presentation is simple and welcoming, the game is hilarious and fun to play, and the music is subtle but really helps add to the fun and hilarity of the gameplay. Though this isn't the goose that triumphantly laid a golden egg, they didn't deliver a goose egg either. It's a very promising game with clever idea that I think is worth checking out if you have $15.  

Borderline Kleptomaniac...

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Mr Singh was a simple man. He owned is own flat not too far from the neighborhood pub and enjoyed a small cup of tea in his backyard every morning while reading the paper. He kept his generous yard pristine and free from clutter. The fountain and small pond he had in his lake was so blue you could swear that pieces of the sky were in them. But despite all that Mr. Singh loved about his yard, he couldn't have been more attached to his award winning, red rose. He had spent years cultivating the perfect specimen. It was what kept the memory of his late wife so fresh in his mind. He never wanted to move on, why should he?

Though they were adjacent neighbors and shared a yard, Mr. Singh and Molly kept their yards in completely opposite manners.  Molly had garden knick-knacks and pots of flowers all over her yard. She even kept a set of paint brushes and a canvas in case she every felt inspired.  There was a rickety work bench and an odd bush that was hedge-trimmed to shape that somewhat resembled a bird. Mr. Singh was not pleased with the bush because of how it hung over the fence and crept just barely into his yard. It was close to his prized rose, but thankfully not close enough for him to have deal with eccentric Molly. I mean who knows what goes on in the head of person who has a meter tall church bell in their home...that still works! 

Unwanted Intruder...

But the next day while Mr. Singh was reading the paper, he started to notice odd things... peculiar things...things that should never be. At first, he didn't notice it because of his paper, but he noticed the fence repair he cobbled together at the far end of his yard had fallen apart. It was only a little troubling since Mr. Singh never claimed to be a reputable handy man. He paid it no mind. But things started to stranger. He looked over and noticed his cap was gone. Once again, a little troubling but he chocked it up to his old age senility. As he looked around the yard for his cap he was taken aback when he saw it on Molly's bust of Shakespeare. Did she steal it? Doesn't she know that it is my cap? Why is it there? Mr. Singh thought it best to interrupt Molly's painting session but gasped when he took a look at his pond. There was underwear in the pond. And not even his underwear...but Molly's!!!! Immediately, Mr. Singh ran over to the pond. He daintily picked up all he could and trotted over to the vacant part of Molly's yard and tossed all of the unmentionables over the fence. Maybe it was the strong feeling of panic running through his veins, but Mr. Singh didn't even notice that one of his loafers was missing. Maybe Molly stole that too. What has gotten into her? Molly was trimming her confounded fowl hedge. Mr. Singh had enough. It was time to break the silence. It was finally time to talk to his neighbor.  

But Mr. Singh couldn't find the words anymore because what he saw lying there on the grass almost made him faint: Molly had cut his rose. His only rose! How could it have happened? Someone must have moved it! He had made sure that he kept it far away from that hedge! But why care now? The damage was done. Why does any of this matter? There's no point...no point anymore. Mr. Singh sulked, cried a little, and then dragged his feet back to his chair. He picked up the paper and pretended to care. 

Some Geese Just Want To Watch The World Burn...