If you follow the video game world, chances are you've heard of a new game about a goose. Yes, you read that right. A goose.
"Untitled Goose Game" is the latest release from House House, a video game company from Melbourne, Australia. You play as an adorable goose who honks, waddles around the village, and interacts with the villagers. How do you do that, you might ask? Well, simply put, you're there to ruin their day.
In each area of the village, you have a "to-do" list. The items can range from stealing an item, causing the people to make mistakes, collecting items and putting them in a designated spot, and more. A lot of the game's beauty lies in the fact that you don't necessarily have to complete the items (unless you want to access more areas of the village), but instead cause whatever chaos your avian heart desires.
To me, the game is great stress relief. You can run around without societal norms to block the way and no repercussions to face (because you are, in fact, a goose) aside from the villagers occasionally blocking your path, shooing you elsewhere, or chasing you down for the item that you stole. You gain a feeling of schadenfreude watching the people clean up your mess while you can just stand there honking at them.
The simplistic graphics are very cute and pair well with the plap-plap-plap of the goose's feet hitting the pavement as it waddles along. The music features short piano tunes that convey a sense of both innocence and mischief. The ending to the game, which I will not spoil because I highly encourage you to play or watch a playthrough, is like the cherry on top of the game's events where you find yourself saying "Ah yes, of COURSE the goose would do that."
If you're interested in checking the game out, it's available on PC, Mac, and the Nintendo Switch for $19.99. Now if you excuse me, I have some items to cross off my to-do list.
