“It’s a lovely day in the village, and you are a horrible goose” is the description of the “Untitled Goose Game,” an independent stealth-puzzle video game developed by House House.
In the game, the player controls a goose and is given a list of tasks to complete. The first area of four is a pond and a garden, and many of the beginning tasks include messing with the gardener, such as stealing his tools and dropping them in the pond or stealing his vegetables to set up a picnic.
This game developed by a small team achieved unexpected success. The inspiration for this game was just a silly photo of a goose. The developers were surprised by how much love the internet gave the game.
“We thought the goose was our joke. It felt like an in-joke,” said representatives at House House.
The game costs $19.99 and lasts roughly four to five hours. However, puzzles having various ways to be solved promotes replaying the game multiple times.
YouTube video game reviewer Arlo was disappointed by the length. Although it may seem relatvely short, more tasks to complete in each area are unlocked after one finishes the game.
“It’s just over so fast that it feels a little like the rug is pulled out from under you,” said Arlo.
Being released on Sept. 20, “Untitled Goose Game” competed with Nintendo’s AAA title “The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening,” with its release for Windows, macOS and Nintendo Switch. Leading up to the release, fans said “Untitled Goose Game” would “blow it out of the water,” and it ended up doing just that.
For the first two weeks of its release “Untitled Goose Game” sold 100,000 copies. It was number one on Nintendo Switch sales charts in the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia upon release.
The game’s visuals are cel-shaded with no black lines outlining objects or people. The soft color palette creates a sense of peace and calm. This is juxtaposed by the goose committing atrocious acts, such as stealing a child’s glasses and placing them in a store, forcing him to buy his own glasses.
Matthew Seguin, an avid gamer, said “as an a**hole, it’s really nice to see a game that I can truly enjoy.”
The music for the game consists of a lone piano. The soundtrack lasts only 16 minutes. Each mood set by the game is accompanied by the piano. When the goose is running away with a stolen item, the music picks up tempo and adds more layers. If the goose is sneaking around, the music slows down to match the goose’s steps.
The official Twitter of The Game Awards and its producer Geoff Keighley have acknowledged the success of “Untitled Goose Game.” The Game Awards Twitter account tweeted a photo of the goose with the caption, “Best Performance of 2019?”
The account also asked, “If you had to vote today, what’s your Game Of The Year?” Some of the replies were “HONK HONK” from user Yan2295 and “goose” from user andreslop24. Multiple other users also said “Untitled Goose Game” would get their vote.
Because of the game’s size, it will likely not be nominated for Game of the Year, however, it can be expected to be nominated for Best Independent Game.
By John Ancilotti, Staff Writer
ancilljm19@bonaventure.edu
