It's fair to say that Untitled Goose Game has taken the world by a storm, even to the point where model and TV personality Christine Teigen has allowed it to invade her family home. Everyone seems to be talking about that horrible, horrible goose, and the game's viral success has put Australian developer House House well and truly on the map.
Nico Disseldorp, who worked on Untitled Goose Game, has been speaking to the BBC about its critical and commercial triumph, and admits that the concept seems to have captured the imagination of the gaming world:
I think the goose character allows people to be this source of mischief that lots of people desire being in video games. No matter what the game is, you find a certain kind of player will look for ways of making mischief. They may even ignore the story that's been laid out for them, to go and do something mischievous instead. In this game, you're told to go in there and make as big a mess as possible.
Jake Strasser, who also worked on the game, reveals the leading contender for the game's title before it was finally decided to simply retain the 'Untitled Goose Game' moniker: Some Like It Honk. "It wasn't viable," says Strasser.
One of the few criticisms we levelled at the game in our review was that it was over all too quickly, but Disseldorp insists that the game's length isn't a cause for concern, at least within the team:
We knew from the beginning that we wanted the player to progress through this village. We knew the kinds of moments and characters we wanted to have. When we got people to our office, we started timing how long it took them to play and they seemed to take about four hours, on average. It seems now the game is out, some people are playing it faster than that. But when it comes to the games that we play, we don't really worry if it's short or long. I think it's really nice that people can play to the end of this thing without spending their life on it.
The obvious question is when we can expect a sequel, but Disseldorp admits that House House simply hasn't had the time to think about that yet, and is focused instead on patching the existing game to make sure it's perfect:
Right now we're still looking at the next patch for the game to fix a few bugs. It's taken everything we had to get us to this point, so we haven't been in the background concocting a sequel just yet.
How are you getting on with being a horrible goose? Remember to check our complete Untitled Goose Game walkthrough if you're stuck.
[source bbc.co.uk]
Comments 33
New tasks DLC or something perhaps?
Game of the Year
That's OK, not all games have to be 60+ hours long, but if a particular one is over in 2-3 hour its price should match that. I would pick this game for 5 €, no more.
I picked this up for the £12 or whatever it was thinking I was maybe paying a little too much but was totally taken by the game. In the end I think it was totally worth it. Very very fun game
I actually like to alternate between long and short games. Lately I've played several games that took between 80 and 150h to complete and it feels really nice to gently clear short games from my backlog.
But I wouldn't pay more than £5 for a short game like this one.
"-Talk to me, Goose!"
"-Honk."
I will get this once it is on offer as it is a short game I wont be going on about a physical, unless there are DLCs, then....
I thought it was a bit expensive for the time I spent on it before the end credits started rolling, but I’m happy to think of it as a means to help them develop other games in the future. And it cost as much as a ticket to watch a movie - but it lasted longer.
So... not many people willing to consider the whole ‘quality over quantity’ thing then? This entertained me more than several full price games. There are entire 60h JRPGs I’ve regretted buying more than this, had fewer moments of genuine fun in than this.
Value for money is definitely a thing, but this is GotY material at (almost) any price. Those citing length alone as a reason for not buying are missing out on an experience that is definitely worth £4 an hour.
HONK HONK
Do you guys have any control over what adverts are shown? I don’t want to see a childs back covered in bite marks thanks very much.
I'm very happy with what I got for £13.49. I've played 6 or 7 hours and had a lot of fun.
Got it for $15, worth every penny to me. Still dropping in/out to do a task or two.
HONK
I liked it but wasn't as enamoured as the rest of the internet. Of course, glad that this game has done well especially considering the small team. I do like the alternate name though.
"It wasn't viable" would have been a rubbish name
The length is appropriate for the game. I do think it's $5 too much tho, all things considered.
"Some like it honk"
GOTY TITLE 2020!
Honestly tho, I don't really see as much appeal to this game as others have. Like if you already play Goat Simulator, this is more less the same, but with a goose. I do praise it for its humor and art style, which I hope carries over to the next game they work on.
I doubt we've seen the last of this goose in videogames. It's the next Shovel Knight!
I don't get the whole 'it's short so it should be cheaper' argument. Length and game quality are completely unrelated. This game was a blast from start to end and was worth every cent.
One for Honk please!
@Fandabidozi : Ouch. I'm in Australia too and I have never seen any such ads.
I don't even go to Macca's anymore yet constantly get bombarded with Quarter Pounder ads on this site.
@Moroboshi876
Both time and money are resources. Somehow "hardcode" gamers pretend that time isn't a resource, and the more time they can spend, the better. I'm actually afraid to buy and/or start any "big" games, as I'm not sure I'll ever have the time to finish them.
I also don't have unlimited money, but money doesn't matter all that much, up to certain limits: new AAA games are kind of expensive for me, so a new AAA game must really be very compelling for me to buy it. (Same with all the Nintendo AAA games that remain expensive forever.)
The last game I finished was another short game, Inside. I loved it, it was beautiful, fun, and surprising, and it was for free. And it didn't eat up too much of my time. Checked all the right boxes.
With Untitled Goose Game, it looked so much fun that I just had to buy it at launch. It has become one of those games that I buy and my kids play, at least so far.
I would have preferred the title be something like "Going Honkers", or "Ryan Gooseling: webbed avenger"
@gergelyv I'm definitely interested in this game, the same with Old Man's Journey, but they're really expensive. I mean, I don't need them to last for 100 hours, but costing 33% of an AAA and lasting 2% the time... I doesn't add up.
Don't get me wrong, I understand good work has to be rewarded, but some games are so short I just can't spend that kind of money. I'll wait for a price drop, which we all know will eventually happen.
I enjoyed it but it wasn't amazing by any means. I think the gimmick of playing as a 'horrible' goose hyped the Internet too much. 7/10 from me.
They should had went with this title:
I really love the book.
I am still bothered by the virility of this game on the internet. I still smacks of stealth marketing campaigns and a case study in how easy it is to direct people's interests and opinions with enough money placed in the right areas. (Not pointing fingers at NL - it's large scale, I mean there's some stealth marketing campaign being paid for by the devs, it feels like .)
@NEStalgia I don’t think you meant ‘virility’ there...
UNTITLED GOOSE GAME: BETTER THAN THE BLUE PILL
@Balladeer LOL, that made my day right there!
virulence.....
Though an M rated game with the goose demonstrating virility may not need stealth marketing at all....
I’m glad the title stuck. When they revealed it in the direct I hoped that was the final name! It’s super kooky and totally fitted the trailer 😀
I prefer the current title. It's more unique IMO.
@Moroboshi876
Your loss. The game is currently work every penny and this indie studio deserves every dollar you can give them.
I'm looking forward to Untitled Goose Game 2 even though I haven't even played Untitled Goose Game 1 yet X-D
@echoplex 'as much as a ticket to watch a movie - but it lasted longer' Giggidy.
but seriously, that's how I usually look at it, a cinema ticket is now more than £10/$15, and lasts between 90-200 minutes, if you pay that for an indie game and get a few hours playtime I consider that worth the investment.
@LaytonPuzzle27 That looks cute.
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