Big Walk, the next game from Melbourne-based developer House House (Untitled Goose Game), has received rave reviews ahead of its 4 August launch, with many critics calling it a Game of the Year contender, as well as ‘one of the best co-op games ever made.’
Early reviews relate it to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild for its wide exploration and sense of adventure as players are set free, alongside friends, to explore a big world filled with all manner of puzzles and physical challenges.
Some also say it maintains the sense of play and joy that made Untitled Goose Game a global hit, with a greater sense of freedom to poke, prod and find your way in its world.
Big Walk review roundup – quick links
Big Walk taps into the joy of exploring with friends
What you need to know about Big Walk is that its fun relies on your own personal sense of discovery, and who you choose to travel with. Puzzles can be fun and frustrating in equal measure, so it’s best to have a willing and cohesive party travelling alongside you to make the most of your adventure.
‘What [Big Walk is] really about is the frequent joys and occasional frustrations inherent to human communication,’ Chris Schilling wrote for Eurogamer.
‘Big Walk is a little like going on an adventure with your friends while being slightly hard of hearing [due to proximity chat, which reduces noise if you wander out of earshot]. You have the pleasure of larking about together in the wild juxtaposed with the feeling of being alone, whether you actively choose to wander off or simply lose sight of the rest of the group.’
Big Walk is driven by curiosity, with objects in the distance likely to attract certain folks, leading to breakouts from the group, or needing to run after wayward travellers. You’ll need to corral your crew together and ensure a shared approach if you have any hope of solving each puzzle. It’s this need for teamwork that reportedly makes Big Walk such an impactful co-op experience.
‘While hiking around and promising ourselves we’d seek out a single puzzle for the evening, we’d often decompress about our day and catch up on things,’ Jay Peters wrote of his experience for The Verge.
‘When we found a puzzle, we’d get extremely invested in figuring it out. After we solved it, we’d usually have the energy to tackle another one. We even figured out how to use the limited move set to give each other high-fives and hugs.’
‘The sense of discovery and joy are much like what made The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild so special, whether that was finding a kooky way to solve a puzzle, stumbling upon an extremely useful item, or climbing to the highest peak and taking in the view.’
A new Game of the Year contender
Writing for Polygon, reviewers Giovanni Colantonio, Julia Lee and Johnny Yu labelled Big Walk a new Game of the Year contender, in a lovely article featuring multiple perspectives about the multiplayer experience and how it unfolded.
‘As we take our first steps, I’m immediately struck by the open world,’ Colantonio wrote of his first entrance. ‘It has the naturalistic feel of an Elder Scrolls map, but it’s dotted with brightly coloured structures that look like they’re reconstructed out of playground plastic. That contrast makes it easy for us to start mapping out a route as we point out inviting points of interest from the top of an overlook.’
Throughout this particular review, the team noted the quiet, endearing awkwardness of travelling and solving puzzles in Big Walk, with this contributing to a cutesy and memorable charm. As noted, the team took plenty of time figuring out their path forward, driven by a curiosity and uncertainty which shaped a slow-moving, reflective experience.
‘There are a lot of multiplayer games that feel like a fun idea that I just so happen to be able to play with friends,’ Colantonio said.
‘Big Walk is different; it’s explicitly about playing with friends.’
For those players looking to experience a fun, warm time with friends, where chatting and hanging out is as integral to the action as solving difficult puzzles and discovering new sights in the wild, Big Walk looks set to deliver.
When Big Walk will go live
As announced by House House, there isn’t long to go before Big Walk opens its doors to intrepid players. The game is set to arrive at the following times around the world:
- Australia – 11pm AEST 4 August (PC)
- New Zealand – 1am NZST 5 August (PC)
- United States – 6am PDT 4 August | 9am EDT 4 August (PC)
- United Kingdom – 1pm GMT 4 August | 2pm BST 4 August (PC)
Notably, the game will release ‘late morning-ish for your console region’ if you’re playing on PlayStation 5 or Nintendo Switch 2.
