Big Walk Reviews
The Untitled Goose Game team returns with a funny, exciting, and deeply rewarding multiplayer adventure that combines knockabout fun with some surprisingly big ideas.
I’m truly excited to keep taking my Big Walks – no matter the off-putting name of the friendslop genre, this game is what you make it, and I believe each group that plays will make it their own unique kind of wonderful.
Big Walk is a game that is nothing short of outstanding in its design, a co-op adventure that feels like you're 12 years old again and venturing across those fields with your buddies.Its strict reliance on communication and clever puzzle design makes it one of the most rewarding games I think I've ever played, but its technical shortcomings on the Switch 2 version do take the shine off a touch. Thankfully, it's not enough to break what is one of the most unique and intriguing games released this decade, if you're willing to learn to communicate.
Big Walk earns a place in the top tier of co-operative games, with greater depth than countless games it could be compared against. Proximity chat is far from a gimmick; communication is as much a mechanic as running and jumping. No two puzzles are the same, and sometimes the work required becomes tedious, but it does well to avoid overstaying its welcome. House House have cleverly shown restraint in crafting a game that's all about the journey and not the destination.
Big Walk delivers on a promise that's rare in cooperative games: nothing here is scripted, and the funniest moments are ones the game couldn't have planned even if it wanted to.
While Big Walk could very well be someone's Game of the Year, most people will likely get burnt out by its backtracking and voice chat system.
There are very few games that leave me sitting at my keyboard at 4am, trying to convince my co-op partner that we really should go to bed while secretly hoping they’ll say, “one more puzzle”. Big Walk did exactly that. Four days and around 20 hours later, my friend and I were still finding new places to explore, new items to play with, and new reasons to laugh at each other as we accidentally threw ourselves off mountains or picked each other up instead of interacting with an object. Going into my Big Walk review, I expected something that sat somewhere alongside PEAK. That’s an easy comparison to make given they’re both cooperative exploration games, but after spending so much time with both, I don’t think they’re trying to achieve the same thing at all. PEAK leans heavily into survival exploration. One bad climb can end your run, and every mountain feels like something you have to conquer. That’s not something you have to worry about in Big Walk. There are chairlifts, trains, winding hiking trails, forests, coastlines, and countless places where you can simply stop and appreciate the view. Even within the first couple of hours, I was already thinking this was a solid 9/10. Every session introduced another mechanic, another secret, another item, or another reason to keep wandering. By the time I sat down to write my review, I realised I’d spent four consecutive late nights and early mornings exploring the island...
It is a game about little victories and the calm, quiet space between them. Maybe you have to luck into that context a little bit, but I think that's true for any game when you really break it down. If you can put all the pieces in place for an ideal time with Big Walk, you are likely to find one of the best games of the year waiting inside.
House House has created something genuinely special with Big Walk. It’s funny, inventive, surprisingly relaxing, and constantly finds new ways to encourage genuine cooperation between friends. Whether you’re exploring with one mate or a full group of twelve, every session is filled with memorable moments. It’s one of the most enjoyable cooperative experiences I’ve played this year — and undoubtedly a walk to remember.
Big Walk is completely unique and unlike anything you've played before. Between the inventive puzzles and an island begging to be explored it'll become the new group obsession for you and your friends.
Look, I’m going to just come right out and say it. Big Walk is one of the best puzzle games I have ever played. It is also one of the best social experiments I have ever participated in. From the proximity voice chat that created so many humorous moments and grounded me in this world, all the way to the moments of trust that were required to guide my friend through a blind puzzle box, or vice versa. There are moments of absolute joy and bliss that are yours for the taking in your journey and memories that will last you a lifetime.
Big Walk's charm lies in the surprising nature of its world and the delight of discovery: you never know what awaits beyond the next hill. You also encounter various cryptic structures and themes. It feels like an exciting expedition full of unexpected events—moments of laughter interspersed with getting lost in the darkness of night. Silliness and chaotic antics are all part of the journey, especially when traveling in a large group. Without a doubt one of the most inventive games of the year.
Review in Finnish | Read full review
Although Big Walk might look like another sheep in the friendslop herd, Big Walk is a wolf that more closely resembles 2016’s The Witness. An open world game about exploration, solving puzzles without any tutorials and slowly understanding the world around you. Big Walk is layered experience chocked full of aha moments, but the major contrast to The Witness is that it all happens with friends. Unlike the rest of the friendslop genre, the fun in Big Walk isn’t derived from unscripted chaos, it’s from a meticulously designed world, intelligent gameplay and extremely well engineered puzzles. Big Walk is proof that a lot of little details can make a big difference
I enjoyed my time with Big Walk, but I don’t ever want to play this kind of game ever again. It’s an easy recommendation if you have more than one friend down to play with for the more than 15 hours it takes to beat it, but to many people, those are few and far between.
If you have a close-knit group of friends and are looking for a virtual hangout, Big Walk is the game for you. The game itself isn't all that special, though; it's really up to you to make it fun.
Review in Dutch | Read full review