House House, the creative minds behind Untitled Goose Game, have returned with Big Walk, an enchanting cooperative “walker-talker” that turns simple exploration into a masterclass in team-based puzzle solving.
Solving the Impossible Through Teamwork
Picture this: you and your friends are deep in the woods at night, staring at a tantalizing red button atop a towering construction crane. It is far out of reach, and throwing objects—or even kicking them—proves futile. In my hands-on 45-minute preview of Big Walk, the solution wasn’t found in the environment, but in our own physics: we stacked ourselves, standing on each other’s shoulders to reach the objective. This moment perfectly encapsulates the game’s core philosophy: every challenge requires observation, communication, and a touch of collective ingenuity.
A World Built for Cooperation
Set in a vibrant, open world filled with hills, rivers, and a dynamic day-night cycle, Big Walk immediately charms with its goofy aesthetic. Players control bipedal, ant-like creatures with squishy, expressive faces that wiggle as you speak into your mic. Because there are no backpacks, items like lamps and radios must be carried by hand, forcing players to constantly negotiate who is responsible for what.
Crucially, the game is designed exclusively for teams. Whether you are holding down a button to unlock a door for a partner or coordinating a simultaneous switch-pull, the game demands synchronization. One standout puzzle involved a player trapped in a locked room with a solution, while the others had to act on instructions delivered via proximity chat through a wall window.
Scalable Puzzles and Free-Form Fun
The beauty of Big Walk lies in its adaptability. Puzzles scale based on your group size, with the environment adjusting to accommodate anywhere from two to four players for specific challenges. While the game supports up to 12 players in a single session, the extra space allows for emergent gameplay—like races, tag, or hide-and-seek—beyond the structured puzzles.
More Than Just Puzzles: A Social Sandbox
The game isn’t strictly business. We spent time at “the salon,” a station where you can use giant paintbrushes to customize your friends’ blobby bodies. Because you cannot paint yourself, the act of character design becomes a shared social event. We even found a quiet coastal spot broadcasting chill music—a space intentionally left free of puzzles, designed simply for watching the sunset and vibing with friends.
Unlike the high-stress, scream-inducing “friendslop” games like Lethal Company or Content Warning, Big Walk offers a refreshingly low-stakes, high-satisfaction experience. It is a genuine team-building exercise where every success, marked by a celebratory puff of confetti, feels earned and shared.
