I’ve been told that being nice is tiring, and part of the fun of playing video games is escapism.

Combine the two, and you get Untitled Goose Game, a new release by Australian game studio House House.

Nobody seems quite sure how to go about describing the game, which may be why the title has been left rather ambiguous.

I think Mashable has given it a decent go, calling the goose you control “an icon who encapsulates the lawless rage that simmers beneath the surface of the populace and whose actions release the tension felt by all in the face of increasingly dire circumstances”.

You had me at ‘rage’, and many social media users agree:

…even though the game’s runtime is relatively short, its horrible goose protagonist has captured the deliciously chaotic heart of the internet…

For the goose, solving problems means causing problems. In goose’s picturesque English village, the people and places that make up the world are simply a backdrop to the unfolding drama of her raging id. “Do what you want,” Untitled Goose Game whisper-honks, “make things worse and don’t worry about the consequences.” The consequences do not exist.

Sign me up for a world where consequences don’t exist right now. It sounds a little like Boet Fighter, but in avian form.

It’s not just about wanton violence, though:

In addition to the lure of chaos, Untitled Goose Game also taps into the zeitgeist by being at its core a damn good video game. Its simplicity is so admirable that it’s hard not to ponder why someone hasn’t attempted a game in which a shit-stirring waterfowl does rude stuff before now. Despite only existing for a little over a week, the game feels like a Shakespearean truth finally given form.

Let’s see the trailer to get a better sense of what’s quacking cracking:

Looks simple enough, but I guess when you strike a chord with people, that’s all you need.

For more waxing lyrical about this nasty goose, let’s go the Washington Post, which says playing the game is the new ‘punching a wall’:

…yes, as the goose, you are basically a jerk. But the villagers are not innocent victims as much as they are sentient obstacles. Their humanity is limited. The gardener is not a man trying to provide for his family, but a silly person who left the gate to his garden open, practically inviting you to drag away his pumpkins. The gardener exists to have his pumpkins stolen; feeling sorry for him would be like feeling sorry for water that evaporates.

… “Untitled Goose Game” is a safe, socially acceptable way to relieve stress. It’s the new punching a wall. It’s the new crying at your desk.

We’ve all been there.

For those keen to take to dabble, you can download the game here.

[sources:mashable&washpost]