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Big Walk review
Big Walk is presented as an inventive online co-operative puzzle adventure from House House, the studio behind Untitled Goose Game. Its central achievement is making communication, shared observation and occasional confusion between friends the basis of play, turning exploration of its open world into a social experience rather than a conventional puzzle game.
The game supports two to 12 players and requires at least two people, with puzzles adapting to group size. It uses proximity voice chat, has no matchmaking, and is available on PC, PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch 2; these design choices make a willing group of friends essential to enjoying it.
In short
- Big Walk makes communication its core puzzle mechanic.
- It requires at least two players and lacks matchmaking.
- House House’s new game supports groups of up to 12.
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The case for
The design choices represent a coherent artistic commitment to authentic social gaming that prioritises meaningful human connection over accessibility metrics. By requiring a willing friend group and eliminating matchmaking, House House ensures every session centres on genuine collaboration and communication, transforming the experience into something fundamentally relational rather than transactional. This focused vision—making friendship itself the prerequisite for play—creates conditions for the kind of shared discovery and spontaneous bonding the game's core mechanics are designed to facilitate.
The case against
The restrictive design, whilst conceptually appealing, systematically excludes players without stable friend groups and removes avenues for strangers to discover the game together. The absence of matchmaking and solo options means accessibility becomes conditional on social circumstances beyond many players' control, raising fair questions about whether artistic vision justifies limiting player agency and the potential playerbase. A design that requires a pre-existing community risks becoming inaccessible precisely to those who might use gaming to build such community.
Explained simply
Big Walk is a co-operative adventure game from House House, the Australian studio that made Untitled Goose Game. Players explore an open world and work together to solve puzzles, sharing what they see and trying to make sense of the environment.
The game is designed for groups of two to 12, with puzzles that adjust to the number of players. Nearby players can talk through in-game voice chat, but there is no matchmaking, so playing depends on arranging a group. It is available on PC, PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch 2.