A Nintendo Life writer argues that Big Walk, the new open-world co-op puzzler from Australian studio House House, is their game of the year because of how effectively it helps maintain long-distance friendships. The author, who has lived overseas for nearly two decades, credits the game with fostering genuine connection between players in different countries, working seamlessly even across different consoles, and describes it as being particularly resonant for those already familiar with Nintendo's design philosophy.

The piece highlights the game's emergent, exploration-driven design, comparing its "invisible tutorial" approach to Super Mario Bros.'s World 1-1 and its sense of open discovery to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. The author, playing across a Switch 2 in Singapore and a friend's PlayStation 5 in Los Angeles, praises the game's distinctive visual style, eclectic world-music-influenced soundtrack, and puzzles that reveal how differently individual players think, as well as its unhurried pacing that encourages casual chat and hanging out between objectives.