I don't usually write reviews on Steam, but Big Walk is genuinely one of the best gaming experiences I've ever had (Nier Automata, you're still up there!).
I had the absolute pleasure of playing this with nine close friends at launch, and then completing the game with three of those same friends and we all loved it. I got really emotional after finishing it. I don't want to share my own experience with it or spoil it, as I think that's one of the major appeals with seeing this game till the end. Trust me, it is so so worth it.
In your group of however many are playing (minimum is 2, and maximum is 12...!), you complete really well-crafted puzzles which scale depending on how many people are playing on the save file of the host. You do some major big walking and take in the Australian scenery (this game is based on a real place! - Wilson's Prom). [spoiler] To help with big walking and traversing the map, you can unlock and take the train, or a gondola (ski lift) if that's more your thing.[/spoiler] These all take you around to coloured towers that aid you in completing the game. Each tower has a certain number of gourd-like objects (my friends called them babushkas, some folks call them babies, nipples, dolls, whatever picks your fancy) that you fill up, usually 6, which itself makes a very satisfying sound!
There are items that aid with helping to communicate over large distances from your friends to solve puzzles, but I think one of the unique aspects with the puzzles themselves is you can find your own way to solve them based on your own terms set out by yourself or your group of friends.
From the outside, this game seems like it's another "friendslop" experience, (which I personally don't agree with) but when you start playing, and getting in to the environment, you overlook this label and see that this game is something else entirely. Nothing at all like "slop". You take in the time you spend with your friends in game and it is a genuine joy. In terms of communicating in game, there is, of course your voice, and a text-chat, which keeps messages above your player for around 20-30 seconds. I have used it once in a playthrough, which only shows up when you're nearby players, otherwise it shows up as (inaudible).
I want to give a brief shoutout to the wonderful sound design and music. The ambience and music of the world really adds so much to this game. The voice effects of your fellow walkers when you're in certain rooms delay, echo, reverberate and muffle, all of which sound incredible, which is why in-game prox chat is a must.
There can be funny moments of course, you're spending time with your friends in game (our group done torch rituals at 2:30am, telling scary Watchmojo stories at a campfire, along with other silly shenanigans that I'm not going to share). [b]You will have your own experiences that will be entirely unique with your friends during your playthrough.[/b] [i](Or random fellow big walkers - shout-out to r/bigwalk's LFG threads).[/i] The whole experience of the game is a journey. Completing puzzles with your friends, but having to rely on each other for pushing buttons, or doing communication through certain puzzles, and the sheer joy with a blast of confetti as you complete a puzzle. Then collecting the gourd-like object to aid in filling up the coloured towers which draw you closer to completing the game, bit by bit. It seems silly at first, but as you progress with the game, the discovery of new areas and landmarks you come across is wonderful. You can tell the small development team put a lot of love and care into the placement of things.
Once again, I'm not going to spoil the ending of this game, as I personally think you should go in blind to it. It's such a special, emotional experience, and is worth all the effort of completing the puzzles with your friends (or random big walkers) by your side.
Thank you, House House, for crafting an amazing game that has now become a core memory for me.
