What if Monty Python made a video game?
They did? Multiple in fact? Well, what if they made one about being a goat?
Playing Goat Simulator 3 you can quickly deduce that the creators at Coffee Stain Publishing are fans of the British comedy troupe. From comments made by non-player characters to the hand of God that occasionally shows up, references are plentiful. These are some of the many homages you can find scattered throughout the game.
Goat Simulator 3 is the sequel to the original Goat Simulator, which was released in 2014. No, there is no Goat Simulator 2, just some expansions to the first game. Your skill set is limited initially, as you are a goat. You can jump, faint, bleat, headbutt and lick, which allows you to grab items. As you unlock more skills and costumes, your character feels much less like a goat.
The game starts in your new pen, where the farmer who purchased you has set up your goat castle. This is your base of operations.You quickly escape the pen and find quests around town. Quests appear as question marks on the map, and completing them provides points. You can grow a beanstalk, sacrifice crows to a scarecrow deity, or take out a senior citizen in a rocking chair with a bazooka that shoots balls of yarn. Completing these quests also increases your Illuminati rank, which unlock more areas within your goat castles.
Quest points can be used to purchase costumes and skins for your goat. Some examples include a “Captain America” inspired shield backpack, which can be fired to knock people down. A beer helmet. Bunny slippers. Skins that include “tall goat” (a giraffe), and “tasty goat” (a pig). There is no death in this game, so your goat can create unlimited chaos with no consequence.
Finding additional goat castles unlocks more areas on the map. The castles also work as fast travel points to quickly move around the world. However, there are various other means of transportation in Goat Simulator 3, such as walking, hang gliding rocket backpack or simply stealing a car.
Goat Simulator 3 can be played individually, or with up to three friends. There are various mini-games that can only be played with others, including king of the hill, soccer and golf. Rampant destruction is also more enjoyable with others.
Traversing the open world in Goat Simulator 3 is often entertaining, but there are some issues as well. The in-game physics that make this game fun can also drive you crazy. Items occasionally float away, or your goat can get stuck in the surrounding scenery. As this was a pre-release copy of the game, these may be fixed before it launches, but if they are not, the game has a “respawn” command in the menu that will reset the area. Also, the game’s humor is occasionally juvenile. Poop and fart jokes often make an appearance.
If you are looking for a fun and funny open world experience, Goat Simulator 3 delivers. It’s the perfect game for inflicting chaos on a tiny town until your brain hurts.
Goat Simulator 3 is available on PC, Xbox and PlayStation. Have any thoughts on the game? Let me know on Twitter at @The_Dean.
