Big Walk: The Joy of Hiking, Minus the Blisters

It feels like we need a new word for "friendslop" games. You know, the kind of co-op games where you play as annoying shapes trying to find a toilet before soiling your underwear? Yeah, that's pure slop. Games that feel less like they're jumping on a trend and more like they were designed to foster a connection between players that goes beyond solving the day's puzzle? I'm not sure the "slop" label quite fits. I felt that way about Peak, even though that game is where the term "friendslop" originated, and I feel the same way about Big Walk.

Since Big Walk is exclusively a co-op game, I haven't been able to progress on my own, and my playtime has been so limited that these impressions won't come with a score. I'll try to get more playtime in before then and will update this article when I have a more complete impression of House House's latest title. In the meantime, I've enjoyed Big Walk's puzzles, open world, and bizarre, bouncy characters enough to give you some early thoughts.

Big Walk is a game about a long journey. Your goal is to chat with your friends and work as a team. It's literally impossible to overcome challenges without cooperating, and even when you're not right next to your friends, you'll want to group up when you stumble upon a challenge while exploring the world. If you succeed at a challenge, you'll get an item that I can only describe as something very similar to a Kong-brand dog chew toy. These are your keys to unlocking new areas and progressing in Big Walk.

House House, the developer of Big Walk, also made Untitled Goose Game, so you can expect similar eccentricity and whimsicality, all intentionally crafted by the creators. It's not hard to get lost in Big Walk, and the darkness can be really deep. The round-shaped characters stand out in an otherwise realistic open world: you can throw objects as far as you want, hold glowing orbs high above your head, and wave to your friends when they're out of earshot. All the tools at your disposal are geared towards collaboration. Big Walk leans heavily into you enjoying the very idea of the adventure. Not necessarily an objective to achieve, or items to collect, but something a bit deeper than a simple to-do list.

Everything from Big Walk's visual design to its chill, distant soundtrack tells you this is a game that fully embodies the idea that the journey is more important than the destination. It doesn't rely on the constant chaos that has plagued other successful co-op games. You probably won't be spending your time farming clips in this game, but I've seen few games in recent years that manage to capture that urge to wander with your friends like Big Walk does. The map is huge, there are plenty of mechanics the tutorial doesn't tell you about, and it's incredibly easy to get lost. Initially, it was a bit frustrating to realize I'd collected a bunch of challenge rewards but had nowhere to put them. This lack of direction is one of the issues I've identified with Big Walk, but it's also an integral part of the experience as a whole. It's less a flaw in the game or a design error and more an essential cog in the machine.

If Big Walk told you where to put all the dog chew toys, by lighting up the map with a big red marker or something, then the gameplay experience would be very different. It would have much less to do with exploration and discovery, and it would be more about giving you a to-do list. It would send you out from the central hub like worker bees, to bring back challenge rewards as soon as you find them. Again, the overall experience of Big Walk is much less about shortcuts, objectives to complete, and end credits. It's an experience I can truly only compare to hiking. A true "Big Walk." You're bound to get lost, you'll probably get frustrated with your friends, but you'll likely remember the small details that got you through the course far more than the view at the summit.

As the "TikTokification" of co-op games continues, with plenty of "friendslop" games pushing you to reach the objective as quickly as possible in a roguelite-style structure, Big Walk's approach, allowing you to take a breather and progress at your own pace, is incredibly refreshing. There's no pressure to have fun in Big Walk. No hunger meter threatening to make you abandon a run, no rising lava to crush you. Whether you're adventuring with a single friend or bringing 11 of your best pals across the country, whether you're using every tool at your disposal or just sprinting into the wilderness hoping for the best, your journey is entirely your own in Big Walk. Simple principles, simple challenges, and a simple world: nothing to overwhelm you with distractions to push you forward. You're there to have a good time and stay there for a while in Big Walk, and I can't wait to dive in further.