Big Walk – Make friends while walking. review

Played on computer

“Friendslopes”—items designed for playing and interacting with friends—may be one of the fastest-growing gaming trends in recent years. The list of high-profile and recognized projects alone grows every month: Content warning, Lethal Company, Peak, RV There Yet?, REPO, Meccha Chameleon, and many more. Big Walk is clearly focused on a rich genre base, but House House’s developers aren’t just trying to jump into popular niches, they’re trying to rethink subgenres while discarding the unnecessary, improving the questionable, and retaining the important. As a result, Big Walk not only produces a “quick” dopamine rush in all kinds of absurdly funny scenes, but it also creates a truly profound emotional experience that will be deeply remembered many days after the game is over.

Let’s go on an adventure!

⇡#Walking in search of pears

You and your friends find yourself stranded on an island with no specific purpose or deep backstory. Basic mechanics are taught in the starting room – the ability to jump, bend, throw objects, indicate directions, raise arms alternately or in pairs, lift a comrade on the shoulders – remember, master, that all this will be useful to you in the future. Just like the objects in the location, the bells and glowing balls won’t let you and your team lose your sight.

Of course, the primary tool of communication is speech. As in many other representatives of this genre, spatial chat technology is implemented here – the volume and clarity of the speech directly depend on the barrier between you and the interlocutor, as well as the distance – closer to your friend you can hear it well, but the further away you are, the quieter and unintelligible the words sound. Perfect for an immersive experience, although some may still prefer the usual Discord or similar gaming solutions. Especially considering there were some minor issues with sound in the first few days after release – some players with certain peripherals (or quiet sound) were difficult to hear. Fortunately, this issue was fixed in the first patch, which is very useful because an important part of the Big Walk game cycle, and indeed the fun of the game, is based on communicating difficulties, overcoming them, and jointly coordinating actions.

Day and night changes are dynamic – in the dark, carry at least a flashlight or other light source

The way the world is explored in the game is a bit non-linear, somewhat reminiscent of the latest games in the Zelda series: you travel, notice an object, walk towards it, complete a task, then something else interesting comes into view, you walk there, there you find some useful items, like a backpack, and then another interesting thing has caught your attention, and so on. A great example of creating a sense of flow in group games!

Of course, the main entertainment is the puzzles that pop up here and there. They are usually simple but require teamwork. In one place you need to synchronize button presses located on parts of the map that are far apart from each other, in another you need to recover a sequence of flags on a board in one room based on instructions from a friend in another room. Sometimes you have to consider a chain of commissions in order to deliver something within a limited time. Or click the buttons in the correct order according to the instructions of the comrades at the conditional command post.

The entire island is a microcosm – you can consider further routes. Compact maps are also provided

There are many other missions, as well as more variations of the above – for example, when you play with five people, you need to recreate five sequences in five separate rooms using a communicator system that can only transmit your voice to one person. It sounds complicated, but it can actually be solved with basic planning before testing begins. Additionally, the game offers some tools that can help with particularly tricky tasks. For example, there is a laser pen that can be used to illuminate a desired object at a distance, and a walkie-talkie with a flare that can synchronize actions at a distance.

For successfully completing the mission, you receive a “pear” (the name is unofficial, but my friends and I are firmly committed to it), which must be placed in a special box; if you collect five and fill all the empty slots, a key will be unlocked for you. The key must be taken to the place where the knife was sharpened, and from there to the next point, and again and again. Finally, after creating the last key, you can use it to open a new location or area of ​​interest, which holds new mysteries and even more adventures!

There’s a pear in the vise – you can’t eat it

⇡#joy of the moment

Despite the lack of challenge, one of the main features of the Big Walk is the absence of stressful situations. There’s no timer and the total time isn’t as tight as it was at the peak. You can’t die, you can’t make critical mistakes, and even the hardest riddles won’t make you nervous. If you accidentally get separated from your group and get lost in the forest, there’s no need to worry – it’s easy to find and the surrounding area is non-hazardous.

The island is filled with various picturesque places and corners with a cozy atmosphere. This encourages you to not only complete the game, solving puzzle after puzzle in pursuit of the ultimate goal, but also enjoy the process itself. From walking with friends, from suddenly discovering and studying a mysterious building, from a spontaneous ball game, from a group of people happily going down the mountain, from admiring the sunset together or waiting for the night in the forest: admiring the night sky, talking, sharing life news, telling all kinds of interesting stories.

The melody only plays at a specific frequency, but we can extend the repertoire by playing music on other “buttons”

Big Walk creates all the conditions for you to have a great time, despite the complexity and busyness of adult life, just to walk with friends – those who live nearby or hundreds of kilometers away from you. The game constantly creates bright but not tense moments for everyone to experience together. Sometimes even the task of getting the next pear is based on resting and enjoying the moment. For example, we came across a room where you only had to sit for five minutes. Of course, this may seem boring to some, but we had a great time – we cracked jokes and shared various stories from the past, and of course, even after the necessary time was over and the precious red artifact was in our hands, we continued our pleasant conversation.

There are a lot of fun, unusual and lovely things that happen in the Big Walk, but alas, time flies and at some point you have to say goodbye and go about your business. The game itself goes very quickly, and unfortunately, there’s no replay potential. However, a few soulful evenings spent walking through this open space leaves many wonderful memories in your heart and warms your soul.

advantage:

• A vast and detailed open world ideal for collaborative exploration;
• Many communication tools;
• Warm, social atmosphere;
• Simple but exciting puzzles.

defect:

Rating: 10/10

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