Let’s face it: We’ve all had a laugh with the announcement trailer from Goat simulator 3. After all, the madness that permeates every pixel of the production is evident from the name of the game, which claims to be a third chapter, but resulting in all respects the second episode of the franchise. Add a video that takes inspiration from the splendid teaser of Dead Island 2 and here our interest can only rapidly shoot towards the stars. The truth, though, is that we realized that we may have fallen in love with the idea of loving this new opus by Coffee stain studiosmore than the game itself. A game that seems to be constantly poised between quotationism, wanted trash and unwanted problems.
With this dualism in our hearts, we have therefore decided to dig deeper and, in recent weeks, we have lived in the shoes of a goat (and not only) and given free rein to our instincts. Is Goat Simulator 3 really a fun title, or is it a product meant to be so bad that it makes the rounds and becomes interesting? Find out in our review!
Goat Simulator 3 and opens with Pilgrimthe goat protagonist of the first chapter, on board a cart together with other prisoners, heading towards a sheepfold on the island of St. Angora. Does that tell you anything? If the answer is “no”, maybe you haven’t played enough Skyrim in order to appreciate this funny quote.
The plot of the new title from Coffee Stain Studios is not far from what we have just written, with our protagonist who, after breaking free, can explore any corner of the island. A freedom that leads to completely crazy situations. Moments of a “slice of life” that quickly degenerate into total chaos. People who grow enormous thanks to a bizarre machine, scarecrows who come to life, houses that are lifted from the ground with a crane and taken elsewhere. These are just some of the situations you might come across in Goat Simulator 3. And the ones we have mentioned are only present in the first hours, because we let you discover the craziest things in the second half of the game directly pad in hand.
The narrative is certainly not the main element of the production, but it is clear that the devs have a strong sense of humor. Humor that still needs a “writing” and that, given how much we’ve been pissed off, we absolutely feel like rewarding.
It only takes a few minutes within the new effort of Coffee Stain Studios to understand that you are faced with a totally different title than the first chapter. Pilgor’s new adventure is, in fact, extremely more structured. Once you take on the role of the fearsome kid you will have to explore the entire island of San Angora by tackling various missions scattered around the map. These missions are mostly solve events, but their insanity rate makes them extremely fun. Sometimes it’s even necessary to think about what to do, embracing the chaos and trying to think about how the developers want us to solve a certain “environmental puzzle”.
Every action we perform is accompanied by an economic reward, which can then be spent in the shop. Shop which, consequently, allows us to customize Pilgor with aesthetic objects, others that influence gameplay and still others that allow us to change avatars. Have you always dreamed of playing the role of a hammerhead shark on a skateboard with the hat of Santa Claus? Now you can finally turn your dreams into reality.
While wandering through the many areas available to us there are many collectibles to unlock, an element that has sincerely amused us thanks to the placement of these objects. The developers have built the title with the aim of entertaining the player and we can only congratulate them for having actually succeeded. A result that is even enhanced if you decide to play multiplayer, a feature that further raises the potential of an already very varied title.
From a technical point of view, Goat Simulator 3 is certainly not an excellence. The truth is that, compared to the first chapter, the steps forward are still many and all in all there is no discomfort in exploring the map. The character models are still very simple, the animations sometimes grotesque, but all in all the game stands with dignity. The soundtrack is excellent, which includes (too) catchy songs and a decent English dubbing. Present the subtitles in Italian, for all those who do not understand (like goats) the language ofAlbion.
Goat Simulator 3 is a real and concrete game, but crazy and absurd at the same time. It is not a bait and switch, designed to be mocked by the myriad of streamers present in the world, but a title capable of genuinely entertaining. Chaos reigns everywhere, but the developers’ awareness of the gaming language is evident. An awareness that expands to the entire market, given the myriad of quotations present in their work. Are you looking for a title that can make you laugh heartily? Now you know where to spend your money. Looking for a narratively complex, playfully elaborate and visually statuesque work? A certain one has been out for a few days God of War Ragnarok which is undoubtedly for you. But he doesn’t have goats, so: the choice is yours.
VOTE8
Game type
Goat Simulator 3 is a pure sandbox, where the player is called to explore a large area as a crazy goat.
How it was played
The title was played on Xbox Series X thanks to a code kindly provided to us by the Italian Publisher.