A philosophy of game design I heard nearly a decade ago is that a game should be fun or interesting, if it cant be both. Today, you see a lot of AAA studios struggle to build even one of these two important pillars. It’s in the indie scene where developers are trying new, different things, unmotivated by trying to please the largest possible audience and instead focused on delivering a unique experience that will hopefully leave a lasting impression. House House has managed to do just that with their simply-named Untitled Goose Game.

Players take control of the eponymous goose as they harass the various inhabitants of an quiet and comfortable English town. That’s your entire set-up: go be a dick to the unsuspecting townsfolk. And man, is it fun to disrupt their way of life. The game quickly opens by teaching players how to control their bird, complete with honking and flapping your wings, before dropping you off at the first level.

Here, unlike something like, say, Goat Simulator, UGG does limit players to the laws of physics, but that doesn’t mean the mayhem isn’t entertaining. On the contrary, in fact. By sneaking around and solving puzzles, your goal is to create as much chaos within the hamlet as possible. Of course, while it’s fun to just outright annoy some of the townspeople, you’re also given a “to do” list of various things you can accomplish to create frustration and bedlam. From making a young boy buy back his own toys to destroying someone’s prize-winning garden to performing for a couple of pubgoers, each area provides players a new set of challenges to overcome, culminating in the destruction of the town’s own model village.

It’s a deceptively simple game, with everything, including the art style and even the title, lulling you into a false sense of security. Some of the puzzles seem too easy, like chasing someone from point A to point B, while others can be somewhat confusing. Is the “burly man” the one in front of the pub, or the one cleaning up on the inside? Almost all of the puzzles can be solved through logical thinking, creative problem-solving, and a dash of deviousness, but some of them aren’t as innately decipherable as others. Try to avoid using a walkthrough as much as possible, though, because after you discover the answers, you’ll no doubt smack your head and exclaim, “I should’ve known that!”

There are a ton of details, hidden shortcuts, and additional challenges that add on to the game’s quick completion time. I was almost disappointed by how short the game was for its price, but with the post-game task lists, there’s more to do than just completing the main story (which should only take a couple of hours, roughly). There doesn’t seem like much to this game at first glance, but that’s part of the fun. It’s a surprising and entertaining little jaunt, a fun self-contained experience that will let you unleash your inner sadist.

I don’t have much else to say, really. It’s a neat, compact experience that’s guaranteed to get you to laugh. Personally, I loved just walking through the village and exploring the quiet, cel-shaded community. The atmosphere reminded me a lot of the film Hot Fuzz, with the snug civic-planning and carefree villagers who freak out at the slightest disruption of calm. It makes me wonder what they did with all the crusty jugglers, though?