Goat Simulator is a years old game where you play a goat and cause as much wanton destruction as much as you can in a variety of modes. It put Developer Coffee Stain Studios on the map, and caused them to get bought out by Embracer Group in 2019(an editorial about them will be forthcoming soon). The key about Goat Simulator is that is it intentional rough and glitchy, but oh so fun. The Switch Version is the GOATY edition, which has all the various modes: the base 2, Goatville and Goat Bay City, GoatZ, Payday, MMO Simulator and Goat Waste of Space. Unlike Nintendo Life, I prefer the base 2 modes to some of the others, but I’ll get to that in a bit.
The interesting thing is why review Goat Simulator now? It was almost released 4 years ago. A) I did that yesterday. B) It was on sale. C) It would be interesting to review it in relation to my favorite punching bag, Midnight Works. Yes, in a strange, bizarre universe, Goat Simulator, could have been a Midnight Works production. Midnight Works releases glitchy and rough games, but unlike Goat Simulator, aren’t very fun… well there is Skateboard Drifting with Maxwell Cat, but that was an anomaly more than anything else. Midnight Works could have been the second coming of Coffee Stain, but they just don’t put enough work in. GS has love built into it. Midnight Works games have none. If only midnight works tried more often, they could do wonders.
The actual Goat Simulator review
But enough about Midnight Works, lets talk about Goat Simulator.
How is it, years on? Still fun really. I prefer the base modes which are more freeform, just rack up points and get achievements. They play, in a way, like an odd skateboarding game, especially since you can manual. The issue, which Nintendo Life highlighted, is that they’re only good for short bursts. Still I find them more fun that say, Payday, which apes that actual series, but I didn’t really understand. MMO Simulator has you choosing classes and go on various quests, which start easy and get more complicated, and its alright. Waste of Space has you collecting money by causing mayhem, which unlocks more of the space colony but I would have preferred not to be bottle-necked. DAYZ has two modes, After Outbreak, which is survival simulator, and Before Outbreak, which is essentially a base mode. Guess which of the two I preferred?
In the end, Goat Simulator has stood the test of time, being nearly a decade old at this point. Midnight Works titles don’t stand up for five minutes. And that is a testament to the love that went into this game. The game is most fun when you’re running around causing destruction and mayhem versus the more restrictive modes. Should you buy Goat Simulator is you haven’t already? If understand that this does not take itself seriously, sure. If you’re expecting the upmost quality, probably not. This will get a Recommended.
Overall: Even after all these years, Goat Simulator is still fun, though the various modes are hit and miss.
Verdict: Recommended
| Platform | Nintendo Switch |
| Release Date | 1/23/19 |
| Cost | 19.99 |
| Publisher | Coffee Stain |
| ESRB Rating | T |
