4/5 Stars

April 1  is usually a day of hatred and suspicion for gamers, but this year, a small independent game developer by the name of Coffee Stain gave the gaming community what may be the greatest April Fool’s joke of all time: Goat Simulator. Goat Simulator was first seen in a YouTube video in late February and was described by its creators as “the world’s dumbest game”. After the video went viral however, Coffee Stain decided to release a full version of the game on Steam for $10.

 The gameplay of Goat Simulator somewhat resembles a skateboarding game in that the player earns points and can get combos for doing specific actions, as well as have the ability to perform flips while in mid-air. Goat Simulator features a highly destructible environment for players to wreak havoc within. In addition to being indestructible, players are granted the ability to lick almost any object with the goat’s magically adhesive tongue and bring it with them.

Unlike most games, one of Goat Simulator’s selling points is its massive number of bugs. These can range from objects disappearing or reappearing to the goat phasing through the world, trapping it in a never ending freefall. A particularly amusing bug involves the goat’s neck while climbing ladders. The neck convulses while phasing through the ladder resulting in a hilarious visual display. The developers even mention this in the description of Goat Simulator on Steam. Along with an endless supply of bugs, the game uses ragdoll physics for both humans and the goat. 

The biggest downside to this game is the lack of content. The map is extremely small and contains a very limited amount of objects to destroy and people to terrorize. This is a serious complaint for a game that is next to titles like Fallout 3, Half-Life and FTL, all of which have hours of gameplay and cost the same amount. However, Goat Simulator is open on the Steam workshop, meaning that goat enthusiasts can create countless maps, challenges or even their own custom goats. Coffee Stain is also planning to release a free patch sometime in May. The patch will include a new map, new goats, additional achievements and local multiplayer. 

Goat Simulator is quite simply good, stupid fun. The game is entertaining whether it is being played or just watched. While the price is higher than many people would pay for this type of game, it is certainly worth the time to play it. With a new batch of content coming this May,  new maps and goats being added every day on Steam, Goat Simulator will always have something for players to come back to.