There has been plenty of talk about this being a 'friendgem' rather than 'friendslop', and I'd happen to agree, this is arguably the best co-op game of the past few years. Over the past few years, I've generally grown tired of competitive play, monitoring my meaningless statistics, and being rage baited by Slavs in matches. I think this game arrived at a perfect time, I was looking for something to play with my friends where I wouldn't have to necessarily worry about pulling my own weight or having to one-up another person in my group.
Big Walk provides players with a meaningful experience, yet all you do is walk and talk, and it is peak.
The game forces you in establishing communication and bonding together. Puzzle-solving is mandatory, so working together is ultimately the best decision you'll make, and this forms comradery. It is immensely satisfying to amongst your friends cheering and jumping in a circle after finishing a puzzle.
I think it is ultimately best to not talk about gameplay as it's truly important to experience the game blindly and with your friends. No stats, no sweatiness, no leader-boards. Just hanging out with friends, messing around, making each other laugh and enjoying the journey.
I quite enjoyed our walk.
What I will say though regarding the ending, is that the ending to this game is heartfelt, and makes the journey all that more meaningful. I will detail my experience of the ending in the spoiler bars below:
[spoiler] As we crossed the Great Wall of Big Walk and finished the puzzles inside the abyssal orb, we got to the end, one by one we were instructed by the game to exit the game through a gate corresponding to the colours that we picked for our characters. I ended up being last, I don't know if this was because I was the host or it was just luck. However, watching my friends exit and leave the proximity chat, and overlooking a sunset slowly dimming was a fantastically meaningful moment. I'm not particularly literate and I'm not an especially gifted writer, but I say without hyperbole, that this was probably one of my favourite moments in a game over the past decade. [/spoiler]
