Escape Goat

I simply love this game. The puzzles and the platforming is both demanding but never unfair. The graphics feel classic and the pixel art is well done, i am always unsure if i like this look better than the more modern and polished second part (which is as amazing as part one, by the way). One of the best games that crossed my way in recent years. It could have been an Amiga game from the early 90s, nonetheless it feels original.

I bought Escape Goat out of curiosity on the XBox Live Marketplace and found myself immersed in a smart puzzle-platformer that often asked me to use more lateral thinking than usual. Needless to say I was overjoyed to find it here as well. You're a goat, you've been accused of sorcery (gee talk about prejudices, so just 'cuz I'm a goat I'm satanic?) and locked away in an old and strange gaol... You meet a mouse who wants to escape as much as you. You then learn you need to find seven sheep with the power of opening the door to your freedom. To find them, you have to traverse seven thematical zones, each with 6 rooms, the last one containing the sheep. Each room is a single-screen puzzle. Some of them simply demand you dodge the obstacles, others contain a switch puzzle (sometimes timing-based) or a enemy-based puzzle. Your mouse companion can cling to surfaces and run along walls and ceilings, you can also set it down sleeping to hold a pressure pad. Some levels will allow you to grab a magical hat. When worn, it allows you to swap positions with the mouse, and it's vital to complete the puzzles. The mouse will also activate pressure switches by walking over them and you'll need to use this in a timely fashion to survive some of the rooms. The controls are simple but very responsive. Your goat can (double) jump, dash and the other two buttons command your interactions with the mouse (setting the mouse or using the magic hat. To lay the mouse down, hold down and press the "mouse" button). The graphics are nice, with old-school pixel art setting the baroque mood very well. The music also sets you right in the mood a complements the game perfectly. Among other niceties, when the game is over you unlock extra levels, and the game also includes a level editor right from the get-go, allowing you to make your own sets and extend your puzzle pleasure. The asking price is more than reasonable for such a good game, you'll no doubt have a blast. I know I did.

Escape Goat is a retro puzzle platformer that is slanted more toward precision and timing than strategy and planning. The game contains many strong elements: simple and responsive controls, creative challenges, and arguably some of the best music in any game. Probably the primary strength of the game is its fidelity to a concept: all of the rooms are the same size and the goal is always the same, collect the keys (if there are any) and hit the exit. There is an interesting if somewhat rigid division between the main campaign and the bonus levels. The first part does contain some tricky challenges, but for the most part you’ll zip along quickly, admiring the ingenuity of the puzzles. The next section (All Intensive Purpose) is downright wicked. There will be more than one rage quit here and some of the rooms are too dependent on luck, but I kept coming back for more, which is the sign of a good game!

Not as good as the sequel but still good puzzle platformer.

Go_Goat!