The developers behind the critically acclaimed game Big Walk have opened up about the extensive process of bringing their creation to life, from its humble one-week prototype to its polished final form. In a candid interview, House House members Stuart Gillespie-Cook, Jake Strasser, and Nico Disseldorp detailed the game's development, its unique approach to cooperative play, and the philosophy behind its challenging yet rewarding puzzles.
The genesis of Big Walk was a rapid prototyping effort during the pandemic. Within a single week, the team had a functional prototype that, according to Disseldorp, featured basic character models that could jump and proximity voice chat. "You're just like a model that jumped up and down, right?" Disseldorp recalled of the early build, which was initially set in a large, empty terrain resembling the Faroe Islands. This initial exploration of a vast, open space with the core mechanic of staying together and communicating proved to be the foundational experience that the team sought to build upon.
As development progressed, the team shifted focus from expansive, remote landscapes to something more familiar and personal. "Why aren't we just making a game about our backyard?" Gillespie-Cook mused, reflecting on the influence of their previous title, Untitled Goose Game. This led to a more localized aesthetic and a greater emphasis on the nuanced interactions between players.
The core of Big Walk's design philosophy revolves around fostering genuine connection and communication. Disseldorp explained that the scale of interaction was the key revelation: focusing on players and their immediate actions, like hand movements and waves, rather than complex objectives. This intimate scale allows for deep engagement with other players' actions, making communication feel essential and personal.
This focus on player interaction heavily influenced the game's puzzle design. Gillespie-Cook described the early development of challenges, starting with simple cooperative concepts like one player opening doors for another. While some early ideas proved "un-fun," they served as valuable lessons in what types of cooperation felt meaningful. The team aimed to create challenges where players felt a sense of ownership and genuine participation, avoiding scenarios where one player dominates or where everyone contributes in a superficial way.
"The absolute spoilers, but the whole series of challenges at the end of the game, I do feel like that went through so many evolutions," Gillespie-Cook stated, referring to the game's more demanding late-game puzzles. The developers noted that distilling the essence of a challenge to work for varying numbers of players, and especially for fewer players, required significant iteration. Disseldorp elaborated that scaling down puzzles was often more difficult than expanding them, demanding precision to maintain the unique feeling of each challenge.
A significant aspect of Big Walk's unique atmosphere is its sound design. Nicholas Zhang and Em Halberstadt from Shell in the Pit were instrumental in creating the game's rich audio landscape, from the echoing shouts off cliffs to the subtle nuances of proximity chat. "Their work seems the most like magic to me," Gillespie-Cook remarked, highlighting how their contributions went beyond mere implementation to inform the game's design itself. Halberstadt's bold decisions, such as the distinctive "pbbbbt" sound upon logging off, often surprised the development team but ultimately enhanced the game's personality.
The team also discussed the game's accessibility features, particularly the puzzle-skipping option. They emphasized that the game's design inherently encourages the use of multiple senses and translation between them, acknowledging that not all players will have the same sensory experiences. The ability to skip puzzles was seen as crucial to ensuring that the game could be enjoyed by a wider audience, even if it meant deviating from traditional accessibility approaches.
Looking back, the developers reflected on the high-risk, high-reward nature of Big Walk. Strasser noted that the commercial success of Untitled Goose Game provided the financial freedom to experiment. "I think I went into this project going, Goose Game has meant that we can afford a flop," Disseldorp admitted. This allowed House House to pursue a more personal, peculiar, and niche vision without the pressure of replicating their previous success.
Despite the inherent risks and the unconventional design choices, Big Walk has resonated with players. Gillespie-Cook expressed satisfaction with sticking to their guns on challenging aspects like the dark nights, which many players have come to appreciate. The developers expressed their gratitude for the reception, particularly how more people have embraced the game's daring decisions than they initially anticipated.