Big Walk, the open-world co-op puzzle-adventure from House House, offers a unique experience with minimal guidance and a vast world to explore. While part of its charm lies in discovering things organically, some aspects can leave players stumped. This guide offers advice to help you navigate the game's challenges and make the most of your cooperative adventures.
Strategic Tower Completion
The game's world is dotted with four colored mountaintop towers: red, blue, green, and yellow. Filling each tower's console with collected puzzle components, referred to by some as "eggy things," unlocks a significant item. While the order of tackling these towers is flexible, the game subtly guides players toward the red tower first. Starting with the red tower is recommended because its reward can make subsequent challenges easier than those provided by other towers. Collecting five "eggy things" to complete the red tower will grant a substantial early-game advantage.
Essential Inventory Management
Throughout the island, you will find structures containing backpacks or belts. Equipping these allows each player to carry an additional item, increasing a player's carrying capacity to three items (two in the backpack or belt and one in hand). Crucially, items stored in a backpack or belt are not lost when a player falls a great distance. However, Big Walk's cooperative design means that equipping or unequipping these items, or managing their contents, requires assistance from another player.
Preserving Items Between Sessions
When a game session concludes, any items players are holding are placed on a Lost and Found table in the gym area where each session begins. To ensure you retain specific items, such as a flashlight needed from the outset of the next play session, make sure a player is holding it when the host ends the game. Items in backpacks and belts also count towards this carry-over system. If an item is not held when a session ends, it will respawn at its original location, providing a known point to retrieve it later.
Communication Beyond Walkie-Talkies
While walkie-talkies are useful for maintaining contact when a group splits up, they are not the only communication method available. Signs can be found in the gym area, allowing players to write messages that can be read from afar with spyglasses or binoculars. Towers are also equipped with radios that enable communication with players using walkie-talkies, and flares can be deployed from towers to signal your location. Furthermore, players can establish their own signal systems using items like flashlights or large bouncy bulbs, conveying simple messages through blinking or solid lights, without needing to know Morse code.
Utilizing the Train System
Once the train is activated, it operates continuously unless a player is holding down the brake. Train stations display real-time information about the train's location on the island, allowing players to plan their journeys. This information helps determine whether it is more efficient to wait for the train or proceed on foot. The train, similar to the ski lift, moves at a moderate pace, offering a different perspective of the island, aiding in landmark identification, and sometimes providing a more direct route than walking.
Creative Puzzle Solving
Big Walk features numerous puzzles that test players' ingenuity. Some, like an early basketball-themed challenge, may appear straightforward, while others require significant thought. The game often presents solutions that are deceptively simple. Success hinges on examining puzzles from all angles, communicating effectively with teammates, and identifying subtle clues. The developers have intentionally placed solutions within plain sight, encouraging players to think critically and collaboratively.
Puzzle Completion Requirements
To reach the game's credits, players will need to solve nearly all of the available puzzles. Completing the main objectives provides a satisfying conclusion, with the ending noted as a particular highlight. For those who find the experience particularly engaging, there are additional puzzles to solve beyond the main narrative, offering further challenges and content for players who wish to continue exploring the game's world after finishing the core story.