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Review: Goat Simulator Waste of Space – the goat returns, in low gravity

The Goat’s back, and this time it wants to build a space colony

Price: $4.99 / £3.99
Version: 1.1
Size: 249 MB
Platform: iPhone and iPad
Developer: Coffee Stain Studios

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So, the Goat Simulator is back for another outing? Who knew what started out as a joke could end up spawning numerous follow-ups. After last year’s Goat Simulator Goatz, which pitted the titular goat against a horde of zombies, it was only a matter of time before these animals headed to space.

For those that aren’t in the know – here’s a quick rundown of Goat Simulator. It started as a test in the Coffee Stain studios, which provided an environment for developers to learn the basics of the Unreal engine which is used to make the games. Of course, footage was leaked to YouTube and the internet demanded a full version of the game. And as we know, what the internet wants, the internet gets.

This time the goat finds itself on a space colony

This time the goat finds itself on a space colony

And thus we have Goat Simulator. Players control the simple goat with the aim of smashing and destroying various items, and headbutting plenty of humans in the process, to score points. When it comes to gameplay that’s pretty much it, and it’s not changed much. So, how can they keep releasing sequels? Essentially, the way the Goat Simulator games work is to have a concept and use it to house more of the same.

The goat needs to 'Crowdfund' i.e. headbutt people to get money to unlock other areas

The goat needs to ‘Crowdfund’ i.e. headbutt people to get money to unlock other areas

In Waste of Space, the goat has crashlanded on a space colony, which it then have to help build using crowd-funding. Essentially, this involves head-butting crates and people and collecting the money left behind. From here, you’re given more missions, and can find yourself unlocking a whole bunch of other locations on the colony.

Beware the lack of gravity...

Beware the lack of gravity…

So, is it any good? Kinda. The controls are still flaky as always, and the glitches, some would say are the game’s charm, are ever-present and ever-annoying/hilarious. We’re also introduced to some new game mechanics. The goat can ride little zero-G motorbikes, while the levels are often low on gravity, so jumping from one ledge to another is gloriously over the top.

Also beware the space plants. Licking them may alter your goat-like appearance

Also beware the space plants. Licking them may alter your goat-like appearance

Goat Simulator is a lot of fun to play, absolutely, but really, how much more has this franchise got in it? Though we do find ourselves thinking that every time. If you’ve liked Goat Simulator before, you’ll still enjoy the gradual progression and the new setting. If you’ve never heard of Goat Simulator before, well, there’s no reason why you can’t start with this one.