Goat Simulator: Remastered is a convenient collection of the original game and its many creative DLC packs, but the remaster misses the mark to be considered the greatest of all time. After becoming an indie hit among the online community, the silly sandbox where players can cause chaos as an innocent goat has grown into a gaming franchise filled with comedic, stress-free shenanigans. While the remaster brings chaos for one to four players, issues (some of which include performance problems) do not help the game become its best version.
Goat Simulator: Remastered
Adventure
Simulation
Casual
- Released
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November 7, 2024
- Developer(s)
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Coffee Stain Studios
- Publisher(s)
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Coffee Stain Studios
- Platform(s)
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PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PC
The latest franchise installment included a chaotic carnival of goat-fueled mayhem in Goat Simulator 3‘s Multiverse of Nonsense DLC, bringing the series to new heights of absurdity. It and GS3 felt like a proper evolution of everything the first game built upon, including its large open world and the plethora of pop culture and gaming references. While Goat Simulator: Remastered provides an easy way to enjoy the original game and its six DLCs, it doesn’t add much or update the beloved game enough to be considered a satisfying rerelease.
Even Zombie Apocalypses & Space Colonies Are Not Safe From The Goat
Goat Simulator: Remastered Features Seven Differently-Themed Areas
Even though the original game began with the idea of an immortal goat causing mischief in a small town, Goat Simulator‘s success helped it grow into something much more. Each DLC introduced a new map filled with activities, quests, costumes, and special abilities for players to discover, lick, and headbutt, each of which is included in Goat Simulator: Remastered. Each can be selected from a very convenient menu that lets you dive horns-first into one of seven locations, some much more distinct than others.
Thanks to Goat Simulator: Remastered‘s dedication to making things more accessible for players, you can start any of the original game’s DLCs from the main menu and progress each at your own pace. This means that the wackiest sort of zombie apocalypse started by a goat in the GOATZ campaign, the class-based fantasy Goat MMO Simulator, the hilarious zoo animal heist missions of Goat Simulator PAYDAY, and others can be accessed without having to complete the others. Each feels distinct, but the remaster does little to bridge them together besides adding a bus stop and dark tunnel to connect them.
While each DLC has its own gags and themes, players will have different goals depending on which they play. A personal favorite of mine is the sci-fi-themed Waste of Space level, which puts the goat in a vast space colony that’s dependent on the player’s ability to collect money to unlock new sections. References to Mass Effect, the crowdfunding money pit known as Star Citizen, and other beloved futuristic games can be discovered. It’s only one example of the considerable variation Goat Simulator: Remastered‘s gameplay offers.
Anyone who has played any of the original Goat Simulator content knows that each DLC release lacks much of a plot, which is okay since each is designated to provide its own type of sandbox fun for players to fool around and not take its content too seriously. While having everything in the game released in one place is a welcome achievement, some improvements could have made Goat Simulator: Remastered a better product than what has been released so far.
Gameplay Is Extremely Varied But Buggy
The Original Goat Simulator As Created As A Joke Prototype During A Game Jam
With seven different areas, each filled with secrets and gameplay mechanics to uncover, Goat Simulator: Remastered easily contains more than twenty hours of fun and even more with friends thanks to multiplayer minigames hidden around the maps. Still, several modes like the GOATZ encourage multiple playthroughs with alternating challenges and increasingly difficult tasks to navigate while each day the player’s zombie goat can survive in a crumbling city. The zombie DLC might be the most challenging because it’s the only area that gives players a health bar, but it’s not the only area that suffers from distracting bugs.
Each area in Goat Simulator: Remastered is filled with content that ranges in humor and player engagement, but they are all also plagued by inconsistent clipping and physics. Tasks that require precise item placement or platforming threaten to shoot the player’s goat into the stratosphere or under the stage into the game world’s deep abyss. While those moments can spark a good laugh, other times, they can be frustrating when trying to complete tasks or earn a high score.
While bugs can be bothersome, it’s also unfortunate that GSR didn’t adapt GS3‘s controls instead of keeping the tank-style movement of the original. The clunky movement causes accidental havoc since many of the game’s objects and structures explode into pieces with the slightest touch, which may be intentional fuel for chaos, frequently resulting in unintentional destruction. What the remaster does add to Goat Simulator is the ability to equip and unequip unlockable mutators that can drastically change the goat’s appearance and skills. Those features that helped the game’s humor become so well-known are now easier to access than ever.
Final Thoughts & Review Score
Screen Rant Gives Goat Simulator: Remastered A 6/10
Several video game remasters over the years have helped set low and high bars for rereleases of beloved classics. While lackluster remasters like the Metal Gear Solid Master Collection came packaged with barely any improvements from previous releases, others like Sonic X Shadow Generations released a polished product with anticipated new content, and Goat Simulator: Remastered falls in between.
While it’s nice to have everything the first game released in a new and better-looking package, it would have been better if it updated its controls to match its smoother latest installment, or added content long-term fans haven’t seen before.
Publisher Coffee Stain Studios has been on a roll with releases like Goat Simulator 3, Deep Rock Galactic, and Valheim. However, the small amount of improvements and repackaging of the first Goat Simulator feels lacking compared to other rereleases that have exceeded expectations. Still, Goat Simulator: Remastered is a good way to experience the game that helped gaming’s silliest goat become infamous with humor that continues to ring relevant ten years after its original release.
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