Australian studio behind goose hit transforms the bush into a gaming arena

The Melbourne developers who brought the world a

The Melbourne developers who brought the world a feathered troublemaker have traded urban mischief for the great outdoors. Their latest project swaps the quiet village of the original hit for the rugged landscapes of Victoria, where teams must work together to break free from a series of cleverly designed escape challenges.

The game, built for cooperative play, drops up to four players into a wilderness setting inspired by the state’s national parks and coastal trails. Each level presents a locked environment—an abandoned ranger station, a hidden cave system, or a dense eucalyptus forest—where solving physical and logical puzzles becomes the only way forward. Unlike traditional escape rooms, the action unfolds in real time, with no timers or pressure, encouraging groups to explore at their own pace.

According to the studio, the shift in scenery was deliberate. The team wanted to capture the sense of discovery and camaraderie that comes from being outdoors, rather than replicating the button-mashing chaos of their previous title. The result is a slower, more thoughtful experience that still carries the same dry humor and playful spirit that earned them international acclaim.

Early testers have praised the game for its

Early testers have praised the game for its attention to detail, from the rustling leaves and distant bird calls to the clever use of Australian flora as interactive elements. One level, for instance, requires players to redirect a creek using fallen branches, while another asks them to decode markings on tree trunks left by fictional bushwalkers.

The project has also been a milestone for the small team, which grew from four to a dozen during development. They describe the process as a “return to their roots,” having originally prototyped the goose game during weekend hikes. Now, with funding from a local arts council, they have turned that passion into a full release, scheduled for later this year on PC and consoles.

Critics are already drawing comparisons to beloved outdoor adventure titles, but the studio insists their goal was simpler: to make players laugh with friends and feel a little more connected to the land beneath their feet. Whether that translates into another industry award remains to be seen, but for now, the team is just happy to let players loose in their own backyard.