Goat Simulator: MMOre GoatZ Edition includes the updated MMO (massively multiplayer online) version of Goat Simulator and the Day Z zombie survival game inspired version called Goatz. Once you enter the game you can choose which one you want to play.
The MMO is basically a simulated MMO universe in a medieval period in which all of the characters are NPCs, and the only ones that interact with you are the quest givers. Knights may attack you if you mess with them. The quests are the most weird and hilarious that you can think of. They go from the traditional finding an object and delivering it, to freeing a guy from a pile of fecal matter. So get ready to do the most craziest quests of your life.
Like a regular MMO game you will start by selecting one of the 6 classes available: Tank, Rougue, Magician, Hunter, a Microwave (yes, you can be a microwave oven), and a regular goat, each one with 2 unique special abilities. As in every MMO game you can level up your character by completing quests and defeating the different enemies that you may encounter. However, in Goat Simulator, besides the traditional leveling up system, there are different ways in which you can do that such as destroying and licking whatever that you find in your way. The game has a level cap of 101.
Your character will also have an inventory system which allows you to store anything that you decide to lick in the game, from the items scattered around the game to all the NPCs you find, either friends or foes. It’s pretty much your choice what you decide to store. Using this features allows you to complete certain quests. For example, when the objective is to find some item or person and deliver it to the NPC that gave you the quest, or some place in particular. Usually the items you need to find will appear identified with their name or with a golden glow around them.
Besides the different classes at the start of the game, you also have the mutators that give you the ability to change your character with double jump, a jet pack or even becoming Zeus, in goat form. In the mutators menu you can also change your character’s class to any of the mentioned before. You can equip whatever you want. Just be careful or you may end up with some unexpected crazy result. There are lots of mutators to be unlocked, some through the quests, others you will need to find by yourself in the game world.
One thing that’s unique in Goat Simulator is that you will never die, no matter what. The worst thing that can happen to you is being trapped in one of the many glitches that the game has to offer, like getting trapped on a wall or a bookshelf. To resolve the problem you just have to select the respawn option in the pause menu and you will get to the place you started the game, without losing any level, or progression of the quests. If you never played the original game, don’t be afraid of the glitches because they are kind of there on propose, it’s kind of a signature mark of the game.
In GoatZ survival mode, you become a zombie goat and have two ways of starting the game, before and after the zombie outbreak. In the first one, before the outbreak, you will have the opportunity to explore the map without being attacked by any zombie, which is helpful for familiarizing the map and its various locations. It’s entirely up to you to decide when to start the zombie outbreak. In the second, you will already start with zombies on the map that are ready to come after you and kill you. In both situations you start as a zombie goat.
In GoatZ the objective is to survive as many days as you can, but things aren’t so simple. Besides the zombies that chase you, there’s also the fact that you need to scout for food, or you will starve to death. You can always eat some brains to replenish your hunger gauge, after all you’re a zombie goat, and for that you have to kill the zombies.
Like in Dead Rising you are able to craft weapons. You just need to get the right parts and put them over the pad which allow you to craft them. To do this you will need to master your licking abilities since that’s the only way for you to transport the items in GoatZ mode. In the rooms where you find the pads you will also have access to the blueprints that show you which parts you have to combine to create the various weapons and items.
The games gives you small tasks to perform, from killing a certain number and type of zombies, blowing things up, crafting weapons, vehicles and items, and more. The tasks once completed will reward you with a certain amount of food and health points, but they can be a bit tricky to complete since they have a time limit.
Although the GoatZ mode doesn’t have a time limit, your health and hunger will pretty much be the biggest factors in your survival, so remember to keep an eye on them before you end up dead…well, again.
Both modes can be played in local multiplayer. You can start any of them with up to 4 players, and go either to the MMO and complete some quests or go directly into the zombie apocalypse and see which one survives the most or help each other out to survive. The GoatZ option will give you the option of a parachute and bumper-car races. The MMO part doesn’t have any kind of multiplayer activities besides the quests.
You also have hidden trophies, small golden goats statues, scattered in both modes. There are 20 on the MMO and 32 on GoatZ. For achievement hunters, you can earn a total of 30 achievements, 16 on the MMO and 14 in GoatZ.
The colorful palette and amusing hidden extras makes Goat Simulator: MMOre GoatZ Edition easy on the eyes when it comes to the graphical aspect. The amount of glitches purposely left in the game can make anything go wrong with the visuals at any time, but nothing serious. In one way or the other they are at least hilarious. The music is cheerful, and as soon as you start the game you will be welcomed with upbeat medieval music. Once in the game you will be able to appreciate the ambient in-game sounds. The variety of sound effects that goes from explosions to you own goat sounds, are pretty hilarious.
Although the game in general is pretty good, there are a few things that may disappoint some of gamers. The lack of voices of the MMO quest givers is definitely one of them and would be a useful thing. Sometimes as you run past them but you miss the entire objective of want you have to do or some tip that could guide you in its fulfillment. You end up on the pause menu trying to figure out what exactly you have to do, it happened a lot to me.
Sometimes the glitches can really drive you crazy, especially when you’re trying to collect some trophy or completing a certain objective, that are on the far side of the respawn place and you end up stuck on a wall or the maps simply vanishes and you end up in the void.
The camera could be a little bit better especially when it comes to the inside of some buildings, or small areas, because you may find yourself struggling to access or catch something.
Lastly, in some of the mutator options, there are some bugs every now and then, which result in the mutator not being properly activated, and will look like it’s not activated. This can be confusing. Glitches are fun but strange camera angles and buddy menus detract from the experience.
Goat Simulator: MMOre GoatZ Edition is a good game with lots of funny and crazy moments, mostly due to the glitches. The mutator options are also a plus to the game, which let you create your own, personalised experience. The local multiplayer provides a good moment with your friends, or family members. I just wish it was a little more polished.
João is a games journalist, Senior Editor at XDA Developers. They contributed 156 articles to ICXM between 2015–2017, focused on game reviews, Windows and PC, and Xbox news: previously reported for Neowin before joining XDA Developers in 2021, where he leads coverage of Windows, Microsoft, and hardware.