I’m gonna be honest, I did not like Goat Simulator when it first came out – it just didn’t resonate with me at the time, and the bugs and lack of structure were the frustrating elements that had me putting my controller down for good on it. It was 2014, a simpler time, and the internet roared with laughter at the sheer ridiculousness of becoming a four-legged menace. That said, I ended up loving Goat Simulator 3, the second game in the series as it fixed nearly everything I didn’t like about the original. Ten years later on from the original release, Goat Simulator: Remastered, a spruced-up version of the original with all the DLC bundled in. Goat Simulator: Remastered still suffers from a lot of the quibbles of that game’s core design, but I have to admit that I find it a little more endearing this time around, and it’s udder nonsense of a game.
At its heart, Goat Simulator: Remastered is still the same game. You play as Pilgor, a deranged goat with a talent for destruction. Your goal? There isn’t really one. The game thrives on emergent gameplay, encouraging you to cause as much mayhem as possible with your wobbly legs and head-butting fury. Lick things! Trash objects! Launch unsuspecting humans into the stratosphere with your powerful tongue! The possibilities for idiocy are endless.
Here’s where the core gameplay loop starts to show its age. The novelty of being a destructive goat wears thin after a while. The physics, while still entertainingly wacky, can be frustratingly unpredictable at times. This unpredictability can lead to hilarious moments, but it can also lead to a lot of cheap deaths and wasted time if you’re actively trying to complete objectives. It is otherwise a great time-waster.
One area where the remaster shines is the inclusion of all the DLC. From the zombie apocalypse of GoatZ (DayZ) to the surprisingly deep (pun intended) MMO simulator, you’ve got a good chunk of extra content to rampage through. These DLCs add some variety to the core gameplay loop, but ultimately, they don’t stray too far from the established formula of chaos. Still, for completionists and those who missed out on the original DLCs, it’s a welcome addition. The inclusion of Payday tie-ins, “Star Wars” DLC, and even a neat Vice City DLC round-out some of the best inclusions. It’s definitely a GOTY package, as in, Goat of the Year.
Like the original, mutators return here. Consider them allowable cheats like jetpacks and transmogs. Each DLC has its own set of mutators you can toggle on and off, at will. Some of them help your gameplay in completing the more challenging objectives.
So, who is Goat Simulator: Remastered for? If you never played the original and have a hankering for some mindless, physics-based silliness, it might be worth a look. However, for those who experienced the original in its full glory, the remaster doesn’t offer enough new content or improvements to justify a second purchase. Ultimately, Goat Simulator: Remastered is a bit like that weird uncle at the family reunion. He’s loud, obnoxious, and makes inappropriate jokes, but there’s a certain undeniable charm to him. The remaster cleans him up a bit, but it doesn’t fundamentally change who he is. Is that a bad thing? Not necessarily. But it’s definitely not for everyone.
The remaster has noticeable improvements to the graphics. The environments are sharper, textures are crisper, and the lighting effects are a definite step up from the оригинала’s, well, bleh-at-best visuals. But here’s the thing: Goat Simulator was never about graphical fidelity. Its charm stemmed from its low-fi, almost janky aesthetic that perfectly complemented the game’s overall silliness. In remastered form, while the world looks undeniably nicer, it loses a bit of that original chaotic appeal. It’s like putting lipstick on a…well, a goat.
Goat Simulator: Remastered clearly looks better, running in Unreal Engine 4 over Unreal Engine 3 of the original. In the way that it looks better, there is now the addition of upscaling technologies like NVIDIA DLSS and AMD FSR 2. There are also traditional anti-aliasing techniques like FXAA and TAA, but new to this is NVIDIA DLAA. It’s a game that works and plays great on the Steam Deck, and you can tweak things to your liking with the options and upscalers.
My PC Specs:
– Microsoft Windows 11 Pro
– Intel Core i9 13900K @ 5.8GHz
– ASUS ROG RYUJIN II 360 ARGB AIO Liquid CPU Cooler
– G.SKILL TRIDENT Z5 6000MHZ 64GB (32×2) DDR5 RAM
– ASUS ROG Strix GeForce RTX 4080 16GB GDDR6X
– WD_BLACK SN850X M.2 (4 TB)
– LG UltraGear 34GP950B-G (21:9 Ultrawide @ 3440×1440)
Goat Simulator: Remastered is a decent refresh of a cult classic. It’s not going to win any game of the year awards, but it’s a guaranteed source of goofy fun for a short while – just don’t expect anything groundbreaking. If nothing else, shows how far Goat Simulator 3 has actually pushed the series forward, and gave it some focus it sorely needed. There’s a lot of game here with all of the DLCs and improved visuals that give it new life for a new generation. Goat Simulator: Remastered is now a solid and less buggy game, but it’s still as aimless as it was before.
A Steam code was provided by the publisher for review purposes
