Tingus Goose Review – Unbridled Goose Game – Indie Game Reviewer – The Best Indie Games

Tingus Goose by SweatyChair

Mother Nature’s wonders are endless. How animals on this planet reproduce is something that has been studied extensively. The act of birth can be both magical and also a little weird when you think about it.

Tingus Goose falls into the latter camp, as it shows the act of bringing life into this world through the lens of two geese mating.

This game is far from your standard nature documentary. It’s a fictionalized, highly imaginative view of birth, oftentimes ridiculous and sometimes even funny. It’s weird and strange to view something like a goose turn into a gestational sac surrounding a human-shaped baby that is itself inside a pregnant human.

There is plenty of birthing, extraction from bodies, and cartoonish body horror on display here.

Mother Goose

The goal of each level is to make two geese mate with each other by watering the ground-level goose so that it can grow vertically to reach the other goose at the top of the screen. To water the goose, you need money acquired from “Tingus,” which are human-shaped babies birthed through the mouth of the ground-level goose. When these babies reach the piggy bank on the ground, they give you money.

In order to maximize money, you have to utilize growths that emerge from the goose’s neck. These growths work like bumpers in pinball, and each time a baby bounces off one, it generates more money. Here lies the game’s main strategy: organizing these growths to increase how much money you earn from each baby.

There are a number of different growths to experiment with. One may create a slide for the babies to the opposite side of the neck. Another can teleport babies using portals. One of my favorites eats a baby and then generates two.

Birth Planning

There are so many different growths to make each level feel different, and the mechanic of organizing growths to maximize your earnings is fun. Supplementary elements help you make more money. If three babies touch each other, for example, they’ll combine into a bigger baby that earns you more money.

Tingus Goose also has both permanent and in-level upgrades to help make earning money easier. There’s a surprising amount of depth that makes this game more complex than your traditional idler.

I do feel, however, that some levels overstay their welcome. It could just be a skill issue, but I noticed that some levels breeze by quickly and others take a bit too long.

I will also reiterate that this game is an active idler that requires more attention than its genre contemporaries. Don’t expect an idle game where you can shut your brain off. Tingus Goose requires strategic planning, albeit nothing too intense or off-putting.

Gory Storybook

Visually, Tingus Goose is an odd rollercoaster. The Weird cutscenes that play out between levels would be more disturbing if the art were more detailed. One shows a baby goose hatching inside a human, becoming its brain and nervous system. Another shows two geese ripping apart a human, revealing three giant goose eggs inside their body.

It’s weird, unnerving, and relentless in its approach. It may not be for everyone, but it had me guessing throughout. Each cutscene and neck growth design was a surprise. Truly unpredictable.

The game’s soothing classical music makes things feel even more off-putting. Minimalistic and odd body horror visuals mixed with soft music create a messed-up storybook feel, uneasy but chill.

The Verdict:

Tingus Goose is an odd active idler that will please those looking for something outside the box. It’s strange, but smartly designed to make its core mechanics fun.

It’s unlike anything I’ve played before and one of the most unique games I’ve played in a while. If you dig the mechanics I detailed and don’t mind the eccentric trailer, you won’t be disappointed.

Tingus Goose is available via Google Play and Steam.

Check out the official trailer for Tingus Goose below:

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