Have You Played... Untitled Goose Game?
Honk the system
The majority of us try to get through life without any unnecessary conflict. It's a hassle that most can do without. That's why I love games that allow for some tomfoolery. All the fun of being a bit mean, without any of the consequence. Although, I should say that I'm not talking about choosing the renegade option in Mass Effect; I'm talking about some wholesome rascality, like snatching a sock from the clothesline of an old lady or swiping spectacles from a child.
Untitled Goose Game embraces the art of mischief, without any malevolence. While you're encouraged to be a sleepy English village's number one nuisance, you're not an evil goose. You're a goose who just likes a bit of a laugh. A member of the gaggle that likes a giggle.
Every one of the game's puzzles revolve around being a general pest, yes, but the Peppa Pig-like flattened textures and muted pastels emphasise the fact that what you're doing isn't actually malicious. It's Looney Tunes violence with a hint of CBBC. While a ways away from Vic and Bob, it's hard not to smile when an ould fella falls on his arse after you've pulled a stool out from under him.
But rather than being sneaky while making your approach, Untitled Goose Game's puzzles are more about distraction: get the gardener to follow you to one end of his allotment, before you run over and steal his rake and drag it into the nearby pond. That type of thing. It's like a sugary Hitman, without the costume changes. Or the murder.