An hour in Big Walk shows how cooperative puzzles can be pure fun

You're in the woods at night with friends, staring up at a construction crane and a tantalizing red button far out of reach. Throwing and kicking objects doesn't work, so the group tries something else: lifting each other. Standing on each other's shoulders, the three players finally press the button, one of half a dozen puzzles I encountered in a 45-minute preview of Big Walk.

The game opens into a gentle world of trees, hills, rivers and a day-night cycle. Players look like bulbous, bipedal ants with noodly legs, stretchy arms and squishy noses that wiggle when you speak into the mic. You can run, hop, sit, wave or point each arm independently and carry objects in your hands, which often sparks quick conversations about who will lug a lamp or radio as you explore.

Every puzzle in Big Walk is cooperative and relies on communication. One task had a player hold down a button while another interacted with what it opened; another required two people to flip switches simultaneously.

big walk, cooperative puzzles, puzzle game, multiplayer, communication, construction crane, red button, voice chat, radio, player avatars