This review contains spoilers
Quite a cute and endearing little game. The art style was very enjoyable and the story was quite interesting. The gameplay did lack variety a little bit but overall it was still quite satisfying to me. The story they told between Rani and Becks was pretty cool, if not a little unclear at times. I think this game is unfortunately a little queerbaity. I really felt throughout this that Rani and Becks relationship was more than platonic but the game never really clarifies on that. To me though, it felt quite obvious and there seemed to be hints so in my head they were a couple. It was kind of refreshing to see the cracks in the relationship and how they definitely cared about each other but seemed to have differing priorities in places.
The story seemed to be an analogy for environmental destruction and I think they told it pretty well, there's definitely more there if you think into it but I didn't think that aspect of the story was that impactful.
The story seemed to be an analogy for environmental destruction and I think they told it pretty well, there's definitely more there if you think into it but I didn't think that aspect of the story was that impactful.
The gaming equivalent of a short story.
A quick and charming adventure with a good message. Characters, setting and gameplay hit just the right note to not be tiring. It doesn't get old because it really can't; you can finish this in an afternoon.
The length helps it a lot, telling a good, contained story. There are parts where you'd think or wish the developers would expound, but it's almost like you can feel them reining themselves in.
A quick and charming adventure with a good message. Characters, setting and gameplay hit just the right note to not be tiring. It doesn't get old because it really can't; you can finish this in an afternoon.
The length helps it a lot, telling a good, contained story. There are parts where you'd think or wish the developers would expound, but it's almost like you can feel them reining themselves in.
a good short game, and solid gameplay
стримил гелу
Goal is to play every image and form game so been meaning to check this one out. I liked it, short little puzzle action adventure. Cleaning up goop like in sunshine. Nothing special and doesn’t overstay its welcome. Still feels like major tech demo vibes where the dev wanted experience in 3D animation (probably for Steamworld headhunter which funnily enough is on hold now). Feels like Microsoft just gave them a nice Cheque and said have fun. Vastly prefer digs, heist and quest but still glad I knocked this off the list. Some audio crackling by end of game and dialogue was a bit cringey.
Me lo he vuelto a pasar porque jugué hace poco a los dos SteamWorld Dig y necesitaba dosis de Image&Form. Es un juego sencillo, facil muy lineal e igual algo olvidable pero que es entretenido de jugar y la experiencia en general es positiva.
👾 The Gunk (🇸🇪 2021)
Lovely queer sci-fi puzzle platformer with good art direction. Overall is too simple and straightforward which might be appreciated by busy people. The story is not very original being the relationship between the main character and her partner the highlight of the game.
🎮 Played on Steam Deck
Rating: 🪻🪻🪻👽▫️
Lovely queer sci-fi puzzle platformer with good art direction. Overall is too simple and straightforward which might be appreciated by busy people. The story is not very original being the relationship between the main character and her partner the highlight of the game.
🎮 Played on Steam Deck
Rating: 🪻🪻🪻👽▫️
Eis que o Level Design carrega a qualidade do game nas costas
Aventurinha bastante linear, nenhum desafio de plataforma ou puzzle que te empacam, bem bonito e polido.
Bem curtinho, sabe a hora de acabar antes que fique enjoativo.
Bem curtinho, sabe a hora de acabar antes que fique enjoativo.
Weak mechanical premise, but the rest left me pleasantly surprised! Voice performances are really good and fun, and the soundtrack's strong at setting the mood throughout. Really good looking too, I almost get a clay or tilt shift vibe from it, something about it just really looks impressive in motion. I simply am not immune to having a good time on a fourish hour adventure
- Gunk -
Fue un juego rapido de terminar, es de esos juegos que son sencillos en todo, sus puzzles son faciles, el mapa es corto y lineal, no tiene demasiados movimientos o combates complejos.
No esperaba mucho de el juego, pero me quedo un punto de vista decente de él. Su historia se llega a poner buena apenas logres avanzar algo y tengas que descubrir más de ese planeta cubierto por Gunk.
Artisticamente se me hizo lindo tanto que me hizo recordar peliculas infantiles que son medio crudas por como se empieza volver la atmosfera.
Fue un juego rapido de terminar, es de esos juegos que son sencillos en todo, sus puzzles son faciles, el mapa es corto y lineal, no tiene demasiados movimientos o combates complejos.
No esperaba mucho de el juego, pero me quedo un punto de vista decente de él. Su historia se llega a poner buena apenas logres avanzar algo y tengas que descubrir más de ese planeta cubierto por Gunk.
Artisticamente se me hizo lindo tanto que me hizo recordar peliculas infantiles que son medio crudas por como se empieza volver la atmosfera.
um jogo que poderia facilmente ser encontrado no ps2. Um bom jogo para crianças
Um dos melhores indies que já joguei!
Ele é simples, o que brilha é o carisma, a trilha sonora casando com a ambientação e o sentimento que o jogo quer transportar ao jogador!
A melhor forma de jogar é sabendo o mínimo possível, aproveita que é baratinho!
De defeito eu acho que as mecânicas tinham potencial pra serem mais intelectualmente exploradas, em outras palavras, os puzzles/Resoluções são simples demais e poderiam sim engajar mais o jogador!
Isso não tira o brilho do jogo só foi algo que senti falta para mim!
The Gunk nota 9
Ele é simples, o que brilha é o carisma, a trilha sonora casando com a ambientação e o sentimento que o jogo quer transportar ao jogador!
A melhor forma de jogar é sabendo o mínimo possível, aproveita que é baratinho!
De defeito eu acho que as mecânicas tinham potencial pra serem mais intelectualmente exploradas, em outras palavras, os puzzles/Resoluções são simples demais e poderiam sim engajar mais o jogador!
Isso não tira o brilho do jogo só foi algo que senti falta para mim!
The Gunk nota 9
This is a shorter game that succeeds in what it aims to do. Exploring a new planet, cleaning up 'the gunk', and progressing area to area to progress the short narrative is what this game is all about. The game is visually impressive and doesn't overstay it's welcome.
Exploring a strange energy spike on what seems to be a desolate rock, The Gunk has you encounter a strange substance that seems to be suppressing life on the planet.
The game is filled with a sense of wonder as you remove this gunk and restore the life it had “killed”, resulting in some beautiful looking areas. The gameplay is simple, but enjoyable: you hoover up gunk (and sometimes enemies) to restore plantlife, then throw plants around to make new platforms or remove obstructions.
The Gunk never gets difficult, and the development the characters go through is predictable, but with a short length and some enjoyable dialogue, The Gunk is a pleasant and charming ride. I’d love to see more of this, perhaps another adventure with these characters or just another short but sweet game.
The game is filled with a sense of wonder as you remove this gunk and restore the life it had “killed”, resulting in some beautiful looking areas. The gameplay is simple, but enjoyable: you hoover up gunk (and sometimes enemies) to restore plantlife, then throw plants around to make new platforms or remove obstructions.
The Gunk never gets difficult, and the development the characters go through is predictable, but with a short length and some enjoyable dialogue, The Gunk is a pleasant and charming ride. I’d love to see more of this, perhaps another adventure with these characters or just another short but sweet game.
Jogo de plataforma indie bem legal. Talvez um ponto negativo é apenas a repetição e falta de upgrades mais interessantes, mas tudo isso se salva com a história bem bacana do jogo e seu mundo muito bem feito e colorido. Vale a pena.
Da poco sto cercando di scrivere due righe sui giochi giocati o che sto giocando. Non sono recensioni ma pareri personali o comunque cose che mi vengono in mente. xd Stavo giocando a Kona 2 ma purtroppo un fastidioso bug non mi lascia più proseguire. Così ho avviato The Gunk un po' per caso e un po' per curiosità. Un gioco rilassante dove l'unica cosa o comunque la cosa che faremo per più tempo è ripulire un pianeta. La storia non è niente di che ma è stato bello seguire le varie conversazioni tra le due protagoniste di questa piccola avventura. Il tema è l'ambiente. Ma non è che mi ha fatta tanto riflettere sull'ambiente ma piuttosto sulla vita normale. Le protagoniste sono Rani e Becks. La prima è l'esploratrice quella che si getta subito nell'avventura senza pensare ai rischi e l'altra invece è un po' più cauta, preferisce starsene alla base. Due persone con problemi di soldi e alla ricerca di un lavoro, come può capitare a tutti noi nella vita reale. Ognuno di loro con un proprio carattere. Ridono e scherzano ma anche può capitare di litigare. Non è che questo gioco sia profondissimo in fatto di storia ma è stato bello il collegamento che mi ha fatta fare con la vita vera. Come gameplay forse può risultare un po' noioso...se parte alla grande poi ci si troverà a scansionare e ripulire sempre le stesse cose. Ma anche queste cose monotone alla fine possono avere un che di positivo. Mentre giochiamo pensiamo alla nostra vita, all'ambiente,...
The Gunk foi uma surpresa para mim, fugindo totalmente do tipo de jogo que costumo consumir, mas acabou me prendendo até o último segundo.
Super entendo os comentários que falam que o game é repetitivo, ainda mais porque só podemos ficar limpando a sujeira pelo mapa, mas achei isso bem relaxante e divertido.
Tanto a história quanto os personagens foram bem cativantes para mim. Apesar de ser um tanto 'simples', é bem divertido de acompanhar.
Recomendo para quem quer algo curtinho e relaxante. É um bom game para desestressar.
Super entendo os comentários que falam que o game é repetitivo, ainda mais porque só podemos ficar limpando a sujeira pelo mapa, mas achei isso bem relaxante e divertido.
Tanto a história quanto os personagens foram bem cativantes para mim. Apesar de ser um tanto 'simples', é bem divertido de acompanhar.
Recomendo para quem quer algo curtinho e relaxante. É um bom game para desestressar.
Enjoyable, not too long. Pretty fun platforming
legalzinho
experiencia curta e divertida ate
experiencia curta e divertida ate
Some interesting ideas here! Really liked the length, the focus on a small-scale narrative and the central mechanic of the hoover arm. Game was absolutely gorgeous throughout - didn't love the character models but the environments were fantastic, felt bright and full of life.
My thing is, it felt boring to play. I know it wasn't going for ultimate excitement. I know this. But I just felt bored going through the motions: hoover up the gunk in an area, pull some switches, open a new area and do the same. Movement didn't feel great at any point (especially when using the useless sprint) and rarely did the gameplay feel super exciting or engaging. And rarely did I feel a real pull to continue playing and discovering more (beyond wanting to see the story through). Thought the upgrades were a real waste of time. Mostly useless (apart from the odd mandatory upgrade), I never felt like I needed them or that I needed to harvest materials for the sole purpose of getting them. I liked the idea that scanning more objects unlocked more upgrades, which would encourage me to explore more and harvest more along the way. But idk man, I just felt no pull at all towards doing that. If the upgrades meaningfully changed traversal, or added some dimension to the very flat combat, then maybe I'd have cared. Also makes me chuckle that there's a whole fast travel system between each of the areas here, as if I ever want to backtrack anywhere lol. The levels felt very setup for linear traversal only.
I will say, looking at the credits at the end and seeing how tiny the team was made me appreciate the hard work a lot more. I think I've softened since becoming an employed gamedev and seeing the process from behind the scenes. It's a miracle that anything gets released - even when it's mid.
Oh wait I forgot to mention - whenever you look up there's an effect where the FOV increases, which really makes you feel the scale of whatever you're looking up at. Those graphics really were phenomenal, and super strong art direction too.
My thing is, it felt boring to play. I know it wasn't going for ultimate excitement. I know this. But I just felt bored going through the motions: hoover up the gunk in an area, pull some switches, open a new area and do the same. Movement didn't feel great at any point (especially when using the useless sprint) and rarely did the gameplay feel super exciting or engaging. And rarely did I feel a real pull to continue playing and discovering more (beyond wanting to see the story through). Thought the upgrades were a real waste of time. Mostly useless (apart from the odd mandatory upgrade), I never felt like I needed them or that I needed to harvest materials for the sole purpose of getting them. I liked the idea that scanning more objects unlocked more upgrades, which would encourage me to explore more and harvest more along the way. But idk man, I just felt no pull at all towards doing that. If the upgrades meaningfully changed traversal, or added some dimension to the very flat combat, then maybe I'd have cared. Also makes me chuckle that there's a whole fast travel system between each of the areas here, as if I ever want to backtrack anywhere lol. The levels felt very setup for linear traversal only.
I will say, looking at the credits at the end and seeing how tiny the team was made me appreciate the hard work a lot more. I think I've softened since becoming an employed gamedev and seeing the process from behind the scenes. It's a miracle that anything gets released - even when it's mid.
Oh wait I forgot to mention - whenever you look up there's an effect where the FOV increases, which really makes you feel the scale of whatever you're looking up at. Those graphics really were phenomenal, and super strong art direction too.
An underrated Xbox exclusive. The gameplay is simple but engaging, the game has a good pacing and introduces new mechanics exactly when the player feels that he has already seen everything.
The characters are well written and, even if the plot is not original in the context of science-fiction, I feel that The Gunk has a lot of humanity into itself. Everytime I wake up in the morning to go to work, I feel like the two main protagonists.
Simple, but solid. Truly recommended.
The characters are well written and, even if the plot is not original in the context of science-fiction, I feel that The Gunk has a lot of humanity into itself. Everytime I wake up in the morning to go to work, I feel like the two main protagonists.
Simple, but solid. Truly recommended.
Juego olvidable.
It was quite cathartic hoovering up all the gunk. The story told was nice, the level design was good, and the game ramped up in difficulty for the third and final act.
Before that, it was too easy. No incentive to upgrade or use the upgrades you got, and when you got some of the later combat-specific ones, mostly all the combat parts were over.
One of the characters got a bit annoying too.
Before that, it was too easy. No incentive to upgrade or use the upgrades you got, and when you got some of the later combat-specific ones, mostly all the combat parts were over.
One of the characters got a bit annoying too.
The cutest game with simple mechanics, a wonderful atmosphere and music throughout the entire playthrough.
In my opinion, it’s a great meditative pastime for a couple of hours, where you need to explore a small planet and clean it of “dirt.” The message is simple, the world is beautiful, what else do you need?
The game doesn't get boring, doesn't drag out the gameplay and doesn't try to seem like something else.
In my opinion, it’s a great meditative pastime for a couple of hours, where you need to explore a small planet and clean it of “dirt.” The message is simple, the world is beautiful, what else do you need?
The game doesn't get boring, doesn't drag out the gameplay and doesn't try to seem like something else.
While I enjoyed the atmosphere quite a bit in this one I felt like it was very bare bones. It’s simple and to the point but I think it could’ve been expanded on a lot more and make cleaning up the gunk more rewarding. It’s short and if it were for gamepass I probably wouldn’t have touched it. I’d like to see this idea expanded on in a grander scale.
The Gunk opta como tantos por un apartado visual precioso que luego cae debido a sus mecánicas. Bueno, la única que tiene: Absorber cosas para resolver puzzles, abrir caminos y eliminar a los 3 tipos de enemigos.
Nota final: 5,5.
Nota final: 5,5.
Jogo bom, curto, mecanica simples e historia mais ainda, pouca variação de inimigos, perto do fim do jogo voce começa a se arrastar um pouco pela repetição das mesmas mecanicas
Sights & Sounds
- The visual design was unexpectedly good. For a dev that I knew exclusively from the Steamworld franchise, I was pleasantly surprised by the often very scenic 3D environments
- The lighting effects are also quite good, which is very apparent given the huge variation in terms of light to dark environments
- I'm a little less positive when it comes to the character designs. There's not many characters in the game, but they're all very cartoony. That's not inherently negative. It just feels inconsistent with the numerous serious narrative moments
- The music is passable but maybe not memorable. The voice acting is pretty good all around, though. Both leads are able to make all the melodrama pretty convincing
Story & Vibes
- And man, is there quite a bit of melodrama. As another entry into the pantheon of lesbian sci-fi romances (of which Steam has many), it's more on the serious side. It's not that there aren't comedic attempts, but the humor misses more often than it hits. The space/soap opera drama lands a bit better
- As far as plot points go, you play as a down-on-your-luck spacefarer with a robot arm who lands on a mysterious planet that is being ravaged by the titular "gunk". Your romantic partner pilots the ship around while you handle the exploration and resource gathering
- Eventually, you learn a bit more about the relationship of the gunk to the planet as well as its origins. However, your character's obsession with the mystery begins to cause friction with your partner and her more pragmatic financial concerns. The narrative conflict you're up against is twofold--you find your goals of saving the planet and saving your relationship at odds
Playability & Replayability
- The gameplay is fairly standard 3D platforming fare with the occasional dash of Powerwash Simulator thrown in
- As you traverse the game's colorful environments, keep an eye out for upgrade materials that can be located with your scanner. With these resources, you'll be able to enhance standard things like the movement speed, health, and damage as well as more mechanically specific skills like the efficiency with which your arm vacuums up gunk
- There are some platforming puzzles, but nothing that'll surprise or excite you if you've so much as sniffed a puzzle platformer in the past
- The platforming is also pretty quotidian. Run. Jump. Grab a ledge. Maybe swing from a branch. I feel like the main character's robot arm is really underutilized in the context of movement and navigation
- Combat is mostly fine. It's satisfying to vacuum up an enemy and blast his buddy with him. Your MegaMan blaster doesn't offer much beyond a stun setting, unfortunately. Like the platforming, I felt like combat could have used a little more variety. The robot arm is certainly used in combat, but the lack of melee really makes it feel like they could have gotten more mileage out of it. I get that it's a design choice. It's just one that makes little sense
- The level design is actually pretty good. In addition to distinct visual designs, many of the areas (especially the architecture of the alien structures you explore) are really imaginative and a pleasure to navigate
- I missed some achievements, upgrades, and collectibles in the course of beating the game, but I'm not feeling a replay is on the horizon. It's a fine game, but there aren't any branching paths or alternate endings to draw me back
Overall Impressions & Performance
- I was pleased by the optimization and performance. My setup is only mid-tier, but this game ran extremely well with minimal tweaking.
- Not much to report as far as bugs go. I experienced some "spaghettification" when graphics and collision physics disagreed about what I should be looking at, but that's not all that remarkable and certainly not game-breaking
- In retrospect, I realize you could paint my critiques about movement and combat as a pointless wish that the game were more like one of the 3D Metroids (which is valid). I'm just saying that if you give a character a multitool robot arm that shoots lasers, there may be some preconceived notions
Final Verdict
- 6.5/10. It's a nice little dramatic story with cool that you can experience in 5-8 hours. The level design, lighting, and overall setting were pretty good too. Just wish the gameplay had a touch more to offer; both platforming and combat manage to feel stale despite how compact the game is. Feels like the existing pieces could have been explored a little further without adding fluff
- The visual design was unexpectedly good. For a dev that I knew exclusively from the Steamworld franchise, I was pleasantly surprised by the often very scenic 3D environments
- The lighting effects are also quite good, which is very apparent given the huge variation in terms of light to dark environments
- I'm a little less positive when it comes to the character designs. There's not many characters in the game, but they're all very cartoony. That's not inherently negative. It just feels inconsistent with the numerous serious narrative moments
- The music is passable but maybe not memorable. The voice acting is pretty good all around, though. Both leads are able to make all the melodrama pretty convincing
Story & Vibes
- And man, is there quite a bit of melodrama. As another entry into the pantheon of lesbian sci-fi romances (of which Steam has many), it's more on the serious side. It's not that there aren't comedic attempts, but the humor misses more often than it hits. The space/soap opera drama lands a bit better
- As far as plot points go, you play as a down-on-your-luck spacefarer with a robot arm who lands on a mysterious planet that is being ravaged by the titular "gunk". Your romantic partner pilots the ship around while you handle the exploration and resource gathering
- Eventually, you learn a bit more about the relationship of the gunk to the planet as well as its origins. However, your character's obsession with the mystery begins to cause friction with your partner and her more pragmatic financial concerns. The narrative conflict you're up against is twofold--you find your goals of saving the planet and saving your relationship at odds
Playability & Replayability
- The gameplay is fairly standard 3D platforming fare with the occasional dash of Powerwash Simulator thrown in
- As you traverse the game's colorful environments, keep an eye out for upgrade materials that can be located with your scanner. With these resources, you'll be able to enhance standard things like the movement speed, health, and damage as well as more mechanically specific skills like the efficiency with which your arm vacuums up gunk
- There are some platforming puzzles, but nothing that'll surprise or excite you if you've so much as sniffed a puzzle platformer in the past
- The platforming is also pretty quotidian. Run. Jump. Grab a ledge. Maybe swing from a branch. I feel like the main character's robot arm is really underutilized in the context of movement and navigation
- Combat is mostly fine. It's satisfying to vacuum up an enemy and blast his buddy with him. Your MegaMan blaster doesn't offer much beyond a stun setting, unfortunately. Like the platforming, I felt like combat could have used a little more variety. The robot arm is certainly used in combat, but the lack of melee really makes it feel like they could have gotten more mileage out of it. I get that it's a design choice. It's just one that makes little sense
- The level design is actually pretty good. In addition to distinct visual designs, many of the areas (especially the architecture of the alien structures you explore) are really imaginative and a pleasure to navigate
- I missed some achievements, upgrades, and collectibles in the course of beating the game, but I'm not feeling a replay is on the horizon. It's a fine game, but there aren't any branching paths or alternate endings to draw me back
Overall Impressions & Performance
- I was pleased by the optimization and performance. My setup is only mid-tier, but this game ran extremely well with minimal tweaking.
- Not much to report as far as bugs go. I experienced some "spaghettification" when graphics and collision physics disagreed about what I should be looking at, but that's not all that remarkable and certainly not game-breaking
- In retrospect, I realize you could paint my critiques about movement and combat as a pointless wish that the game were more like one of the 3D Metroids (which is valid). I'm just saying that if you give a character a multitool robot arm that shoots lasers, there may be some preconceived notions
Final Verdict
- 6.5/10. It's a nice little dramatic story with cool that you can experience in 5-8 hours. The level design, lighting, and overall setting were pretty good too. Just wish the gameplay had a touch more to offer; both platforming and combat manage to feel stale despite how compact the game is. Feels like the existing pieces could have been explored a little further without adding fluff
A Humble Choice game for Dec. 2023. The Gunk is a very okay little puzzle platformer that's somewhat like Super Mario Sunshine or Okami: vacuum up toxic goo and restore the land. Movement and combat is much less sophisticated than in either of those games, but it works well enough.
For most of the game, exploration is straightforward enough that it's not really a puzzle platformer. Things gradually ramp up and by the end of the game, progression requires multiple steps over several rooms.
It has a vaguely environmentalist message, but unless I missed something, the story is too vibes-based to really make much of a point.
It's mostly a very pretty game, but the limits of its time/budget are apparent in face-to-face cutscenes between the MC and her parter. Their mouths move with their words, but their faces are otherwise still.
For most of the game, exploration is straightforward enough that it's not really a puzzle platformer. Things gradually ramp up and by the end of the game, progression requires multiple steps over several rooms.
It has a vaguely environmentalist message, but unless I missed something, the story is too vibes-based to really make much of a point.
It's mostly a very pretty game, but the limits of its time/budget are apparent in face-to-face cutscenes between the MC and her parter. Their mouths move with their words, but their faces are otherwise still.