The Gunk Review
Final Score 7/10
Unrealized Potential
The Gunk is one of the most anticipated indie exclusives landing day one on Gamepass this year. The game itself is a puzzle platformer with elements of action, exploration, and collecting. The game sees you as protagonist Rani and her best friend Becks who have fallen on hard times and need a good score to set themselves back on track. You are space explorers looking for resources when you come to a world inhabited by the gunk and need to investigate why that is.
Concept and Story (Thumbs Up!)
You play as Rani and you land on what seems like an inhabited planet that is being devoured by an unknown material only known as the gunk. You explore cleaning up said gunk while researching the flora and fauna of the world collecting resources as you go. These resources provide upgrades as you progress allowing better abilities as you fall deeper and deeper down the rabbit hole to learn what really happened on this alien planet.
Gameplay and Polish (Thumbs Down!)
The game starts off really slowly which does help so you can get a feel for the movement and abilities of your characters but it can be a bit boring in parts. The exploration and collecting don’t feel as rewarding as you would hope and there is little in the form of combat. The game could've used more boss battles that allow you to make use of your abilities. This is a huge miss and I hope the studio does better in the future.
Sound and Music (Thumbs Up!)
The audio design is where the game shines. The score of the game is relaxing and mysterious, similar to something you would hear in a Fable game. The sound effects are satisfying and didn’t get on my nerves over time. The voice actors do a great job of bringing the story to life. Rani and Becks are both lovable characters that clash and you understand their points of view and how they feel about their present situation thanks to the wonderful voice acting. The alien languages you get to hear in the game also sound original. Everything together helps you immerse yourself in the world.
(from gameinformer)
Graphics and Art Style (Thumbs Up!)
The game is not the most impressive graphically but the art style makes up for it. The world is absolutely beautiful and even though the character models can look a little cheap they do have a charm to them that is undeniable. This is an indie game through and through so set expectations accordingly. Play this on a TV with HDR 10 or Dolby Vision if possible. I myself played the game entirely on the Xbox Series S and found the visual experience to be astonishing in certain sections of the game.
Lasting Impact (Thumbs Down!)
The game is pretty short clocking in at around 6 to 8 hours if you go for a 100% run as I did. The combat, the little there is, gets old and exploration stops being exciting halfway through the game. If the game had more enemy types and some boss battles it would be considered a possible game of the year contender, but the lack of gameplay elements causes it to fall short and leaves you with little reason to return.
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