similarly to the vitamin i want someone to just come up to me and after one look go "ooooohhh you got one bad case of the witches curse that is so brutal im so sorry let me administer you the cure real quick" and then they wrap me in a blanket and kiss me on the forehead and suddenly im me again and it was never my fault but the unfortunate happenstance of an old hag's fury
Spoiler free review at the top for newcomers and my more in-depth thoughts below for those familiar with the game!
Spoiler-Free Review for Newcomers
The Gunk is indie action/adventure/3D platformer developed by Image and Form and published by Thunderful for Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X and Series S in 2021.
Story and Characters
The Gunk sees you take control of Rani, an enthusiastic and adventurous space scavenger who, along with her partner, Becks, follows a mysterious energy spike to a seemingly deserted alien planet hoping for a big payout. Once they land, they discover the planet is abundant in natural resources, but is being corrupted and slowly killed by an invasive black substance Rani dubs "the Gunk". Rani, much to her partner's chagrin, takes it upon herself to find the source of the Gunk, purify the corrupted world, and discover the fates of the planet's inhabitants who seem to have disappeared long ago.
Gameplay
The Gunk is a fairly short, linear game that could be played in its entirety in a day or two, but is a pretty fun time./gen The main gameplay loop involves traveling through jungles, caves, and ruins, using Rani's mechanical arm to vacuum up Gunk and revive the planet's flora (which is satisfying as heck!), a bit of basic combat, and solving environmental puzzles. Most of the puzzles are simple and easy enough to figure out, but they aren't mind-numbing either. The main loop doesn't evolve much, but with the game's length, it will be over before you can truly get tired of it, and it is executed really well, feeling smooth and intuitive.
One thing that stood out to me while playing is that this would probably be a really good "baby's first platformer" because of its short length, simple controls and gameplay, and smooth handling. So, keep that in mind if you want to corrupt any friends or family and hook 'em on platformers!/lh
Rating and Trigger Warnings
The Gunk is rated T for Teen for violence, bad language, and blood.
Gonna be real for a sec, I'm not even sure what to mention in this category, The Gunk is a really "safe" game in my opinion.
I honestly don't remember any blood, so if it's there, I'm gonna say it's incredibly minor.
The violence is pretty mild in comparison to most video games.
The bad language is prevalent throughout the course of the game but is confined to the relatively tame end of the spectrum.
And that's it? If there are any major triggers, I don't know what they are, tongues, maybe? There's a type of fungus in the game that look like tongues and is a little gross. So, avoid the game if you have an extreme aversion to tongues or the word shit? That's all I got for ya!
Verdict
If you're looking for a challenging game, this ain't it, but if you're looking for a casual game with smooth controls, pretty environments, and a few unique mechanics it pulls off really well, this might be the game for you!
My Personal Thoughts (AKA Gushing, Gabbing, and Griping!)
Story and Worldbuilding
For as short as the game is, it does a really good job in these areas. I appreciate that you can scan all the flora, fauna, and mechanisms to learn their names and attributes and that this plays into upgrading equipment. It goes a long way to make this alien planet feel grounded. Honestly, I wish more games did this!
I like the story of the game, but kind of wish we saw more of it, both the story of the actual planet and the story of Rani and Becks. How they became partners, where Bunny and C-RT came from, what a normal day in their lives looks like when they aren't dealing with Gunk. Who really is the Gardener? Where did he come from? What's the origin of the geist?
Maybe the fact that I care enough to ask these questions at all is a sign that the worldbuilding does everything it's really supposed to!
Characters
Rani and Becks are a really likable duo and I honestly don't mind that they're really the only characters throughout most of the game. Rani's optimism, compassion, and sense of adventure bring a lot of heart to the game and Becks' practical outlook helps ground everything. Their back and forths over the comms also do a lot to liven up the exploration and really intensifies the feeling of isolation when the Gunk causes interference.
As much as I enjoy them though, I can acknowledge issues like queer-coding and Rani falling into the perfect prosthetic trope.
I'm more inclined to forgive this game's handling of Rani's prosthetic because it is easily one of the most creative and plot relevant uses of this trope I've seen, but leaving the specifics of Becks and Rani's relationship in a grey area doesn't benefit the game in any way. Either make them girlfriends or make them more explicitly platonic, pick one!
Environments
The environments are stunning and one of the highlights of the game in my opinion! The world feels so vibrant and alive, you end up wanting to stop the corruption just as much as Rani does!
It also reminds me of the planet Felucia from Star Wars, so that's cool!/gen
One thing I really appreciate about the environments in this game is how they manage to be so linear without feeling boxed in. I tend to obsessively try to explore every nook and cranny in games (that's part of the fun!) and am prone to feeling overwhelmed by big open worlds, so it's nice every once in a while to find a game that's really efficient to explore. It's nice that there are so few branching paths and that the optional paths tend loop back around on their own without making you backtrack. The exploration feels very streamlined and is honestly refreshing to see occasionally./gen
I also really like the difference in how the areas look when they're corrupted versus purified. Sucking up all the Gunk and restoring life to the flora is so satisfying, even late into the game and is actually the reason I bought the Gunk in the first place. One of my favorite games of recent years, Kena: Bridge of Spirits has a similar mechanic of having to clear corruption from nature and I found that so rewarding that when I saw that there was another game focused around that concept, I just had to play it!
Soundtrack and Atmosphere
The Gunk (Original Game Soundtrack)
The Gunk's soundtrack is beautiful./gen There is one complaint that I have though, there are no happy tracks. All the tracks are really pretty, but they all sound sad or bittersweet, maybe nostalgic, and I just wish there were a few lighter, more whimsical tracks thrown in to break it up some. Don't get me wrong, this is PERFECT for most of the environments in the game! We're exploring the remnants of an abandoned civilization on a dying world and the soundtrack conveys that melancholy incredibly well, but it's just a little out of place at the beginning of the game.
Rani's enthusiasm for this beautiful, lush new world in the start is palpable, but the soundtrack just doesn't really capture that. It feels especially odd at the campsite with Becks and Bunny and the immediate surrounding area where there are no signs this planet was even inhabited once. Rani is such a vibrant, free spirit and is so excited to explore, I just think there should have been a few tracks early on that matched her whimsy and sense of wonder.
Gameplay and Puzzles
*slurping noises intensify*
Animations
Definitely not the highlight of the game, but also not the worst I've ever seen! Mostly they feel like they're from a much older game, maybe from the Wii era.
Art Style
I really love the art style for the environments, all of which are absolutely gorgeous, and honestly don't mind it for the characters either. Some people think the characters look weird or uncanny, which is valid, but I honestly find them kind of endearing. They remind me a bit of the character designs from Scooby-Doo! First Frights and Spooky Swamp, which look terrible, but are also very nostalgic!/lh
Closing Thoughts
I don't think The Gunk is a masterpiece by any means, but honestly, it's a cute game and deserves more love than I think it gets!
(spoilers for the gunk)
capitalism slowly destroying the universe, told through the story of some incredibly flawed main characters
RANI IS THE REASON YOU PUT YOUR MASK ON FIRST IN AN AIRPLANE BEFORE HELPING SOMEONE ELSE
istg becks is the type of person to shake and cry while putting her mask on because she's watching rani run around the plane trying to save everyone else before even looking at her own mask.
becks is older, more experienced, and smarter than rani. she knows to save herself FIRST because you can't save someone if you're dead. so while becks is trying to repair the ship, find a food source, get fuel, fix their ship, RANI IS RUNNING OFF FOLLOWING HER HEROIC PIPE DREAM AND ALMOST GETTING HERSELF KILLED. only when rani is alone with no one to talk to does she realize that she's stubborn and irresponsible.
