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They certainly aren’t done with their series yet as they announced a new game, SteamWorld Headhunter, earlier in 2021. Was The Gunk a misstep? It’s not doing tremendously well in the reviews but not all is bad. It’s a short game which is a plus for some. It’s always nice to get a cool, quick adventure next to a bunch of 40+ hour RPGs. Let’s see The Gunk shapes up overall.
6 Best: Cool Art Direction
The art style has a cool, clay-like aesthetic to it. The characters, enemies, and environments all have a chunky quality to them which gives them that molding effect. The game starts in a drab, dearie atmosphere before Rani starts to go to town on the titular gunk.
Reviving the planet and bringing back colorful flowers was an effect that never got old. It is a similar effect to reviving the destroyed world in Okami. As gross as the gunk is, even that design brought something fun to the table. The Gunk is all about exploring an alien world and the art style helps get that point across magically. It’s almost like a 3D Metroidvania in a way.
5 Worst: Blurry And A Bit Glitchy
It’s not that often that big games, or even indie games, launch in December. That’s because a lot of developers seemingly know that this period may not get their game a lot of attention. It’s a gamble that’s for sure and whether that pays off for The Gunk financially has yet to be determined.
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From a technical point of view, this game should have been delayed into 2022 though. It’s okay on all three platforms but it is glitchy. There are hang-ups in the environments, gameplay freezing, and dips in the frame rate. The worst bug in the game is the draw distance. None of these things break The Gunk but they certainly don’t help it either.
4 Best: Rani’s Gadgets
Rani is, at first, only armed with her trusty cybernetic arm. It can suck up gunk and that’s about it. Eventually, players can upgrade her arm to suck up solid objects to then launch them at enemies. Players can even suck up smaller enemies and launch them at others. That is a feeling that also never gets old.
There’s another early upgrade that can make machines come to life. Then there are upgrades to help performance such as being able to suck gunk at a faster pace or shoes to increase Rani’s speed. There are a lot of cool gadgets in The Gunk as one would hope for in a space fairing adventure with Metroidvania elements like this one.
3 Worst: Platforming
The Gunk is a pretty relaxing game. There are enemies to fight, but it is more about exploring and discovering things than anything else. That means there is a lot of platforming which is good on paper but there is a big problem with that. The jumping is not precise.
There are many areas where it may seem impossible to make a gap but the game demands players to do it anyway Not every jump is difficult but there are enough to make it a valid complaint to bring up. It defeats the purpose of the chill vibe. Also, fall damage in a 2021 game is not appreciated. The game plays fast and loose with these restrictions too. Sometimes players can make the jump down and other times they can’t. This inconsistency is where the real frustration comes into play.
2 Best: Save Anytime
There are good things and bad things about the save system in The Gunk. Players can save anywhere which is a huge plus in any game. Whenever players do, all progress will be recorded. That excludes the player’s location.
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Rani will be transported back to a checkpoint upon loading up a file. It’s not the most perfect save system compared to other games, but it’s still nice for the most part. On a related note, the load times are fairly fast between reloading saves and in death.
1 Worst: A Slow Start
It’s going to take about an hour, or maybe two before The Gunk opens up. Rani’s abilities are very constrained. Sucking up gunk, as satisfying as it can be, can feel monotonous without much variety to the gameplay. Eventually, players will find some ruins which then leads them to a warp system.
These checkpoints will allow Rani to pass between them and camp. The landing site is the only place Rani can upgrade her equipment which is another problem. Sometimes these warp points can be few and far between, meaning players can sit on possible upgrades for a long time. These restraints are frustrating but nothing a little patience can’t fix.
The Gunk was released on December 16, 2021, and is available on PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
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