The connection between the characters holds up the story, sucking up goo is strangely satisfying, and the mechanics work as intended. The Gunk deserves a fair bit of criticism and only a little unreserved praise. As a result, the conflict at the heart of this story was strong enough to push me on from one linear section to the next. Unraveling the mystery of the Gunk’s origin puts Rani at odds with the pragmatic Becks, who doesn’t want to waste their precious and diminishing supplies fixing someone else’s problem. However, the adventurous Rani can’t stop herself from trying to rid the world of the sticky mass threatening its flora and fauna. Collect resources from the world to make much-needed repairs to my robotic, vacuum-ready prosthetic arm and look for anything that might sell for big bucks. That mission is, at first, straightforward. Hovering helplessly in the air thanks to a glitch is annoying, as is noticing that plants and rocks often have the same texture, but they didn’t stop me from having a good time running around the world and accomplishing my mission. Running, jumping, and shooting feels smooth, but I occasionally got stuck on the surrounding geometry. Instead of triggering an awe-inspiring moment where the grey, Gunk-infested landscape transforms into a vibrant oasis of exotic plant life, the dulled aesthetic means cleaning the Gunk from a location only has a moderate visual impact, which diminishes the thrill of cleansing each area.ĭuring dialogue-heavy sections, the character models’ lips flap like lifeless puppets, resulting in cutscenes that are fine to listen to but awkward to watch. Despite the range of colors in these alien landscapes, the hues never pop, and the terrain always seems a little unsaturated. On the other hand, nothing really sticks out, making this experience almost forgettable.ĭespite evoking other great shows and games, The Gunk never reaches the heights of its inspirations. On the one hand, The Gunk feels familiar and slightly comfortable. Other features, from opening shortcuts by dropping climbable vines to shooting glowing buttons that open locked doors to harvesting the planet’s plant life for crafting materials, feel incredibly well-trod and uninspired. After encountering the planet’s titular gooey substance for the first time and vacuuming it up with my robotic arm, I flashed back to Luigi’s Mansion. While not bad company to keep, this highlights a problematic pattern: nothing in The Gunk feels unique.Įverything in this adventure is reminiscent of something else, and, for the most part, it’s been done better somewhere else. Becks stays with the ship, but the comms allow an easy back and forth between the ship’s co-captains, which reminds me of Cowboy Bebop and Firefly, shows that star intrepid space travelers in constant need of cash. As Rani, you fearlessly explore the unknown world, scanning life forms for data, jumping from craggy cliffs to oversized leaves, and eventually, clearing away obstructive, plant-destroying Gunk. They touch down on an unknown planet hoping to discover valuable resources to pay off their debts and set themselves up for life. The Gunk’s heroes, Rani and Becks, are a pair of plucky and impoverished space haulers. Fortunately, this spacecraft manages to stay afloat with likable characters, solid gameplay, and a serviceable story. In a game filled with alien worlds splashed with color and populated with extraterrestrial mysteries, The Gunk falls surprisingly flat. Unfortunately, it is also the apex of the short game’s trajectory. The opening cinematic is beautiful and full of promise. I began The Gunk with eager anticipation, blasting across the swirling clouds of the cosmos.
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