Since its inception, developer Image & Form has been known for itsSteamWorldseries of games, putting out critically-acclaimed games likeSteamWorld DigandSteamWorld Heist. Now part of Thunderful Group, the studio has gone a different route for its next game,The Gunk, ditching the 2D graphics of theSteamWorldgames for an Xbox console exclusive 3D platformer/action-adventure title.
Xbox console exclusiveThe Gunkis the story of Rani and Becks, two space explorers who come across a mysterious, resource-rich planet being terrorized by a hostile substance known simply as the gunk. The relationship between Rani and Becks is a focal point of the game, with the two in constant communication with each other throughout the adventure. Actors Fiona Nova and Abigail Turner (who play Rani and Becks, respectively) are great in their roles, though the game’s animations don’t do their excellent performances justice.
Facial animations for Rani and Becks are wooden and completely without expression. They almost look like puppets, and so the great emotion in the actors' voices pair with the expressionless characters to create an unintentionally creepy vibe during cut-scenes. This undercuts the hard work of the actors and makes it more difficult to get truly invested in the main characters' relationship.
Thankfully,The Gunkdoesn’t spend a ton of time with cut-scenes, with most of Rani and Becks' interactions happening through conversations while actually playing the game. As for how it plays,The Gunkis not unlikeKena: Bridge of Spiritsthat released earlier this year in that it’s clearly taking its cues from PS2-era platformers. As main character Rani,The Gunkplayers have to solve puzzles, complete minor platforming challenges, and fight off enemies. Rani is equipped with a special vacuum that factors into much of the gameplay, as it’s used in combat, resource collecting, solving puzzles, and sucking up the titular gunk that serves as an obstacle throughout the game.
InThe Gunk, Rani’s primary goal is ridding the planet of the gunk substance that has poisoned it. Successfully removing all the gunk from an area heals it, allowing players to progress and get rid of any lingering enemies. While it’s not a terribly exciting mechanic to base an entire game around, exploringThe Gunk’s alien world and cleaning it can be oddly relaxing. Cleaning up the gunk and exploring the world is rewarding as well, with players often obtaining crafting materials for their trouble.
The Gunkgives players crafting materials to purchase upgrades that are mainly designed to make combat easier. New upgrades are unlocked by scanning objects in the environment, and it can be fun scanning everything and learning more about the strange world that Rani and Becks have found themselves on.
Each upgrade inThe Gunkis meaningful, and they make scanning objects and thoroughly exploring the game world for crafting materials more entertaining as a result. However, there’s a problem withThe Gunk’s upgrades, and that’s the game’s runtime.The Gunkis extremely short, with players able to beat it in about four hours if they take the time to go for all the extra stuff, and more like three hours if they’re only focused on getting to the final boss. Achievement hunters can expect to tack another hour on to their playtime for cleanup, but otherwiseThe Gunkcan be fully completed in a single sitting without much trouble.
Due toThe Gunk’s short length, players will find that some of the upgrades they get late in the game are never really used all that much. So players will go through the trouble of scanning objects and collecting the crafting materials necessary to buy the upgrades, but it’s not necessarily worth it at the end because they’ll be seeing the end credits before too much longer.The Gunkis a good time while it lasts, but it’s egregiously short and because of that, it’s hard to recommend that anyone pay full price for it.
Luckily, anyone interested in playingThe Gunkcan do so without actually dropping any cash for the game itself.The Gunkis on Xbox Game Pass, and it’s really the perfect game for the service. WithThe Gunkbeing available as a day one Xbox Game Pass game, the blow from its extremely short playtime is softened considerably and becomes less important. It’s a lot easier to forgive a game for being so short when one doesn’t actually have to pay for the game.
The Gunk’s short playtime is its biggest flaw, but it’s not the only issue in the game. WhileThe Gunkis a mostly polished experiencewith little in the way of glitches or technical mishaps, there is an issue with some of the platforms in the game. Many puzzles inThe Gunkrevolve around throwing organic alien objects into glowing green pits to sprout large plants with leaves that players can use to reach new areas.The Gunkplayers will soon learn to wait an extra second or two after doing this, though, as it takes a bit longer than expected for the game to register these leaves as platforms. So what happens whenThe Gunkplayers try to jump on these leaves too early is that Rani will simply fall right through them as though they weren’t even there.
The Gunkplayersmay also find themselves frustrated with the game’s restrictive linearity.The Gunkwants players to complete its platforming challenges in a very specific way with no real room for experimentation, and this is best illustrated by its ledges. ThroughoutThe Gunk, Rani will come across many ledges that she should clearly be able to grab on to, but arbitrarily can’t. The only ledges Rani will grab are ones with yellow marks on them, and so it seems that the other ledges should’ve been made higher to be out of her reach because there’s no real reason why she shouldn’t be able to grab on to the other ledges beyond the developers didn’t want her to.
The Gunkhas its flaws, but it’s still a mostly enjoyable way to spend a few hours. It’s a short but sweet adventure with gameplay reminiscent of PS2-era platforming games and so fans of the genre should certainly give it a look through Xbox Game Pass.
The Gunkis out now for PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X. Game Rant reviewed the game on Xbox Series X.
The Gunk
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The Gunk stars Rani, part of our duo of gritty space haulers, struggling to make a buck as they chance upon an untouched planet brimming with life. They came in search of valuable resources, and it looks like they’ve hit the jackpot…As they uncover the dormant secrets of a shattered civilization, they must battle the curse of a toxic gunk parasite, all while getting caught in a spiral of festering mistrust.Use your trusty Power Glove to reverse the corruption, uncover secrets of old and heal the planet! Experience the evolving relationship of the crew, as you explore this unique planet. Use your ingenuity as well as your quick reactions to overcome the challenges that await. What stories lay hidden in this mysterious abandoned world?What does it all mean? What role can Rani play in the fate of this evocative, moody planet? Sometimes you just have to take a leap of faith.Uncover the mystery. Cleanse the Gunk. Save the planet.
