no img no img

Write what you are looking for and press enter to begin your search!

Logo
live-news-icon

Live News

The Deadpool & Wolverine X-23 Hot Toys Figure Looks Deadly: In an intense match, the Lone Wolves came out victorious. Read all about the big night here // Popular Japanese Anime Store Set to Open in Malaysia: In an intense match, the Lone Wolves came out victorious. Read all about the big night here // New WW2 Movie Blitz Starring Saoirse Ronan Drops Onto Apple TV+ Tomorrow: In an intense match, the Lone Wolves came out victorious. Read all about the big night here
post-16 post-13

The Gunk Feels Like The Dev’s Tech Demo For A Future 3D SteamWorld Game

Platforms: Xbox Series (version played), Xbox One, PC
Genre: 3D adventure platformer with a metal arm-shaped bio-vacuum

The Gunk sucks. Literally.

There, I got that obligatory pun out of the way that’s related to the game’s core mechanic. Now for the real talk: The Gunk may be developer Image & Form’s first attempt at making a believable 3D world and narrative in an indie studio capacity. After all, they’ve been at it in the 2D space with the really fun & creative SteamWorld series of titles.

Did they succeed in making something immersive & enthralling? For the most part, yes.

Suck As You’ve Never Sucked Before

The Gunk focuses on two scavengers: Rani and Becks. They pilot a ship named the Dust Bunny and end up on a brand new planet in search of resources and treasure to sell. Rani, being the adventurer, heads out while also coming across a mysterious polluted substance called The Gunk. So it’s up to her to find out what’s going on and clean up the planet in the process, while also being in conflict with priorities thanks to her partner’s level-headedness and pragmatism.

The Gunk is part exploration, part puzzle-solving, and part relationship-building between our two heroines. The main mechanic here is Rani’s power glove which sucks up the Gunk. It can also suck in other objects and collectibles, pull things, and do other vacuum-related things. She can also shoot out a stun projectile to hit faraway objects, and upgrade the glove and her tools over time with collectible resources. You’ll need these tools and your jumping prowess to solve the game’s many exploration and puzzle segments, which takes place in the alien forest and its eventual ruins, to something more sinister further down the line.

Unfortunately, it can be a tad short even if you explore every nook and cranny on the game’s planet. To its credit though, there’s no filler and everything here is resolved in a timely and neatly-paced manner. You’ll start caring about the leads Rani and Becks, and discover more about their current predicament and relationship quirks during the 5-hour-or-less odyssey.

Newfound Space

If you’re at least decent with a 3D platformer title, you will blow through this game in less than 5 hours. For what it’s worth, the game’s plot and narrative thread does not outstay its welcome and is laid out just fine. In fact, most parts of the game in the first half can be pretty relaxing and chill thanks to its atmosphere and serene music that is a combination of folk guitar and slow ambience sci-fi exploration tracks. The gameplay itself seminally entertains and challenges you without pressuring you so much. They’re not incredibly taxing, but they’re not built to be. It’s just Image & Forms’ way of playing around with their newfound 3D game engine for their eventual future 3D SteamWorld project(s).

And even as a “first draft”, The Gunk is a step in the right direction for Image & Form. Barring a few bugs, its length, and mostly easy difficulty that’s intentional, you’ll have a blast with Image & Form’s new universe that isn’t called SteamWorld.

Final Score: 70/100

*Review copy given by Thunderful Publishing PR rep.

 

Related News

post-07
Garfield Lasagna Party Brings The Pasta When It Launches Next Month

Microids, in partnership with Paramount Consumer Products, has announced that the party game Garfield Lasagna Party, developed by Balio Studio, will b...

post-07
Disney Speedstorm F2P Its Way To PC And Consoles This Summer

Disney and Gameloft are teaming up to release its free-to-play kart racing game Disney Speedstorm later this Summer 2022. The racing game will be a...

post-07
Microsoft to Reintroduce Highly-Requested Feature to Xbox

After a decade-long break, Microsoft is reintroducing the Friend Requests feature to Xbox. In a recent post on Xbox Wire, Microsoft announced that the...

Write a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Tournament Tool Kit

Kakuchopurei Community

Popular Posts

post-17
Ultraman Rising’s Ultraman & Emi Are In Gigabash: Check Out Their Moves Here
post-17
Indie Jam Returns for 2024: What You Need To Know
post-17
Vampire Survivors: Ode To Castlevania – All New Weapon Evolutions
post-17
Infinix Teams Up With Honor Of Kings & Mediatek For Pro-Powered Gaming Phone Showcase
post-17
Four Ways to Increase Your Chances of Winning in EA Sports FC 25’s Rush
post-17
Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven – Post Game Guide & New Game+
post-17
Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge Of The Seven – How To Unlock All Classes & Races
post-17
Diablo 4: Vessel Of Hatred – 10 Ways To Maximize Your Demon-Slaying Fun In Sanctuary
post-17
Metaphor: ReFantazio Endings Guide – How To Avoid All Bad Endings
post-17
Diablo 4 Vessel of Hatred: Kurast Undercity Guide
post-17
Diablo 4 Vessel of Hatred: All Runes Tier List
post-17
Diablo 4 Vessel of Hatred: Season 6 Classes Ranked & Best Builds
post-17
Diablo 4 Vessel of Hatred: All New Uniques In The Expansion
post-17
From Game Changer To Growth Spurt: Ammobox Studios’ CEO Unveils What’s Next
post-17
The Best PC Games To Play Right Now
post-17
Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves – What You Need To Know About The Upcoming 2025 Fighting Game From SNK
post-17
Deadpool & Wolverine: Most Iconic Team-Ups & Moments In Comics, Movies & TV
post-17
Main Game: How To Watch Malaysia’s Best Video Game Show Created By Kakuchopurei & RTM
post-17
Hawkeye Episode 6 Finale Easter Eggs & Breakdown
post-17
Marvel’s What If…? Crew Explains Why They Went 3D Over 2D & A Scrapped Episode That Was Too Close To GOTG 3
post-17
We Talk To Hayden Christensen About Star Wars, Sequels, & Prequels
post-17
Sea Of Stars Might Get DLC Post-Launch
post-17
The Book Of Boba Fett Episode 7 Breakdown & Easter Eggs Explained