Welcome to alien Super Mario Sunshine 2021 edition. The Gunk takes players in a foreign world encompassed in a mysterious goo. Looking for resources to sell in order to survive, Rani and Beck decide to search the planet for things they can scavenge. As Rani explores the island, the team learns that the mysterious gunk is sucking the life force out of the planet. As the player explores, they learn the planet has a bigger mystery to be uncovered. On December 16th, Image & Form with the help of Thunderful Publishing released The Gunk. So let’s dive into our The Gunk review for the Xbox Series X.
Going into The Gunk, we knew little about this game but it was recommended by a friend of ours from Headup Games. Based on their recommendation, we knew we were in for something special. Although The Gunk took less than six hours to complete, it was a rather relaxing experience. Almost too relaxing. A child could easily play this game and only get stuck in a few difficult areas.
Gameplay
If you are on the fence about The Gunk and are a fan of Nintendo games, then you are in luck. The Gunk is a combination of Luigi’s Mansion, Super Mario Sunshine, and Metroid Prime. We typically try not to compare games, but it gives players an image of what to expect. The base game has relatively simple controls that are easy to learn and the overall combat of the game is easy.
The Gunk only has four enemy types that you will fight. The game could offer other various types. Outside of an overpowered boss, enemies range from annoying tiny creatures to a large charging enemy. The game primarily relies on an absorption mechanic. The player must go around absorbing the corruption and restoring life to the planet. While exploring players can scan new things to gain information. After scanning enough objects, the player is to learn a new ability. In order to learn that new ability, the player must have enough resources. These resources can be found throughout the world by solving puzzles and killing enemies.
Although the overall gameplay is rather simplistic, it is not the primary focus. The primary focus is the beauty of the world once it is restored and the music that accompanies your journey. Yes, you can have fun playing this game and it is meant to be relaxing rather than an intense adventure.
Graphics
When it comes to The Gunk, its graphics are one of its best features. Each object and plant are highly detailed. As you explore the world, you can see the difference between the living world and the parts that are dying because of The Gunk. As you clear the gunk away from the world, you can see the world springing back to life. Creatures return and color returns to previously drained plants showing that your efforts have meaning.
As you clear the Gunk away, you can never be sure what may spring to life. Animals, flowers, and even materials can randomly appear. As you look at each object you can tell the level of polishing the development team has done to make it look beautiful.
As we were playing through the campaign, there were only a few issues we encountered. Most of these issues occurred when having to absorb the gunk. The game would sometimes register that some particles were still in the area. On other occasions, the gunk would overload the screen making it hard to navigate. This was most likely intended but was rather annoying.
Overall, The Gunk‘s graphics are stunning and lure you into playing more. They make you want to see how the world will evolve once it is free of pollution.
Controls
The Gunk‘s controls are easy enough for most players to understand. The only time they become complicated is later into the game when you have to do a combination of buttons. Thankfully, the game’s controls are similar to other adventure puzzle platformers like Darksiders or The Legend of Zelda. The game primarily relies on bumpers and triggers with the exception of two other buttons. This made the game even less stressful because you do not have to wonder what buttons to press for a specific combination.
Audio/SFX
The Gunk‘s audio is beautiful but it is a bit too relaxing. You may be asking yourself, how is this a bad thing? The easy answer is, it depends on how you relax. For us, playing through the game became a challenge at times not due to the graphics or gameplay but rather the game’s musical composition. The game’s music reminded us of Final Fantasy, which made us want to run around and explore the environment while listening to the music. We had this same issue while playing through Final Fantasy 7, 13, 13-2, Lightning Returns, and Final Fantasy 15.
Replay Value
So admittedly, The Gunk might not be a game you want to keep revisiting because of its lack of depth and things to offer. You can play through the game perfecting it or try new things out but as a whole, there’s not a lot of variety to what you can do beyond your original playthrough. It would be wonderful to see this universe expand and show us more but sadly we will have to wait.
Verdict
The Gunk is a great game to introduce children or newbies to the wonderful things gaming can offer. Combat in the game is by far its weakest element; the game feels more like a Captain Planet simulator where you clean up the planet for a beautiful tomorrow. The game’s graphics will pull you in and make you feel like you can make the world a better place. The audio will make you feel sad about how lifeless the world has become and as you revitalize it, make you feel like you are doing good.
Overall, The Gunk was sadly too short for how beautiful it is. If you have free time and want to explore a new world, then The Gunk is worth trying out.
A digital copy of The Gunk was provided for review purposes. The Gunk is now available on Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. It’s available as part of Xbox Game Pass.
