The Gunk

So, The Gunk. It was pretty Gunk in my opinion, my favourite part would probably be the Gunk. On a scale of Gunk to Gunk: I'd give it a Gunk/Gunk, would Gunk again.

(But seriously; beautiful game, good gameplay, good story)

Simple, straightfoward, relaxing, and enjoyable game. A nice change of pace.
There's something very satisfying about cleaning up gunk!
Only complaint is the limited use of resources, and how quickly upgrades are acquired early in the game.

The Gunk is an excellent showcase for what indie games can bring the table. The game's narrative is well written and engaging, the voice acting is excellent, and the level design is intuitive. Only thing...calling the game The Gunk is less than unimaginative. /fy!

An incredibly beautiful game, with a detailed world in a distant galaxy on a distant planet!
From the first minutes, the environment is simply breathtaking, and the further you go through the game, the more beautiful it becomes, with the discovery of new plants, and even more so when we find the remains of an ancient alien civilization, and all this under the unusually beautiful and harmonious music!
Scanning everything around us and collecting all sorts of ingredients does not get boring and fits organically into the gameplay.
The story of an accidentally discovered abandoned planet, as a fan of fantasy and sci-fi themes, I really liked, and also the reference to Rusty, the main character of SteamWorld Dig, was very pleased, since the publisher Thunderful Publishing has already collaborated with the developers from Image & Form Games with a magnificent series of games in the SteamWorld universe: Dig / Heist / Bulding.
The Gunk is another great game that I highly recommend to everyone, along with such great games that I played with great pleasure as Lost in Random, Planet of Lana, Viewfinder and Wavetale published by Thunderful!

P.S. It was a little disappointing that there was no map at all, as collecting all the ingredients without a map was a bit more difficult, but this does not change the fact that I highly recommend this game to everyone!
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Невероятно красивая игра, с детально проработанным миром в далекой галактике на далекой планете!
С первых минут окружающая среда просто захватывает дух, и чем дальше проходишь игру, тем больше она становится красивее, с обнаружением новых растений, и тем более, когда мы находим остатки древней инопланетной цивилизации, и все это под необычайно красивую и гармоничную музыку!
Сканирование всего вокруг нас и сбор всевозможных ингредиентов не надоедает и органично вписывается в геймплей.
История случайно обнаруженной заброшенной планете, меня как любителя фантастики и скай фай тематики мне необычайно понравилась, а еще и отсылка к Расти, главному герою SteamWorld Dig очень порадовала, так как издатель Thunderful Publishing уже сотрудничал с разработчиками из Image & Form Games с великолепной серией игр по вселенной SteamWorld:Dig /Heist /Bulding.
The Gunk очередная прекрасная игра, которую я очень рекомендую всем, наряду с такими замечательными играми, в которые я играл с огромным удовольствием, как Lost in Random, Planet of Lana, Viewfinder и Wavetale выпущенными Thunderful Publishing!

P.S. Немного огорчило полное отсутствие какой-либо карты, так как сбор всех ингредиентов без карты оказался немого сложнее, но это не отменяет того факта, что я очень рекомендую всем эту игру!

This game is short and we aren't here for game-play so much as exploring a beautiful dying world and watching two "Roomates" sort out some problems in their lives.

The game-play is satisfying even though it's not super in depth. The art is fantastic and the characters are decent. $25 seems like a lot for how short it is and the lack of any real collectibles or greater reason to explore then because pretty. But the world is very very pretty. I got it on sale and very much enjoyed playing it. A bit more depth to mechanics and some more things to find in the world would have really really made this game pop. But if you want a nice cozy romp through the wilderness I cannot recommend this game enough.

As a platform game, there is only 1 "world", the plant currently exploring, all stages look mostly the same. the 7 hours game play worth the discounted price, don't expect too much.

really good game! i wish there was more open-world to this, but the lore is really great and easy to follow!!

Just No. This game has no substance to anything and does not bother making an effort to deliver you anything exciting.
- This game consists of walking, cleaning and throwing objects in the most railroaded way I've ever seen, no room for experimentation and all puzzles can be solved by throwing the nearest object to the most obvious object.
- Nothing threatening ever happens, the health regeneration is like having on God Mode and one-shot.
- Progression consists of scanning new objects and collecting all materials, which gets repetitive after 20 minutes.
- The player character can't aim and jump at the same time, power ups are ridiculously demotivating as having to collect materials to unlock a generic sprint, even more health generation or a pulse cannon that only exist to open doors.
- The sole motivation of this game is to clean a planet and reveal more visuals and mysteries, which is executed terribly as the story of the world and characters don't actually have any deeper meaning.

Game mechanics and art style are fine. Story is pretty bland and the characters are honestly annoying to the point that I turned off dialogue in order to finish this game. Not sure if it's the writing or the voice actors but I couldn't wait to be done with this.

Could have been great, but falls short.

The game reminded me of "Beyond Good and Evil", "Jack and Daxter", early 2000 / PS2 era games, and whilst the nostalgia of that is great, sadly the game really isn't.

It's a mid shallow experience with nothing to offer. The GFX are nice, and they capture the desired look, but the game-play is shallow and lacks depth , it's hold RT to win and nothing more. The platforming is poor and exposes that whilst the game looks great, it's not very well made. You'll frequently slide over objects or fail to your death on what should be easy jumps. The game has no challenge, no side-missions, no worthwhile lore or anything beyond what is presented.

The story is cookie cutter "nature good" / look after the planet schlock that you've heard a thousand times before. The game awkwardly dances around the obviously gay relationship between the main characters to the point it's painfully bizarre. Why they don't just say what they mean, is baffling. Rani and Becks are clearly more than "buddies" on an adventure, but why risk it when you can play it safe, which gets to heart of what is wrong with "The Gunk". It's just "safe" with all the edges smoothed down.

The sound is really good, and they get a lot of mileage from a very stripped down soundtrack that does a good job of setting a wistful, sombre tone. To be fair to the game, the sound design and voice acting are doing a lot of heavy lifting here. The two main voice actors do a really good job of bringing life and likability to both Rani and Becks. It's just a shame the rest of the game doesn't rise to that level.

It may seem I'm hating on the game, but I just don't think it's that good. It's a solid 5/10 games and not much more. If Steam hand a "50/50" rating, I'd give the game that, but for me it falls on the thumbs down side, rather than the thumbs up side.

Could have been great, but instead it's just the game equivalent of a soothing back rub. It's mid, even on sale it's probably not worth it, you'll play it once, and never again.

The Gunk is a very relaxing exploration game with platforming and puzzle solving elements.

It takes you to an andventure to explore and restore balance on a distant planet where thingw have gone wrong. On your journey, you get to know the two main characters of the story and learn the history and the environment of the planet you're in.

Everethyng in this game is pretty simple and never too challenging. A great experience for somebody who wants to sit back and enjoy a relaxing game.

8/10

I've got mixed feelings about this game. If I had to describe my experience playing the game in three words, they would be: repetitive, pretty & cozy.

I really enjoyed the graphics and art style, but until the end there kept being moments of disappointment regarding storytelling, level and game design.

Like other people here have been saying, the storytelling sometimes feels a little repetitive and off. I especially noticed this issue when Rani enters the garden and Becks suddenly starts blaming Rani for wasting time & ressources.

The level design unfortunately was also a tad bit repetitive.
If you notice the level design decisions clearly, which I often did, then I feel like, it could have been done better. I was also able to, at some point, predict what the levels were going to look like, because the structure was pretty often the same or at least very similar.

Another thing I noticed was that there were only three enemy types. That's not a horrible thing, but if I encounter the same enemy in each level, it gets a bit, well, repetitive.

Despite my rather critical review, I am giving this game a thumbs up, because I believe it can be experienced in many different ways. I still had fun playing the game, because it introduced me to a new world I could explore. Also, after realizing that there wouldn't be a lot of suprises in the game, I just titled it as a cozy game and played it for that purpose. Sucking up gunk, collecting items and upgrading my gear.

It's an easy, chill, short story game with some simple puzzles. Don't expect anything else. While it feels like it pads its 5-hour run time in parts, you really just get time to enjoy the absolutely stunning art direction. Would recommend if it's discounted. Glad I played it.

A fun quick game worth playing over a weekend. Runs really smooth and has some decent mechanics. Nice graphics and some fun puzzles and combat too. My favorite thing about the game are all the vibrant colors and lighting. It gives you those psychedelic type vibes while playing. Overall a quality product for getting on sale.

The game play is about 5 hours long, very linear with no side quests.
Relaxing game play where you just clean up this 'gunk' and restore a planet.
There is no penalties for dying and you are able to save and quit whenever you need to.
The overall story is solid and I like the idea but I was not a fan of the dialog. It can be a little whiny which wasn't for me.
The music and SFX are solid but you could play it without it or listen to your own music.

The story is alright but the gameplay is way too simple. The only place I got stuck and couldn't immediately solve was because I couldn't find a button.

I loved this game, haha. I think I understand the criticism -- it is not a highly technical platformer -- but, I don't think it's trying to be.

This is a cozy+ game. There's some difficulty (monsters that require different attack strategies, puzzles, etc) but there are absolutely no punishing mechanics (you can fall whenever without taking damage, you need to get hit a ton of times for it to kill you, upgrades are easy to get as long as you are exploring the world, etc)

What this game lacks in mechanics, it makes up for in ambiance, story development, and voice acting. This was a super cozy -- play it all weekend while you get over a cold -- game. Highly recommend for people who are looking to (very) mildly spice up their cozy game library.

Firstly, all you clowns that think you're actually gamers but only jump on supposed AAA titles so you can say how great the graphics card you couldn't afford, runs it, wind your necks in, you are not gamers. I do not know the history of this studio but this a non complicated bu HIGHLY playable game. I have been through every major release game in the last 5 years and none of them got played straight for as long as i did this. Great little game, props to the studio and very much worth the £3.99 paid. Levels get suitable more difficult as you progress, not a super high need for full upgrades as not too difficult, an absolutely amazing game for first time or new platformer players, along the lines of a stripped down Ratchet and Clank. GET IT!

A quick and simple platformer puzzle game that had a decent story and likable characters. It was a good break in between larger games and was easy to pickup and put down. The environment is unique and beautiful to look at and explore. I would suggest picking it up if you want something in between games.

Aside from the beautiful environments, this game really has nothing going on for it. Story is extremely weak, characters are annoying, and the overall gameplay just feels... too easy.

Not to mention the terrible fps drops I got on the last chapter, it was borderline infuriating.

Such a beautiful game! Great concept, story, graphics, art and gameplay! Give it a shot!

This game was such a pleasure to play at the end of the year. I found myself spending extra time going over areas a few times just to make sure I didn't miss something to scan or find minerals or plants to harvest. I am a HUGE Epic Mickey fan as well as Luigi's Mansion 3 (still have to play the rest), so when I saw a game that had a similar mechanic I was ecstatic. I know that the company that made the Steamworld Series also made this and I have purchased those games on extreme sales recently but have as of yet to play them. That will change in the near future after playing this.

The world is one screenshot after another with the main character Rani leading the charge to explore this beautiful planet. Areas of this once thriving planet are now covered in Gunk and you can't just land on a planet and not find out why right? I mean yeah you'll gather resources, because hey a girls got to eat, but come on who can pass up on an adventure at the same time? :D

The world really set the stage and even though it wasn't massive like some other big budget games I kept stopping to look around and absorb where I was. It wasn't over or underdone. I felt it respected the players time.Yes there were some creatures to face but I got the most enjoyment out of possibly finding something new to scan. Also by gathering resources you can get upgrades and scanning opened up new blueprints for upgrades so you got rewarded for your effort.


The style of the menu screens were sleek. Everything wasn't super tiny which some games do. Also big thumbs up to how you made the Gunk look! Clearing it was really fun. I was wondering how the controls would work in a game like this but I thought they did a good job of it and I did not have any trouble at all. The music fit. It wasn't grandiose but it fit the tone and one song actually sounded a lot like Septerra Core to me which is one of my all time favorite video games.

I would recommend this game to just about anyone because it was satisfying and not really difficult. Difficulty was not the focus of it, though there is one creature who was a tad annoying, but manageable. This game just hit for me in all the areas I needed and not every game needs to be a dark souls in order to be a good game. It lasted the right amount of time as well and it made me hope they go to another planet and maybe have some underwater exploring or something. I just really would like to see them hop from planet to planet even just to gather more minerals. Please make a second game in this series! I imagine you can find other things for Rani to use her arm for even if you choose to not find gunk on other planets.

P.S For a first trip into this game studios catalog I am very impressed. More reviews to come soon! *crosses fingers for the rest of them*

Good little game!
Gamplay isn't anything special but the art style and cute story makes up for it.
Had a weird frame drops at some locations dropping the resolution did nothing.

Wonderful story, beautiful environments to explore, and solid gameplay. It isn't especially challenging, so most player should get to experience the whole narrative without too much difficulty.

A few spots where the game stutters a bit, but generally this is at transition points.

This was fun, looked good, I enjoyed the levels, but... it is so short. My play time includes a couple of breaks to get food, something to drink, etc. There were a few areas where you run from one spot to the next (like in a tunnel) where nothing happens, except dialog. Things like this did not feel like it should be there. I got this at 80% off so I am cool with it but at full price I would not have been.

cute little platformer with lots of vacuuming to be done. Dialog is a little cheesy, and story isn't anything fresh but regardless I finished it with good feelings and lots of jumping performed.

Beautiful story and world. The puzzles aren't too challenging. Wish it was a longer game but definitely worth replaying multiple times.

This was a short game but for someone who drops new games after a few hours I was impressed by the mechanics of the game.
The graphics are pretty good, sets the vibe for the game.
The voice acting is decent and the story is simple but you want to get to the end to complete it.
It's very short but I found it a fun time playing. It was well paced, puzzles were simple but some fights were challenging enough w/o getting frustrating. I'm not a demon souls type gamer so this was more my speed.
The biggest challenge i have with games is finding the time to play them. Thank you for a great simple short game.

I deeply appreciate the time and effort put into game development, but I cannot recommend this game.

It's a pretty basic "Nintendo kid" type game mixed with No Man's Sky without the full free-roaming. It's not bad, it's just mediocre.

The music is very relaxing (post-classical), so that's a plus.

The overly pronounced "SOUL-der" (for solder) and the overly enunciated "foreMAN" in early dialogue were rather annoying.

Short and sweet adventure. In a time where games are often too long and don't value your time, I can absolutely enjoy a nice, casual game with a bit of simple combat mixed with vacuum simulator. I did not realize I was close to the end until I was already on the last level, which was a surprise, but not necessarily a bad one. The story had just enough intrigue and new enemy encounters to keep me engaged. Cute and beautiful.
Only thing (a nitpick really) I had an issue with was the dialogue. Really only one gripe with it: the cursing. I usually don't care about that EVER because why would you generally? But this game reminded me a lot of Kena: The Spirit Guide in art style and storytelling. That story tells a very deep story without trying to appeal to an adult only crowd (even if it's hard as shit, so what kid could play it, really?) This story didn't need to try to be more "adult" or "sophisticated" to tell a story like this with this kind of aesthetic.
If anything, it made it feel more immature; like a 13-year-old who just learned a bad word and wanted to throw it around to look cool to his peers. There's not a lot of it at all, but it just seemed weird, because outside that this could have been a completely fine game to give to children as it is really simple and not scary at all, but throwing around a "shitty" or "damn" every once in a while REALLY narrows who you can market this to for no reason. Some parents might not care, but a good majority do. But that was really my only problem, and I'm an adult so... I won't care personally. Really just criticism from a marketing standpoint.
This game is very enjoyable so far, can't wait to see how it ends.

I've played longer on Game Pass, but this is just a super charismatic, low stress game that gives you the satisfaction of cleaning up a gunky environment and releasing it to its spectacularly pretty potential. Lush and varied environments, nice balance in the combat for casual players. Excellent controls and game mechanics.

It does not work with my HDR tv. The image is washed out and lacks color. It seems to even get progressively worse while I play. My smaller SDR screen works fine and the game is gorgeous.

Fun Game, love the art direction of the nature and atmosphere.

Very smooth game but also very short and shallow. The game is VERY linear. You can explore secret loot but it is close to useless because you really don't need it and you get much more loot than there are upgrades. At some point, looting and exploring secrets really feels senseless. The most important pro of the game is its enactement, visuals, cute story and smooth gameplay. It's a small and enjoyable adventure with a wholesome message, but I wouldn't pay the full price for it.

A charming and hopeful little adventure! Visually impressive and fun to play, even though the moveset is a little less robust than I would've liked.

Plus, you get to tell your friends that The Gunk is calling you.

This was just an amazing adventure. Im happy that I encountered this game while searching the special offers. I hope to know further advetures of Rani and others. Exploring other planets and etc. I suggest you just try without watching any tips and other things. Just enjoy the game.

The Gunk is an underrated gem that delivers an incredibly smooth and enjoyable gaming experience. From the moment you start, the gameplay feels intuitive and glitch-free, with seamless controls and non-clunky settings that make it easy to dive right in.

What truly sets this game apart is its immersive world and engaging mechanics. Exploring and interacting with the environment feels natural and rewarding, with plenty of opportunities to uncover secrets and marvel at the stunning landscapes. The progression system, which includes upgrading your character and discovering new planets, adds depth and keeps you invested in the journey.

Overall, The Gunk is a delightful mix of exploration, discovery, and smooth gameplay that deserves far more recognition. If you're looking for a relaxing yet compelling adventure, this game is definitely worth your time.

Enjoyable story, fully voice acted. I liked the fact that the UI was basically non-existent which made it easy to focus on the well designed world. Short and sweet, I finished it in about 9 hours.

Well, well, well.. that.. was pretty awesome. I think I shot this game ages ago on sale and just noticed it in my library today. Started it once, finished it, completed it, closed it.
I really like the overall graphical style. This dark, bubbly, gooey gunk and then the transformation to lush greens and thriving colourful petals. The two main characters look a bit weird though.. Just all in all, the world is a joy to jump through and explore. (assuming that you like exploring) There are no empty spots on the planet, everywhere are things to be found. You 'only' find resources for upgrades, as there are no other items in the game, but damn it - it's still a better loot system than Far Cry.

The puzzles are mostly easy and just require you to hop around a confined area, but their complexity ramps up a little bit towards the end. With a bit of thinking and keeping the surroundings in mind, you will find the solutions quickly, but not brain afk. All in all they are very fair.

Fighting is the same. Not that challenging, but fun and does not overstay it's welcome. There are not that many different species of enemies, but the terrain, your increasing skill level and upgraded equipment will provide variety.

The story is not the deepest in existence, but in my opinion it's very enjoyable, not superficial at all and, at least for me, deep enough to get invested and be curious, how it will end.

Time-wise it's on the lower end. I play very relaxed and don't rush anything and completing the whole game took me exactly eight hours. And after that additional two minutes for the one achievement I'd missed. 25€ for 8h will most likely sound expensive compared to other games but is probably as much as one would easily spend on a night out.
I personally prefer 'shorter' games, so I can spend my time with a greater variety, instead of pumping 5kh in a single MMO - so I'm alright with 3€/h

Some additional pros:
-The possibility to save almost everywhere anytime and a well working auto save system. There are way too many games nowadays without the free choice to save. grml
-not all achievements are 'complete chapter x' or similar things you just get for free. The devs created a few additional tasks for you to solve. (Something I generally miss in most modern games. Imo it's a great way to generate a bit more playtime and challenge for not that much programming effort. And even as it only was one single task, I enjoyed planning it out and getting it.)

Some negatives:
-some open ends which would have been nice with a bit character progression. Like 'what happend to the stag-MacGuffin-thingy?', 'why did no one use the scarce time and resources while rescuing a planet to teach CuRT some more words or fix him?' think of claptrap - so much potential!
-the final boss fight could have been a bit more challenging, maybe another phase would have helped
-the sudden conflict between the characters felt a bit shoehorned in.
-Sometimes elevators loose their texture and turn invisible. Especially then it is easily possible to soft lock your game when sending the elevator up and then fall below it (By expecting an invisible platform but finding an empty shaft). You can't reach the button anymore or it's a single use button and you're forced to reload. Luckily the auto save system works absolutely reliable.

Suction please!

I enjoyed the story and the game while fun wasn't very challenging. I finished it quite quickly, And while I didn't 100% it I still felt like I got my moneys worth out of it

Great game, a bit of discovery and adventure and a beautiful world they created. The story line is strong and enticing. The fun was a bit lost in the last three fights, which started on the elavator platform and were a tad too difficult all of a sudden. I also missed the beautiful antilope like creature from the beginning of the game. Did it die with the fun in the final fight? ;-) Great game, but a bit out of balance overall.

Fun little game that was simple, and with a decent store.

Amazing game in simple words, I really loved it. At start it is a little drag but they have carried out the game visuals and the game story really well, even though the story is a little bit short it was really fun to play. I am calling this game story short cause I just played Arkham knight Knight

I bought this game for 4.99 and finished it in less than 5 hours, collecting all the materials.
Very nice graphics and enveloping game, for the price I paid it's a bargain.

good fun very peaceful till last boss fight also quite puzzling

Nice art style, nice core mechanics and movement that could have been fleshed out further - a double jump would have really improved traversal for example. Interesting story but nothing ground breaking.

One of the best game, which I can actually call a game.
Awesome graphics, cool Story telling, very atmospheric, cozy, and fun to play.
A game that's worth your time. Would definitely play it again. 👍

Feel good short story game.

Great lovable characters and a beautiful world.
The playtime is about 4 hours, great choice if you're looking for a chill game with a nice story with a good backdrop. The mechanics are not very difficult and maybe even fitting for someone who is new to gaming.

Good single player game, great story too bad that the game lasts only 6 hours

Seeing this on sale and going into this I didn't expect much. But I was pleasantly surprised by the story and the visuals. the controls felt nice and the level design was very good.
The only thing I can complain about is the repetitive soundtrack but really I don't think it's a big deal.
Story is short but I think it is passed good, you can wonder for a longer time if you want but it's not really needed.
7.5/10