Smaller enemies can be sucked up into the vacuum before being tossed into each other, while stationary projectile-spewing plants can be pulled from their roots, similar to how you pick up the planet's seeds. Rani is a scavenger, not a fighter, so Pumpkin is utilized to defeat the planet's aggressive critters in much the same way as you would clean up the Gunk. Combat is an occasional distraction, and there's cohesiveness between the game's action and its exploration due to the tools you use. This laid-back design style can be relaxing at times, but the low stakes make it difficult to feel engaged by Rani's adventure. Neither The Gunk's platforming nor its puzzles evolve beyond their humble beginnings. Instead, it's the rest of the game that suffers this fate If the game were longer than a brief three hours, the rather workmanlike act of cleaning the planet would eventually grow stale. The only difference between the two types is that you need to lob the explosive version of the seeds at obstacles blocking your path, rather than chuck them into the planet's glowing energy pools. There are never any variations on this straightforward process, and the only other type of seed you find functions in exactly the same way. This mechanic is repeated throughout the game and rarely deviates from the simple act of finding a nearby seed and throwing it into the appropriate pool. Early on, for instance, you discover a type of seed that sprouts into a huge plant when thrown into an energy pool, allowing you to hop onto its branches and reach higher areas. Navigating the planet's gloomy caves and abnormal jungles is a routine experience, as The Gunk mixes simple platforming with some rudimentary puzzle-solving. Rani and Becks' inevitable conflict is predictable, but the combination of believable dialogue and accomplished voice acting makes for an interesting relationship, albeit one that feels overly familiar.Īnd this familiarity seeps into the rest of The Gunk, too. The relationship between the pair carries what is otherwise a fairly routine story about uncovering the planet's mysterious past. She's overprotective of Rani and averse to her risk-taking, reluctantly adopting a maternal role as she remains with the ship and stays in contact with Rani via radio. Becks, on the other hand, is more practical and goal-oriented. Rani is the adventurous type, impulsive and eager to explore every nook and cranny of this unfamiliar land, even if it means being reckless at times. As Rani-together with her partner Becks-you touch down on this uncharted world to scavenge a potential energy source that might be valuable enough to pay off your mountainous debt. Now Playing: The Gunk Trailer | Xbox Gamescom Showcase 2021įreeing the planet from the Gunk's clutches isn't the objective when you first land on this peculiar alien world. Instead, it's the rest of the game that suffers this fate.īy clicking 'enter', you agree to GameSpot's Maybe if the game were longer than a brief three hours, the rather workmanlike act of cleaning the planet would eventually grow stale. Watching a cold, gray, lifeless area suddenly exude color and wildlife is reminiscent of similar mechanics in games such as Okami and provides The Gunk with an inherently satisfying loop. Each time you clear an area of the debilitating sludge, the planet bursts back to life as the flora and fauna emerge from their goopy prison. There are rare moments of combat, too, but cleaning the Gunk takes precedence. Hoovering up the planet is The Gunk's central tenet, while simple third-person platforming and puzzle-solving encompass the rest of your adventure. This is achieved with an arm attachment she affectionately calls 'Pumpkin' which acts like a heavy-duty vacuum, allowing you to inhale the Gunk's globular masses until there isn't so much as a speck left. Upon discovering that black malevolent goo is sapping the planet of its lifeforce, protagonist Rani goes about removing the Gunk to restore the world to its former beauty.

There's more to developer Image and Form Games' first 3D title than simply cleaning, but for all of the other ideas it brings together, ridding the planet of its titular mess is its most enjoyable. Either way, The Gunk takes this formula and applies it to an alien planet in the far reaches of space. Maybe gamifying burdensome housework with rewards and goals is enough, or perhaps it boils down to the fact that these games can make you feel productive even when you're procrastinating.

Tidying up might be a monotonous chore in everyday life, yet games like Viscera Cleanup Detail, PowerWash Simulator, and Unpacking turn cleaning into a surprisingly engaging activity. For some reason, the act of cleaning in video games is oddly satisfying.

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