- Publisher: Thunderful
- Release Date: Dec 16, 2021
- Also On: Xbox One, Xbox Series X
- Critic score
- Publication
- By date
- Unscored
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LEVEL (Czech Republic)Jan 30, 2024The unassuming act hides a few hours of pleasant, soothing fun, where you don't have to stress with difficult enemies or overly complex puzzles. [Issue#317]
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Dec 16, 2021Enjoyable, but rather slight, The Gunk is an intriguing journey through an alien planet while vacuuming up goop. There isn't much to it, though, which I found a bit disheartening.
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Jan 24, 2022The Gunk is a little-big surprise. It is an unconventional platforming game with puzzle elements and interesting gameplay aspects. It offers a strange world, fun game mechanics, although it doesn't have many fights and its story is a bit clumsy.
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Jan 10, 2022The Gunk is a game that does a decent job of offering ideas that other titles have explored in better ways. The gameplay is fun at first barely evolves. The story, especially the interactions between Becks and Rani, is decent but has nothing especially memorable to offer. The game has everything it needs for some cool cooperative play moments but does not offer those mechanics.
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Dec 20, 2021It doesn't hit the highs of the SteamWorld series, but The Gunk is enjoyable. When you break things down, the game doesn't offer up a plethora of things to do, but it remains enjoyable thanks to how satisfying it is to clean up gunk. There's payoff for the curious in the form of extra materials to power up your arm faster, and even though it is familiar, the story remains satisfying. Its short length makes it perfect for the Game Pass service, but it is also a worthy purchase if you like brisk, uncomplicated adventures.
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Dec 29, 2021Charming puzzle action-adventure with novel vacuum cleaner alien-slime mechanics. It can be completed on a cozy evening.
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Jan 11, 2022The Gunk is a wonderful game about good friends Rani and Beck. They have a small scavening business and harvest resources in order to sell them. The fascinating story begins as soon as you land on a planet full of disgusting gunk. Once you cleared it up you can see the fantastic and colorful world that is hidden underneath the slime. Soon they even found signs of an ancient civilization. They realized that they have to discover the secret of the colorful planet in order to remove the gunk and save the former inhabitants from the threat.
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Dec 19, 2021The Gunk is a visually appealing game that has its moments, but it lacks the innovation and challenge to leave an everlasting impression.
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Dec 19, 2021I really, really enjoyed my time with The Gunk; a fleetingly brief experience that left me feeling tranquil and at peace. It is rare a game can have an effect like that on me – what with the smorgasbord of violent games and intensity on offer around every corner. Do not let the quirky name put you off, The Gunk is more than deserving of a play during a lazy summer (or winter for you northern hemisphere dwelling folk) afternoon. Bugs and minor flaws do prove to be an inconvenience, although Image & Form Games have still managed to deliver a solid 3D platformer that’s worth a look.
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Dec 16, 2021The Gunk is a simple little platforming adventure full of malicious messes that are plenty fun to clean up.
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Dec 16, 2021There’s a lot to love about The Gunk even if the core gameplay rarely rises above being pretty OK. It’s a good adventure through a unique and pretty alien world, filled with character and life. Rani and Beck are a good team and their dialogue is great fun, even as the pressures mount on their relationship. The story of the alien civilization makes sense, and it’s good to play a game where the mysteries have clear solutions rather than get lost in heavy-handed world building. If the platforming and combat had lived up to everything else then The Gunk would be top-tier gaming, but even so it ends up being a playable adventure that will keep you invested to the final credit roll.
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Jan 3, 2022There is nothing special or complicated about The Gunk, but it proves to be a relaxing and light adventure that focuses on the manual removal of a toxic substance and the abrupt return of nature.
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Dec 17, 2021More seductive in its first part, The Gunk offers a pleasant exploration in sumptuous settings which lose their luster a little over the course of the journey; it also fails to renew itself in the challenges and puzzles it houses. This short adventure of 6 to 7 hours only is appreciated in the tranquility of its experience, its narrative potential and its beautiful dubbing. But difficult to be fully excited after spending long hours sucking up to abundant parasites.
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Dec 19, 2021The Gunk is a rather visually stunning experience with many drawbacks that prevent it from scoring higher. While it has some noteworthy high points, it also has some devastatingly low points that show that Image & Form Games are just dipping their toes into 3D world design.
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Dec 16, 2021Rani and Becks are an appealing duo to share adventures with, but they deserve something more exciting than The Gunk has to offer.
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Dec 16, 2021The environments are gorgeous and the game runs smoothly across all platforms, but uninspiring gameplay and a lackluster story leave much to be desired in this entirely mediocre action-adventure platformer.
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Dec 17, 2021The Gunk is not a disastrous game. I enjoyed turning my brain off for five hours and exploring this strange and mysterious planet. It’s okay for games to just be empty calories sometimes, and I wouldn’t knock The Gunk for just being a generic popcorn flick. The Gunk aspires to be more than that though, and it falls considerably short. The quality of the SteamWorld games gavethe expectation that this would be a fresh take on the third-person adventure genre, but The Gunk is too shallow for me to recommend - even in the slow December months. If you’re looking for character-driven action-adventure games on Game Pass, Lake and Firewatch were both added earlier this week. Give those a look and leave The Gunk in the gutter.
| This publication does not provide a score for their reviews. | |
| This publication has not posted a final review score yet. | |
| These unscored reviews do not factor into the Metascore calculation. | |
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Dec 16, 2021The Gunk is good rather than great, then, but given it's on Game Pass you'd be silly to pass it up. Maybe it's just the time of year, but watching each region unfurl in a bubble of light and colour, not knowing what it's going to look like until the last minute, feels very much like pulling back the windows of an Advent Calendar, with each de-gunking revealing yet another jaw-dropping treat for the senses. It's Christmas comfort food for lazy afternoons on the sofa, and at just under five hours, it can be done and dusted in just a couple of sessions, too. Very good vibes indeed.
Awards & Rankings
User score distribution:
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Positive: 23 out of 73
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Mixed: 19 out of 73
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Negative: 31 out of 73
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Dec 21, 2021
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Dec 22, 2021The game is good
1- Art style: 10/10
2- graphics: 9/10
3- Gameplay: 9/10
4- The Story: 8/10
5- The Music: 10/10
6- Time play: 9/10
I Like it -
Dec 22, 2021Highly tedious, uninteresting story and somehow even less interesting characters