First up this year is this charming little platformer that arrived on Game Pass at the end of 2021. I got a lot of enjoyment out of this - you play as Rani (not the Time Lord adversary of The Doctor played by Kate O'Mara) who along with her partner Becks travels around space in their charming little space ship looking for salvage on random planets and moons. They come across a strange, desolate planet that is covered in reddish brown gunk, stifling the ecosystem underneath.
Your job? Clean this shit up and restore life to the planet. As you progress, the history of the planet opens up, and the reason why it's become so polluted.
Rani has a very useful prosthetic arm which acts as her weapons and tools. It sucks up the gunk, shoots at various objects, scans things in a No Mans Sky type game mechanic etc. These tools can be upgraded as you progress.
There is minimal combat in The Gunk - a few critters emerge from the gunk which can be hoovered up or zapped. It's about as straightforward as combat can be but it's not really a game centred about fighting.
The Gunk does absolutely nothing new or original but what it offers is charming and even relaxing at times - clearing away tons of gunk is therapeutic and the way the old world re-emerges clean and fresh looks quite brilliant. I must give a shout out to the lighting in this game - it's beautiful. The skies, the colours, the shards of light breaking through the clouds, the torch effects in caves - cranked up to 4k on a big telly, it's a lovely looking game.
The relationship between Rani and Becks hovers between annoying and charming, and I think it depended on my festive hangover status as to which side of the coin it fell, but the backstory that opens up is another neat little feature which adds a bit extra to the game.
The Gunk can be finished in around 4 to 5 hours - add in a couple more to mop up all the achievements and it's an enjoyable experience all round. I won't say the overused 'perfect for Game Pass' line but.... well, it's perfect for Game Pass. There's nothing new, certainly nothing groundbreaking but what it does, it does well and it's a really good antidote for any Halo Infinite multiplayer frustrations or any other similarly rage-inducing gaming issue.
Worth a look, Game Pass-ers.
Your job? Clean this shit up and restore life to the planet. As you progress, the history of the planet opens up, and the reason why it's become so polluted.
Rani has a very useful prosthetic arm which acts as her weapons and tools. It sucks up the gunk, shoots at various objects, scans things in a No Mans Sky type game mechanic etc. These tools can be upgraded as you progress.
There is minimal combat in The Gunk - a few critters emerge from the gunk which can be hoovered up or zapped. It's about as straightforward as combat can be but it's not really a game centred about fighting.
The Gunk does absolutely nothing new or original but what it offers is charming and even relaxing at times - clearing away tons of gunk is therapeutic and the way the old world re-emerges clean and fresh looks quite brilliant. I must give a shout out to the lighting in this game - it's beautiful. The skies, the colours, the shards of light breaking through the clouds, the torch effects in caves - cranked up to 4k on a big telly, it's a lovely looking game.
The relationship between Rani and Becks hovers between annoying and charming, and I think it depended on my festive hangover status as to which side of the coin it fell, but the backstory that opens up is another neat little feature which adds a bit extra to the game.
The Gunk can be finished in around 4 to 5 hours - add in a couple more to mop up all the achievements and it's an enjoyable experience all round. I won't say the overused 'perfect for Game Pass' line but.... well, it's perfect for Game Pass. There's nothing new, certainly nothing groundbreaking but what it does, it does well and it's a really good antidote for any Halo Infinite multiplayer frustrations or any other similarly rage-inducing gaming issue.
Worth a look, Game Pass-ers.