Gurumin is a solid platformer that manages to feel unique despite having a small handful of basic systems and conventions.
The graphics are probably what sticks out the most here. Tons of vibrant colors, catchy effects and blobby, not quite low-poly but simple designs. The lowkey Y2K UI goes very well with the high energy feel of the rest of the game. The music is also fantastic, even if a lot of it didn't really stick with me past the level it played in (and some of them repeat a lot).
Aside from some jank when it comes to non-flat terrain and the wallrunning they never officially teach you about, the platforming is fun and sticks to the limits of the physics system. Combat is either button mashing or special attack spamming most of the time, but the little depth brought by the critical hit system is enough to make things interesting even if it really only means you'll be hitting the button at a slightly slower pace. I think that the hats having all the same kinds of bonuses after their level 2 upgrade is a plus, since it means you can wear your favorite outside of bosses and specific aspects without having to worry about optimization too much. It does feel like optimization is somewhat required past the hard difficulty, especially if you want to get the unlock that requires you to beat the optional boss in all of them, but that's a commitment that I'm not sure many people will be into in the first place since it's purely a mechanical challenge and doesn't really net you unique content or extra lore.
Though that does make sense, since it doesn't really commit to the lore that much. It doesn't constantly make fun of its own tropes like a lot of games nowadays do, but it also doesn't really take them all that seriously. I don't think it would have been that deep even if it was all played straight, since the game ends with pretty much all major questions answered, so it's not really a complaint. The twist is very obvious but the execution of it and all emotional scenes work moderately well.
That said, there's a lot of... weird things in this game. "Anime bullshit" is the best word to describe it even if the term is very reductive and sometimes harmful. We've got: the grown ass adult asking the literal child on a date, the gay stereotype (complete with That One Voice) henchman, the culturally insensitive hats, questionable language around minors (coming from what I assume is the Urn?) and all that. It's not really ingrained into the game in a way that feels like it's integral to the game so it's easy enough to tune it out, but it's still there and it gets kinda uncomfortable.
A gameplay related complaint I have about this game is that it'll reuse level geometry pretty often. Some levels are straight up mirrored versions of past levels, which I feel would have been made better if they were actually presented as such instead of being treated as brand new ones. It's not like they're bad levels by any means, but with the level design all being a kinda reliability-over-ambition sorta deal (think Mario) it is very noticeable and very easy to get tired of.
Overall though, I had a lot of fun with this game! Don't think I'll be doing all the optional content it has to offer, but maybe I'll come back in the future to nab some of the remaining desktop wallpaper unlocks. They're actually really nice!
The graphics are probably what sticks out the most here. Tons of vibrant colors, catchy effects and blobby, not quite low-poly but simple designs. The lowkey Y2K UI goes very well with the high energy feel of the rest of the game. The music is also fantastic, even if a lot of it didn't really stick with me past the level it played in (and some of them repeat a lot).
Aside from some jank when it comes to non-flat terrain and the wallrunning they never officially teach you about, the platforming is fun and sticks to the limits of the physics system. Combat is either button mashing or special attack spamming most of the time, but the little depth brought by the critical hit system is enough to make things interesting even if it really only means you'll be hitting the button at a slightly slower pace. I think that the hats having all the same kinds of bonuses after their level 2 upgrade is a plus, since it means you can wear your favorite outside of bosses and specific aspects without having to worry about optimization too much. It does feel like optimization is somewhat required past the hard difficulty, especially if you want to get the unlock that requires you to beat the optional boss in all of them, but that's a commitment that I'm not sure many people will be into in the first place since it's purely a mechanical challenge and doesn't really net you unique content or extra lore.
Though that does make sense, since it doesn't really commit to the lore that much. It doesn't constantly make fun of its own tropes like a lot of games nowadays do, but it also doesn't really take them all that seriously. I don't think it would have been that deep even if it was all played straight, since the game ends with pretty much all major questions answered, so it's not really a complaint. The twist is very obvious but the execution of it and all emotional scenes work moderately well.
That said, there's a lot of... weird things in this game. "Anime bullshit" is the best word to describe it even if the term is very reductive and sometimes harmful. We've got: the grown ass adult asking the literal child on a date, the gay stereotype (complete with That One Voice) henchman, the culturally insensitive hats, questionable language around minors (coming from what I assume is the Urn?) and all that. It's not really ingrained into the game in a way that feels like it's integral to the game so it's easy enough to tune it out, but it's still there and it gets kinda uncomfortable.
A gameplay related complaint I have about this game is that it'll reuse level geometry pretty often. Some levels are straight up mirrored versions of past levels, which I feel would have been made better if they were actually presented as such instead of being treated as brand new ones. It's not like they're bad levels by any means, but with the level design all being a kinda reliability-over-ambition sorta deal (think Mario) it is very noticeable and very easy to get tired of.
Overall though, I had a lot of fun with this game! Don't think I'll be doing all the optional content it has to offer, but maybe I'll come back in the future to nab some of the remaining desktop wallpaper unlocks. They're actually really nice!