The Gunk is a premium adventure game for PC developed by Image & Form Games. It's an open-world action title that revolves around a couple of space haulers looking to earn funds to survive. In it, they stumble upon a planet brimming with resources ready for the taking and strange wildlife.

Just like ASTRONEER and Journey to the Savage Planet, The Gunk features open-world exploration and survival elements in its gameplay. Players will face a harsh environment filled with hostile creatures, as well as various platforming challenges that need to be solved in order to get around.

One man's trash

In The Gunk, you will play as Rani, one-half of a pair of space haulers who are down and out of luck. You are exploring space, desperately looking for ways to earn and survive. You happen to stumble upon an undiscovered planet filled with life and precious resources. However, things are not what they seem, and your seemingly simple scavenging expedition turns into a fight against a hostile environment.

True to its name, the game will have you face a toxic parasite called the Gunk. Using your Power Glove, you will reverse the damage it caused and slowly heal and revitalize the planet to its former splendor. You will be exploring a vast jungle and sliding down caves while uncovering a hidden secret of a long-lost civilization that once lived and flourished here.

You’ll encounter various platforming challenges that need solving, as well as hostile bio creatures to defeat. All the while dealing with the growing mistrust between you and your partner. The game ultimately fell a bit short and lacked variety though. Combat was uninspired and the story, while it has its charms, is rather forgettable, too. You will get the sense that there could have been more here.

Sort through the gunk

The Gunk is an oddly beautiful game, with a charm and presentation that is easy to like. However, the visual is only one aspect of a game, and sadly it doesn't quite deliver on the gameplay side. Some more demanding players will find the combat and the various challenges somewhat simplistic, easy even. It's still worth checking out. Just don't expect too much from it.