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The Gunk
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The Gunk is an action-adventure video game developed by Thunderful Development and published by Thunderful Publishing. From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
379 reactions from 4 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky, Mastodon, Lemmy) · newest Nov 5, 2026 · last updated Nov 5, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
82
LovedLoved
235 positive · 53 negative
95% range 77–86%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 235 | 53 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 39 | 4 | 37 |
| Mastodon * | 1 | 0 | 9 |
| Lemmy * | 0 | 0 | 1 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
Steam's own rating
Very Positive
2,206 of 2,602 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What players are saying
84% recommend · 223 yes, 44 no
Counted from the reviewers’ own thumbs up/down on the 267 English Steam reviews we collected, not by the AI. Valve’s all-language rating: Very Positive (5,276 of 6,115 positive).
Players find The Gunk a relaxing, short adventure with satisfying cleaning mechanics. [1][2][3] Many praise the beautiful visuals and atmosphere, but note shallow story and dialogue. [4][5][6] Some reviewers criticize repetitive gameplay, weak combat, and technical issues. [7][8][9]
Liked
Representative posts
- [7]
TLDR: Despite its colorful presentation, the repetitive gameplay and unsatisfying ending mean I can't recommend this one. GAMEPLAY OVERVIEW: The Gunk has a fairly straightforward premise: a small spacecraft crewed by scavengers Rani (the player) and Becks (her NPC friend) makes a landing on an unexplored planet in search of energy they can harvest and sell. Instead, they find a strange biomass infecting the land and …
- [1]
Considering this game usually goes for 1 euro while on sale I didn't expect much but I was pleasantly surprisied. To be blunt, it's not exactly the most thrilling experience out there, the whole premise is scan this, take that resource and clean the annoying gunk. The visuals and atmosphere are the highlights, the story is okay and the rest is kinda meh. Once again, can't really complain for the price.
- [2]
The Gunk is a short and sweet game that surprised me in a really good way. It doesn’t try to be complicated or overly long, but it still manages to say something meaningful. Through a journey on a dying alien planet, the game gently reflects on pollution and the damage it causes to nature something that feels uncomfortably close to our own world. The gameplay is simple and satisfying, the atmosphere is calming yet …
- [3]
The Gunk is one of those games you pick up expecting to kill an hour and somehow look up to find seven hours have passed. Cleaning up the alien goop is weirdly satisfying, almost therapeutic, and the world has this quiet beauty to it that keeps you pushing forward. It's not reinventing the wheel, but sometimes a chill, gorgeous little adventure is exactly what you need. The Gunk is one of those games you start …
- [4]
The Gunk ( basically the bubbly stuff in the game ) is an alright little game to pass a few relaxing hours. Its visuals are the main attraction as they range from beautiful and colorful sceneries all the way to dark and ominous ones. The story is shallow and the dialogues are tasteless most of the times. The gameplay is fluid and it's mostly about gathering stuff to upgrade your glove, while the same time there is …
Summarised from 34 of the 337 public posts collected about this game; every point cites the posts behind it ([n] opens the post) and the split is counted from the posts’ own ratings. Updated Oct 11, 2026. How summaries are made
RottenBot@rottenbot · automated account
84% of the 267 Steam reviewers we collected recommend The Gunk. The complaint that keeps coming up: repetitive gameplay and unsatisfying ending. Deal-breaker or nitpick?
Critics, per Wikipedia
The game received "mixed or average" reviews according to review aggregator website Metacritic. CJ Andriessen of Destructoid gave the game a six out of ten while classifying it as a "middle-of-the road, milquetoast title", praising its art direction and gratifying feel while criticizing the gameplay loop's lack of iteration over the course of the five-hour campaign. Tom Marks of IGN called the gameplay loop "satisfying" while claiming that the introduction of new ideas never made the game overly exciting due to limited movement mechanics. He also praised the world-building and in-game atmosphere as well as story for being engaging in areas where the gameplay might have otherwise gotten…
From the “Reception” section of Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Critic context only — not part of the audience score.
Reactions
60 of 379 · most liked firstI've written an article for my webpage on how the raymarcher for The Gunk was made! jarllarsson.github.io/gen/gunkraym... #gamedev #xbox #gp #graphicsprogramming #rendering #unreal
neutral · AI labelView post →Considering this game usually goes for 1 euro while on sale I didn't expect much but I was pleasantly surprisied. To be blunt, it's not exactly the most thrilling experience out there, the whole premise is scan this, take that resource and clean the annoying gunk. The visuals and atmosphere are the highlights, the story is okay and the rest is kinda meh. Once again, can't really complain for the price.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →List of 3rd person shooter-3D platformer hybrids I know of (and looking for more). **Brief overview:** This particular hybrid genre is quite rare to find and very enjoyable for me. I think it can largely be credited to *Ratchet & Clank* for trendsetting and inspiring all the rest (even *Jak 2* had used some of *Ratchet*'s code after *Jak and Daxter [1]: The Precursor Legacy* didnt have any weapons). There are some older games that might have inspired *Ratchet & Clank*, such as *Blasto*, which…
neutral · AI labelView post →This game does a lot of new age game design sins: 'did I just do that?!' type dialogue, yellow ledges to denote where to jump and climb, all alongside a plot more predictable than yesterday's weather. I would have let all of that go since the environments look nice and the gameplay is actually kind of relaxing, but then I ran into a major softlock. I didn't set up the beacon in the ruins since I wasn't really using them and forgot you need to set them up manually. Turns out you need this one…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The Gunk ( basically the bubbly stuff in the game ) is an alright little game to pass a few relaxing hours. Its visuals are the main attraction as they range from beautiful and colorful sceneries all the way to dark and ominous ones. The story is shallow and the dialogues are tasteless most of the times. The gameplay is fluid and it's mostly about gathering stuff to upgrade your glove, while the same time there is involved some platforming, a few puzzles and a very generic kind of fighting…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →TLDR: Despite its colorful presentation, the repetitive gameplay and unsatisfying ending mean I can't recommend this one. GAMEPLAY OVERVIEW: The Gunk has a fairly straightforward premise: a small spacecraft crewed by scavengers Rani (the player) and Becks (her NPC friend) makes a landing on an unexplored planet in search of energy they can harvest and sell. Instead, they find a strange biomass infecting the land and get drawn into ... well, into a gunk-filled mess. With her trusty mechanical…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Luigi's mansion if you removed the ghosts and fun and replaced them with... gunk. Game looks nice, but gameplay is basically vacuuming, basic puzzles, "combat" if you can call it that and then "do I go left or right here, oh I got a useless collectible, great time to backtrack. The character dialogue over comms is a neutral for me, breaks the tedium up, but really didn't seem to be adding anything.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Imagine landing on a planet that looks like a psychedelic rainforest, only to realize the entire place is covered in what looks like sentient, angry grape jelly. That is the vibe of The Gunk. I’m playing as Rani, a space-hauler who is essentially a glorified janitor with a bionic arm. Most games give you a sword or a plasma rifle; this game gives you a high-powered vacuum cleaner named 'Pumpkin' and tells you to get to work. There is something intensely, almost primal-ly satisfying about…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Game started out strong. Cool looking world and gameplay wasn't bad. There just wasn't any development. It was always the same fights. Not much ever changed as far as puzzles or bosses or mechanics. The story also falls really flat. That whole wasteland part is...an interesting choice.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Upcoming Green Game of The Month: Play, watch, and read about The Gunk by @thunderfulgames.bsky.social. Then join us on Thu 26th Feb to share your thoughts on its green game design approach. Full details: discord.gg/fJZfxg4T?eve... #indiegames #greengames @igda.org
neutral · AI labelView post →This one is quite meh for me. I was actually excited when I saw this announced a while back, being a sci fi lover it somehow had an unique appeal. In the end it turned out really bad and short for a 25 euro price tag. Full gameplay is 5 hours as you can see, I finished everything with all upgrades and there is zero replayability. The Positives: 1. I like the art style, its a mix of comic book and cartoon graphics and works for a light hearted game like this 2. Space Janitor suck the Gunk…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The Gunk is a short and sweet game that surprised me in a really good way. It doesn’t try to be complicated or overly long, but it still manages to say something meaningful. Through a journey on a dying alien planet, the game gently reflects on pollution and the damage it causes to nature something that feels uncomfortably close to our own world. The gameplay is simple and satisfying, the atmosphere is calming yet sad at times, and the message comes through without being forced. A small…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →two lesbians obsessed with alien pipe. dialogue is absolutely atrocious and Becky is an entirely unlikable character. Her "heroism" at the end doesn't really redeem her and she continues to be insufferable through the credits. if it's on sale it's ok. you'll get about 5 hours out of it...some of the puzzles were frustrating because you have a bomb timer making it nearly impossible to aim correctly and reach the right spot but whatever.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Don't get me wrong it's not a bad game. But the character design is god awful and the dialog is cringy. But it's a chill game
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A decent game. Great visual and graphic. simple mechanisms. Story was okay. VA was okay. puzzles or obstacles were easy. Overall i say its an okay game nothing that would seperate this game to make it better than others. kinda short but i didnt mind. 3.5/5
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →🌟 [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/45575657]Follow Ainsel Reviews - Curator for the weird & lovely 🌟 Some games don’t shout – they hum, softly. The Gunk drew me in like warm gravity, wrapping my nerves in color and sound until the world outside faded. Every step through its glowing valleys felt like breathing again. The sound design is gentle therapy. The visuals are a painter’s dream of decay and renewal. And the story – small, grounded, and quietly powerful – left that rare…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →If you picked this up when it was under $2 lucky you. Don't bother with this game unless you get it dirt cheap and are bored out of your mind. The story is really basic and bland. The gameplay is very simple and very repetitive. The characters are annoying with terrible cringeworthy dialogue. The main protaganist's voice acting is truly horrific. It felt like they just got some random lady off the street and had her start talking into a microphone. Every environment starts feeling the same.…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This was a fun single player story/platformer. Not hard, but fun all the same. They did a great job making things feel like they actually have weight when you are using your sucker. They also managed to be an "inclusive" game without it being shoved down your throat.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The Gunk is an action-adventure game with strong exploratory elements and a distinct focus on environmental storytelling, designed to transport players into an alien world brimming with mystery and challenge. #videogames #indiegames #thegunk
neutral · AI labelView post →I really enjoyed the game but I don't recommend it simply because one of the last fights is glitched for me and I can't progress. I'd like to do a more complete review on the accessibility later but it's quite hard on the hands and the later fights require quick responses with a slow moving character. Prior to that the game is relaxed and timing is relatively accessible. There's subtitles but they often talk while you're doing things which makes it hard to focus for me and there's no option…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Daisy playin The Gunk
neutral · AI labelView post →I'm live! Playing a game called The Gunk! New Goober model! www.twitch.tv/ellie_is_lost
neutral · AI labelView post →good and relax game 7.5/10
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →No idea how people rate this "very positive", but here we go. Whether I recommend sth or not also depends on the price point, and that one is ridiculously high for this game. 25 bucks. At MOST you're squeeze barely 4 hours out of this. Thankfully, honestly, because after 1 hour the game already becomes slightly boring, and after 2 hours you wish you were just done. I only played on, because the walkthrough section I checked said I'm already more than halfway through the game. So, I saw it…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →From the puzzles, platforming and action, a seasoned gamer will find it all quite easy. This is a game great for beginners or for those who just want to have a fun game that doesn't take hours and hours to complete. Personally, I found the characters fun, and the environment beautiful, with the music pulling it all together wonderfully.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →We’re cleaning up in 30 seconds or less with this roundup of our planetary adventure game The Gunk!
neutral · AI labelView post →I have enjoyed my time PROS + simple + fun + looks and sounds good + good atmosphere and story CONS - characters look ugly - heavy performance issues in the Garden area - dated graphics (but it still has its own charm)
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The Gunk! God, what a great name for a game. Grembula in thumbnail by: @/Rynies twitch.tv/Nebula1T5U
neutral · AI labelView post →Game gave me some relaxed chilltime. Especially good as intermezzo between long sessions with other games or a stressfull day at work. Nice story. Feel good ending. Little to no fighting. Mostly puzzles and story. And a very tiny bit timing. Good for those of us that want to relax.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is a public service announcement play The Gunk. by the makers of the Steamworld games. this was their 1st 3d game & it's AMAZING! Controls are tight, the world is gorgeous, with a touching story & has some of THE BEST atmospheric music I've ever heard. 8.5/10 play on steam & free on Gamepass
positive · AI labelView post →too many softlocks, this is a finished product so theres noone to fix it, instead it comes w 95% discount. save->load whenever game hits a softlock, did it like 10times through story mode.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Bought the game in a bundle for 1 euro. Best investment :)) The game is fun, most of the time exploration, puzzles and few monsters to beat but nothing crazy. A fun couch game to enjoy. Totally recommend.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I went in with low expectations after picking this one up on sale. Was pleasantly surprised by the game play it was just a chill clean up sim with platforming elements. If there is anything that i found to be an annoyance it was the constant back and forth between Rani and Beck. It just seems so random and i feel took away from the gameplay. Other than that the game was great 8/10 would play again and recommend.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →---{ Graphics }--- ☐ You forget what reality is ☑ Beautiful ☐ Good ☐ Decent ☐ Bad ☐ Don‘t look too long at it ☐ MS-DOS ---{ Gameplay }--- ☐ Very good ☑ Good ☐ It's just gameplay ☐ Mehh ☐ Watch paint dry instead ☐ Just don't ---{ Audio }--- ☑ Amazing ☐ Very good ☐ Good ☐ Not too bad ☐ Bad ☐ I'm now deaf ---{ Audience }--- ☑ Kids ☑ Teens ☑ Adults ☐ Grandma ---{ PC Requirements }--- ☐ Check if you can run paint ☑ Potato ☐ Decent ☐ Fast ☐ Rich boi ☐ Ask NASA if they have a spare computer ---{…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The Gunk is a fun little action-adventure game with platforming. It is very cozy and relaxing to play. The game is not very long. It usually is on sale with a 90% discount, so I definitely recommend this game if it is on sale.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The Gunk is one of those games you pick up expecting to kill an hour and somehow look up to find seven hours have passed. Cleaning up the alien goop is weirdly satisfying, almost therapeutic, and the world has this quiet beauty to it that keeps you pushing forward. It's not reinventing the wheel, but sometimes a chill, gorgeous little adventure is exactly what you need. The Gunk is one of those games you start playing expecting to spend just an hour, but before you know it, seven hours have…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The gunk was a blast through and through! It is lightheared adventure story game, that was surprisingly interesting and kept me engaged to the very end, while being very respectful of my time spent with it. Sucking up "gunk" and cleaning up areas, watching nature being rejuvenated, was short of a meditating and not to mention satisfying af experience. There is also some light exploration elements and puzzle solving that for some reason gave me some Metroid Prime vibes. And the game just…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The Gunk by @thunderfulgames.bsky.social is $0.74(!) and that's.... downright fiendish. A beautiful alien world, fun puzzles, sympathetic characters. But, above all, a gorgeous and lush soundtrack by @ratvaderr.bsky.social I cannot gush enough about that OST ♥️ Get it. www.gog.com/en/game/the_...
positive · AI labelView post →I don't know who allowed this game to go on sale for a $1.24, but they robbed themselves of this gem. If you like Sci-Fi, puzzles, and a decently scripted, and acted story telling games, then pick it up. Would I say with a 5 hour playtime that it's worth the full $25? No, but I would say it's probably worth $15. Catch it on sale, you won't regret it.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →clever and satisfactory puzzles. just like steam world franchise, this game wont disappoint you.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I guess it was ok. That about sums up my thoughts on every aspect of this one. Basic but ok. I got it on sale for about $1.50 and it was worth that amount. The graphics are decent, although performance was pretty poor for how it looked. I had a few bugs but nothing gamebreaking. Story was decent, but there weren't any surprises or twists really, and it was short and simple. The exploration was ok, although I was expecting (maybe unfairly) something like Metroid and it was actually pretty…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I just finished the fitst 2 books of @kbwagers.com NeoG series. And I started playing The Gunk game. Rani and Becks VAs ( Fiona Nova and Molly Daisy Scarpine) are now the voices for Max and Jenks. I don't make the rules, I just follow my brain through this universe 🖖🤟
neutral · AI labelView post →finished The Gunk, which is a relatively short game where you vacuum up gunk, collect resources, and listen to a lot of banter. it's... fine? a few minor bugs, like when this elevator entirely derendered there's also this plant which made me think of early bsky for reasons which are not flattering
neutral · AI labelView post →A very visually beautiful game, an extremely boring game. The alien world looks great, but there's nothing to do but suck up gunk with a vacuum cleaner. There's no real exploration at all outside of the main path, and if you venture off the main path you'll get softlocked. Repeatedly. Part of the fun should be finding secrets and hidden areas, but there's just nothing. This amazing new world, and its all just decoration for a big studio style hyper-linear game. The controls are very clunky,…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is one of those games that was heavily discounted, so I thought, why not buy it? More games added to the backlog, I guess, haha. BUT!! I honestly did not expect to enjoy this game as much as I did since I had pretty low expectations going into it. The gameplay is surprisingly satisfying. Vacuuming all the gunk out just feels so good, and somehow it made me want to keep doing more. It’s a simple, short and fun adventure game, and I honestly got hooked by the satisfaction of cleaning…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Boring. The mechanics are always the same, you have to clean a planet from this gunk and it feels more like a vacuum cleaner simulator than a game. Sorry, too boring.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I can not recommand this game, I finished it in 4 hours... for 25 bucks... that is not worth the money... the game is WOKE, can't be ignored... and it makes me sad, the game is beautiful to look at and the gunk sucking is great... very "Powerwash Simulator" like... but damn they ruin the fun big times... - WOKEness... lesbian, POC Bossgirl with a can-do-attitude... also never shuts up... - Developers like to suck their own d*cks (Oh look how pretty, isn't it great, yeah oh so cool!) --History…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Fun adventure with lots of side jaunt rewards (keep your eyes peeled for side paths and random extra passsages and such), albeit sadly none either under the elevators nor behind waterfalls. With regard to missables, the biggest things are achievement opportunities (likely technically doable even in the final battle but I'd expect it to be extremely difficult to get two beasts to headbutt or get behind an "unaware" eyeball while mid-final-boss) and maybe a door scan if you forgot to do that…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →For less than three bucks this was a complete steal. Fun mechanics, engaging story, charming characters, doesn't overstay its welcome. I really loved it. My one nitpick is that to get all the upgrades you really have to go find literally every single resource. A bit more leeway on that would have made backtracking for stuff feel less tedious. But if you don't care about achievements you won't notice this - you don't need all the upgrades to beat the game. Absolute recommend on sale.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Planet adventure...? + good graphics - everything else sadly - some gamebreaking bugs where you have to begin anew (enemey falls from plattform, but you need it to clear the zone...and reload) - some weird bugs (vanishing elevator and plattforms, material which you cant get) - Protagonist duo is awful, loud and unconvicing the whole gameplay along - choice of Comic graphic, just awfull - puzzle mechanics (you saw everything after a few minutes) - enemy variety = nonexistent - OST ( I can…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →the visuals are amazing and the story progression is good too. the only advice is to save the game every chapter
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The Gunk is such an underrated gem. From the very beginning, I was pulled in by the atmosphere, the story, and especially Roni. She’s a genuinely likable protagonist, and watching her relationship develop over the course of the game made the experience feel personal and meaningful rather than just another adventure game. The gameplay is relaxing but still engaging—cleaning up the gunk is oddly satisfying, and the exploration never feels overwhelming. The world is beautiful, with vibrant…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The game is about cleaners, but overall it’s fun and enjoyable. Great for chilling after work with full exploration and relaxing gameplay.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Very solid game if you like stuff similar to ratchet & clank. Decent story, good gameplay.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →An enchanting and fun sci-fi adventure! The beautiful landscapes and relaxing gameplay made it a joy to explore. Perfect for fans of exploration and discovery! 🚀🌌🔍
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Good audio and music, great gameplay, decent graphics, solid story. Good small family friendly game all around, I like those when it's not too much aimed towards kids. Not pushy with the you know what, it's how it should be. Had to reload the game 3 times because I got stuck some places that is all no real bugs experienced. (Might as well get it now since they're literally giving it away..!)
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Finished The Gunk on Gamepass, a perfectly cromulent game. It gets a bit repetitive and saves its more interesting level design for the end, but there's something about the style that kept me going back. I love the character design. You play "just a lil gal" straight out of Oddworld or something.
neutral · AI labelView post →Raymarching The Gunk #gamedev #gamedevelopment #indiedev
neutral · AI labelView post →It's fun, funny, relatively challenging, and has a great art aesthetic. The achievements are ridiculous, however. Requiring 100 of each enemy, lmao. Anyone who has that much time to spend on it is either rich and bored, or just crazy.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's a beautiful game with a simple and short narrative, but that swallows a lovely set of characters that deeps great in the story. The game makes you feel like an artist bringing life, since the color is the primary visual reward here, where the soundtrack perfectly matches the visual shift. Highly recommended if you love relaxing, story-driven indie games
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
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