Deal | $1.74 in 94% off Steam sale: Relaxing 3D puzzle platformer with gorgeous mysterious world and moody atmosphere gets staggering discount
When it comes to platformers, there is a lot of variety, from the hyper-challenging Super Meat Boy to the more cathartic, relaxing games, like The Gunk, which doesn't aim to challenge and push its players as much as it does try to tell a story with sublime visuals, satisfying gameplay, and manageable pacing.
The Gunk is currently 93% off on Steam, coming to an all-time low price of just $1.74. For that, it offers excellent atmospheric visuals, fun platforming, and a short, punchy story that's well worth the money spent.
The Gunk highlights and reviews
The Gunk doesn't claim to be some grandiose adventure or hyper-challenging platformer where input timing can be the difference between life and death. Instead, The Gunk offers an entertaining narrative wrapped in an engaging platforming adventure through a corrupted world that is equal parts captivating and eerie.
In The Gunk, you are one part of a duo of space haulers who have taken up the task of exploring a corrupted world in search of treasures. As you explore the planet on your quest, you'll unravel the mysteries of the former inhabitants of this world and cleanse the Gunk parasite that has since overrun the abandoned world. The Gunk has you trekking through all manner of gorgeous, unique environments, from damp caves to lush forests, volcanic wastelands, and abandoned ruins, all the while learning more about the planet around you and potentially saving it from its fate.
The Steam reviews for The Gunk, which currently sit at 86% positive, praise it for its compelling story and writing and the uncomplicated, rewarding gameplay that is still both fun and unindimidating. The graphics and atmospheric environmental design are also frequently mentioned, and, although the story is short, most gamers on Steam found the game to be a good value — a sentiment that's all the more true now that the game is under $2.
If you're looking for somewhere around six hours of fun gameplay, The Gunk is definitely worth considering while it is discounted in the Steam sale. It is a fantastic contender for a short game to play on the go with something like the Valve Steam Deck (check out our review of the OLED version) or the Lenovo Legion Go S (curr. $649.99 on Amazon) running SteamOS, since it has a Platinum ProtonDB rating.
