Gumboy Review

Gumboy: Crazy Adventures is a whimsical 2D side scrolling adventure that stars Gumboy, a bouncy ball that talks and makes all sorts of noises. Your journey will take you through a variety of worlds and levels collecting the necessary items to advance to the next level. Along the way the strange creatures and funny noises Gumboy makes will certainly make you smile.

Basic Gameplay

The tasks you need to complete will vary with each level, but most are collecting items or returning items to a specific location (usually for some character in the game). All of this is necessary to open or create the exit portal which allows you to continue on to the next level. Each level also contains a certain amount of bonus items to collect. Most often these items are much more difficult to get than the required items.

Tutorial Gets You Going

The game starts with a series of tutorial levels that will introduce some of the key elements of the game. Controlling Gumboy is quite simple, you use the left and right arrow keys to move the up arrow to jump and control to go fast. Jumping is accomplished by hiccuping and is only available when you have the power-up. Power-ups can be found throughout the levels and can change the shape and characteristics of Gumboy. You can change into a star or square and you can also change your composition to gum, air or water. These changes will often help you complete objectives that otherwise would be unreachable.

Incredible Gumboy Enhancing Powerups

There are also power-ups that give Gumboy special abilities like the repellent power-up. This power-up lets Gumboy return items to locations or characters in the game by pushing them around. Collecting the various items is done by rolling through the level and using your speed and momentum to climb hills, go over jumps and through water. Many obstacles will take some skill to navigate and you might find yourself stuck on them for some time.

Unique Art

The graphics are pretty standard for a 2D scrolling adventure game. There is a main level that you can interact with and there is also the background effects that make it feel like a real location. The art in Gumboy is very unique and well done. The fantasy theme is nicely done. The sound adds a bit of depth to the game and seems to match the atmosphere nicely. Gumboy can get a little annoying when he repeats phrases and noises over and over, but it is really a minor nuisance.

Difficulty Can Be a Problem

Two flaws limit the game in minor ways. The first problem is with the lack of difficulty settings. While the art and theme would suggest this is a kids game, the difficulty of the game would suggest otherwise. With no way to adjust the level of difficulty a lot of people will have a very hard time completing the game. Really every game should include varying difficulties to broaden the audience that can play. The second difficulty has to do with Gumboy's interaction with the world. He will inconsistently stick to walls, ceilings and other things among other issues. There is no apparent correlation between walls you can stick to and walls you can't. Some consistency would make the game a little less confusing.

Conclusion - Good For Those Looking for a Unique Side Scrolling Adventure

Gumboy: Crazy Adventures is a good side scrolling adventure game that can entertain for hours. Kids (if they are patient) and adults (if they don't mind the simple nature of the game) will be able to enjoy this game and have plenty of challenges to keep them busy. There are probably better side scrollers out there but not many with this style of gameplay.