Physics Sidescroller with Beautiful Czech Animation
2006 Game of the Year, Game Tunnel
In recent years, something interesting has been happening to the sidescroller--that old, even musty standard of the early game industry--in the independent game scene. Retaining the 2D sidescrolling motion and controls of the genre, clever developers have been freshening and renewing the gameplay, with the use of physics and graphic techniques like particle effects to create different and interesting puzzles and situations. Gish was perhaps the first to do so--but in Gumboy we have a beautiful and worthy successor.
"Beautiful" is a term that deserves explication in this context; Gumboy is developed by Cinemax, a Czech firm, and has the off-kilter palate and strangeness of classic Czech animation. (For those not fans of animation, Czechoslovakia was, in the 1960s and 70s, where the most interesting and exciting animation was created, during an era when American animation was at its low point and Japan had not yet approached its pinnacle.) Gamers may be most familiar with the look in the sublime Samorost.
In Gumboy, you play a sort of gumdrop character, whom you move with the arrow keys (or a control pad). Gumboy needs to build momentum to get over obstacles, or to jump high enough to reach higher areas--and in some levels, changes size and characteristics (e.g., at times he's a balloon that can be popped). In each "world," there are certain tasks you need to perform--like collecting fairy dust for a forest elf. Tasks, and Gumboy's characteristics, change often enough that the gameplay never becomes repetitive. Some of the tasks you're called upon to perform are tricky, but there's no time constraint, and practice will get you there (some reviewers do recommend use of a gamepad).
The reviews have been stellar--Game Tunnel even says Gumboy is "a game that every gamer should spend hours getting to know better." We hope you'll agree.
The developer says:
Have you ever played with a ball, balloon, tennis ball or with the popular rubber ball? Sure you have. Each time it was universal and simple never-ending fun. That is what the conception of the GUMBOY game is based on, connecting the time-tested and popular characteristics of a rubber ball with the simplicity of the first video games.
GUMBOY uses its extraordinary rubbery characteristics – rolling, bouncing, jumping, flying and floating, which in connection with the simple controls brings you loads of fun. And even more when you realise that GUMBOY changes its size, shape and material! It joins the game in the form of a sphere, cube or star. It will be filled with rubber, air or water…
GUMBOY is refreshing and original fun for everyone, regardless of age or current game playing experience.
Features
- Innovative game based on ball physics in various environments
- Over 50 levels within a fairy-tale atmosphere
- Interactive environments: water, wind, rain, teleports, boosts, sticky and slippery surfaces
- Original artistic depiction of 6 various worlds (forest, field, cave, magical world…)
- Fantastic lighting and dynamic effects
- Detailed graphics with acceleration and fascinating particle effects
- Various ball shapes: sphere, cube, star
- Various ball fillings with an influence on its characteristics: rubber, air, water
- Saves games in progress and the results achieved for several players
- Game supports widescreen displays (16:9)
Reviews
"Gumboy is a stellar title, with great visuals, quirky sound and an endearing premise. It is a game that is equally unique and innovative as the oft-compared Gish. Gumboy is the kind of game that really shows what independent games are all about, it's a game that every gamer should spend hours getting to know better."
- Game Tunnel
"For all the deafening cat-calls accusing LocoRoco of stealing entire chapters from Gish’s playbook despite their glaring and fundamental differences, there’s no getting around the fact that Gumboy will undergo the same scrutiny and inevitable comparisons to both... Beneath its ugly-duckling visual design that calls to mind some of the surrealist naturalism of Samorost and vaguely unsettling charm of Wik, Czech developer Cinemax has created an at-times dark fairytale world that’s as deeply physical to move through as either of the aforementioned games... ...Well-played lonesome-whistling sound design and artful liminence in darker zones round off a very polished effort."
- Edge, Issue #169
"Playing Gumboy is a singular experience that you won't find in boring mainstream gaming. That probably means most of mainstream won't 'get' this game, which is truly unfortunate. Gumboy is quite possibly the best indie game I've played this year."
- 8/10, Game Tunnel
"Frankly, it’s time someone else gets in on the act of producing games that make you stare in befuddlement and place bets about which household cleaners were smoked by whom. While most companies are busy making "guy with gun shoots mutants/aliens/terrorists" games, a small Czech studio called Cinemax has made a bold move for a podium finish at the Crazylympics. Their entry is called "Gumboy: Crazy Adventure," and ladies and gentlemen, ready your wagers. This one’s a doozy. The first thing you’ll notice when you play Gumboy is that it’s absolutely gorgeous. It’s a 2D platform game, so you’ll never use the third dimension, but that doesn’t mean the art department won’t use it."
- 8.5/10, GamersMark
Awards
2006 Game of the Year, Game Tunnel
Our Review
Gumboy Crazy Adventures: Have a Ball!
Submitted by DrJ on Mon, 2007-02-12 18:23. The WordBizarre Worlds and Strange Situations
By Chuck Miller
It’s hard to evaluate Gumboy Crazy Adventures without comparison to games such as LocoRoco, Gish, Wik, and even Eets, as the similarities are apparent. Nonetheless, it stands on its own as a unique title, a refreshingly challenging yet quirky side-scroller set in a fanciful, fairy-tale world. Crazy Adventures indeed!
DWARFED PERCEPTION: The world of Gumboy offers a fairy-tale style experience.
Follow the Bouncing Ball
Gumboy lacks a story element. It has no quests to perform, no worlds to save, and no overarching goals except to move from one level to the next. In fact, it’s pretty much an old-school side-scroller in modern-day garb. And, there’s nothing wrong with that. Its straightforward gameplay is an invigorating change of pace from the elaborate, overly-complex titles that too many developers are churning out these days. Gumboy is simple…and, to this reviewer, that’s good.
So, what’s Gumboy Crazy Adventures all about? Well, physics mostly. Gumboy is a rubber ball that rolls, bounces, and ricochets around his environment performing relatively simple tasks. Not necessarily simple to perform, but clear-cut in their goal. For example, one task might be successfully moving an object from Point A to Point B intact. But, there’s more to it than that. Gumboy must deal with forces like gravity, inertia, traction, adhesion and more.