“These worlds are, simply put, a graphical feast. Surreal in appearance, the landscapes are beautifully rendered, with foreground and background elements that add depth and perspective. Dynamic lights and shadows play across their features and special particle effects abound. From the Magic Forest to the Caves, each is gorgeously crafted with award-winning visuals... Gumboy Crazy Adventures is a highly-creative and eminently-enjoyable game, though often as frustrating as it is fun. It’s also a gender- and age-neutral title that will appeal to the entire family.”
Graphics/Animation: 10 (flawless, standout graphics and great animation)
Music/Sound Effects: 9 (simplistic audio ambiance and amusing sound effects)
Game Play: 7 (addictive play, some levels are overly frustrating, gamepad recommended)
Replayability: 7 (good replay value)
Price/Performance: 9 (one of the best indie games of 2006 and a deal at $20)
Graphics/Animation: 10 (flawless, standout graphics and great animation)
Music/Sound Effects: 9 (simplistic audio ambiance and amusing sound effects)
Game Play: 7 (addictive play, some levels are overly frustrating, gamepad recommended)
Replayability: 7 (good replay value)
Price/Performance: 9 (one of the best indie games of 2006 and a deal at $20)
Reviewer’s Bias: 8 (high expectations based on first impression)
Link to Review on MAN!FESTO GAMES...
Link to Review on MAN!FESTO GAMES...
GAMERSMARK: 8.5/10 – “ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS”
“...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. Distant hills, lights, and foliage all appear with a subtle blur that keeps them from being distracting while lending a low-tech depth-of-field effect to the whole picture. Similarly, objects in the foreground will appear between you and the camera, asserting the third dimension just when you’ve begun to forget it was there. ...graphics: 9.5”
Link to Review on GAMERSMARK...
GAMING TARGET: 8.9/10 – “SIMPLY AWESOME”
“...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. Distant hills, lights, and foliage all appear with a subtle blur that keeps them from being distracting while lending a low-tech depth-of-field effect to the whole picture. Similarly, objects in the foreground will appear between you and the camera, asserting the third dimension just when you’ve begun to forget it was there. ...graphics: 9.5”
Link to Review on GAMERSMARK...
GAMING TARGET: 8.9/10 – “SIMPLY AWESOME”
“...level design in this game is simply awesome. Every light and shadow is reflected on Gumboy, showing just how much work the designers put into their level deign. Taking a page out of Salvador Dali’s paintings, their fantasy-like setting takes the player across different worlds that seem to invoke surreal images. From the Goblin Forest to the Underground Cavern, players will be in awe of the beautiful artwork...
As with most puzzle games, this game presents fun for the entire family. Which cannot be ignored in a simple game like this. Gumboy transcends any gender and age boundaries allowing everyone to become wrapped up in this game, especially with its simple controls. ...gameplay: 9”
Link to Review on GAMING TARGET...
As with most puzzle games, this game presents fun for the entire family. Which cannot be ignored in a simple game like this. Gumboy transcends any gender and age boundaries allowing everyone to become wrapped up in this game, especially with its simple controls. ...gameplay: 9”
Link to Review on GAMING TARGET...
GAME TUNNEL: 10/10 – “QUITE POSSIBLY THE BEST INDIE GAME I'VE PLAYED THIS YEAR”
“One of the quirkiest and best put together games I've played in quite awhile. Though somewhat similar to Gish (in the way that LocoRoco is similar to Gish) this game has a bounty of inventive innovation from its visually impressive and original theme to its 'keep you on your toes' and constantly changing gameplay (just remember to bring a joystick)... Gumboy is quite possibly the best indie game I've played this year.”
“GOLD AWARD & GAME OF THE MONTH, 10/10 (8/10 combined)”
Link 1 to Short combined review on GAME TUNNEL...
Link 2 to new Review on GAME TUNNEL... “Gumboy is a stellar title! Verdict: BUY”
“GOLD AWARD & GAME OF THE MONTH, 10/10 (8/10 combined)”
Link 1 to Short combined review on GAME TUNNEL...
Link 2 to new Review on GAME TUNNEL... “Gumboy is a stellar title! Verdict: BUY”
FUN-MOTION: “GISH + PINBALL + AMAZING ART = GUMBOY!”
“It’ll be hard to escape a Gish comparison when first talking about CINEMAX’s Gumboy Crazy Adventures. The main character is a blob of springs; you roll around, stick to things, and generally interact with your physics environment. At first glance the two games seem quit similar. When you actually play Gumboy Crazy Adventures, though, the similarities quickly dim and you realize you’re playing something completely unique. Something occasionally and horrendously frustrating—but definitely different!
...In fact, I’d be surprised if the game wasn’t a finalist in at least one of those categories in this year’s IGF. The game simply looks amazing, particularly at native resolution on a nice LCD display. Wow.”
Link to Review on FUN-MOTION...
...In fact, I’d be surprised if the game wasn’t a finalist in at least one of those categories in this year’s IGF. The game simply looks amazing, particularly at native resolution on a nice LCD display. Wow.”
Link to Review on FUN-MOTION...
EDGE 169: “INTERNET GAME OF THE MONTH”
“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.”
OUT OF EIGHT REVIEWS: 6/8 – “UNIQUE GAMEPLAY WITH GREAT PHYSICS”
“Gumboy: Crazy Adventures shows that you don’t need 3-D graphics to make a beautiful game. This is one of the best looking 2-D titles in recent memory due to the level of detail and overall theme of the graphics. It is a visually striking game that creates a fantasy-like environment to roll around in. All of the characters and places in the game are full of lots of detail; the special effects are notable as well, ranging from water splashing to dust being moved around.”
Link to Review on OUT OF EIGHT...
Link to Review on OUT OF EIGHT...
© 2006 CINEMAX, s.r.o., all rights reserved.
