Gish

Gish
Developer:  Cryptic Sea
Category:  Precision Platformer
Released:  May 2004
Usual Price:  £5.99
Hours Played:  3
Controller Compatible:  Yes
Rating:  0 Stars

--------------------------------------------------

The protagonist of precision platformers takes on all sorts of forms and with Gish we have a slow-moving ball of tar. Unfortunately, with "slow-moving" comes "cumbersome" and "hard-to-control" as well. Gish is one frustration after another.

--------------------------------------------------    

Menus, Progress & Stats

I did not find Gish to be a user-friendly game at all. For a start the the menus are badly designed, deadly dull and keep the player badly informed about the game's format. Before long you realise that there are no scores or best times for each individual level; just a pointless overall score which is totally meaningless and which gives the player no real incentive to replay levels - indeed, you cannot replay levels!! After a while, I discovered that the game simply follows a "see how far you get with five lives" format. Furthermore, when I tried to configure the bindings for the controller, I saw there was no way to restore defaults. Just all-round bad!

-------------------------------------------------- 

Gameplay

The game is a side-scrolling 2D platform-puzzler where you control a ball of tar. You jump up ledges, squeeze through gaps, crush things underneath you, cling to the sides of walls and collect gems (if you wish). You carry on until you get to the end - thus completing the level - and then move onto the next one. You have a health bar starting at 100% but when that gets to 0% you lose a life. Lose 5 lives and you start the game at the beginning again. Therefore, when you get to a tricky area, you may well lose all your lives in the process yet must still go through the whole process again just to get to that section of the game again.

Moving the glob of tar in the demanding environments is both painfully slow and awkward. You'll need to stick to the walls on occasions but this usually involves jumping repeatedly to build up momentum and then hitting the A key to stick to the side or the top. It requires skillful timing and often jumping at a certain angle to get right. Failure and frustration sets in often. In my eyes the game is far too difficult - which would be entirely forgivable if you could replay levels and not be forced back to the beginning when all lives have been lost. As is, with the game being so slow-paced anyway, I cannot see how replaying the game over and over can be a winning formula. 

--------------------------------------------------

 

Conclusion

Some decent games need patience and practice and are a worthwhile time investment. Gish is not a worthwhile time investment and should be avoided by all but the most hardcore fan of the precision platformer. Those who wish to play the game that Gish should have been are encouraged to download Tales From Space: Mutant Blobs Attack immediately.