I finished Gebub’s Adventure mere minutes ago, and my emotions are so mixed. On one hand, I loved the game, and wish it could have gone on far longer. On the other hand, the challenges were real, and I take satisfaction in resolving them….well, I resolved most of them.
Gebub’s Adventure has a lot to love. It’s a wonderfully fun game, with just enough tension to keep things really interesting, and made me return more than once after almost giving up. It has just enough frustration built into it to keep things from seeming too simple. And in a universe of gaming where the word “permadeath” is no longer redundant (or a joke), GA gives us “permaLIFE”. There is no death, no matter how far the little guy(?) falls, or how long he(?) remains underwater, how much acid he swims through, or how far he’s flung through the air or how many blocks crush him. Even being swallowed, and finding his way through the digestive tract of some big…thing only slows him slightly. But all these journeys are essential to solving all the puzzles necessary for completion of the adventure, and finding all the objects and all the colored balls, no matter how well hidden (but always with a subtle hint.)
The controls of Gebub’s Adventure couldn’t be much more simple. Arrow keys for movement and jumps (or WASD), “M” for map and inventory, and “X” to exit. There ya go! GA apparently can be completed in an hour, but I spent five (so far. But I did manage to find EVERY colored ball, and some were quite well hidden in a wide (.i.e.–wonderful!) variety of puzzle environments.) Admittedly, I have some physical difficulties that made some of the jumping challenges a bit more challenging that the average player might find them, but not overwhelmingly so.
Every time it seemed Gebub’s world had surely reached its limit, suddenly there was an icy mountaintop, or an incredibly beautiful moonlight sailboat ride. And a huge part of the game is spent underground, to appeal to the most jaded dungeon dwellers. (And I’ll always wonder about the lava fisherman….) The music was truly a wonder all by itself. I can’t imagine how it could have been any more special, yet with enough variety to never begin to be tedious.
If I had to identify a flaw in Gebub's Adventure, it would be the lack of a simple method of recording screenshots to share the beauty of this special game.
If asked, I can’t imagine a game that would have appealed to the widest possible range of gamers as well as GA does, from (possibly) pre-teens to this 58-year old geezer who has been gaming over thirty years. This would be a great game to play with children (or parents), or alone. All in all, a very high recommendation if you need a break from a “forever” game, or today's dose of zombies, and at a reasonable price.
Thank you (players, for reading. DEVS, for your wonderful creation.)
(4M/L)
