Gummy’s Life Review

After the breakaway success of the physics-based platformer Human Fall Flat, it’s not surprising that we’ve seen a host of other physics-based adventures looking to match those same lofty levels of success. Whilst we are still yet to see a story focused gelatinous adventure on console, for now at least, it seems players are more than satisfied with engaging in physics-based slugfests, if Gang Beasts is anything to go by. With that in mind, EP Games latest adventure Gummy’s Life should at least pique the interest of some with promises of gelatinous goodness, physics heavy gameplay and tons of sweet treats all looking to smash the jelly out of each other!

The gameplay here is purely combat focused, with no story involved. Unfortunately, there is also no tutorial to take part in either meaning you’ll need to simply jump in and learn on the go with this one.

There are four game modes for players to take part in, albeit these are mostly generic modes. Free-For-All is first and pits all players against one another over multiple rounds in a fight to the death until only one remains, whilst Team Deathmatch mixes up to four teams of sweet treats against each other. Hot Potato brings bombs into play which are assigned randomly, the goal here is to give it away and if it explodes in your hands, you lose. Finally, we have King of the Hill, and sadly this mode is a far cry away from being an iconic rendition of the famous mode, with players forced to collect marshmallows that spawn randomly rather than keep any particular area under their control.

Once you’ve picked the game mode of choice and the maps you’ll be getting involved in from the vast selection of 19 available arenas, you’ll be introduced to a number of different gummy characters. New characters can be unlocked through online play, although sadly no offline progression will work towards unlocks. However, there is still a healthy number of characters available from the start.

Now whilst it’s not really advertised all that clearly, there is a slight difference between characters besides visual appearance, with a small set of attributes shown at the bottom of the character select screen. These attributes are tied to Strength and Defence and despite no playable character really standing out, or showing as overpowered, there seems to be a mix of clearly attacking and defensive focused characters. Sadly there is no real importance of these stats when in the thick of it, as fighting usually comes down to whoever can get the most hits in rather than any real tactical planning or overall advantage through stats.

As for the gameplay itself, combat consists of each onscreen jelly giving out a flurry of punches, kicks and head-butts to knock out your opponents or bludgeon the juice out of them, whilst any unconscious body that falls to the floor is to be thrown over the edge of the boundaries within any given play area in order to nab the win. Some stages can see this made easier or harder by way of dynamic movement such as one map that sees lava rise through it whilst the need to jump from platform to platform is a constant threat. Other levels also have vehicles present which can be used to deal additional damage and can often be the make or break of any given round.

Fortunately, whilst online play is the intentional focus of play here, as made apparent by the full cross-play functionality that comes with Gummy’s Life with all other platforms, it is also possible to play offline with another player via split-screen and with bots, with up to 15 bots and a player able to jump into matches should you so wish, although you may struggle to see just what’s going on if you have such high numbers. This is an area in which Gummy’s Life is clearly strengthened over similar titles as whilst full cross-play is a fantastic inclusion, it is nice to be able to jump in whenever you want, and bots mean a dying player base in the future won’t stop your enjoyment.

It’s also worth noting the A.I. competitors are certainly capable of producing a challenge, with difficulty levels that can be applied before each game to suit the challenge you want and A.I. that are always gunning for the objective from the off. There is never any sense that you’re getting any less of a challenge than you could hope to find in online play.

With no story available, however, it will only take a few games of each mode and each map before you feel like you’ve accomplished everything you can with Gummy’s Life. Sure, it’s great for party play and brings a whole host of cosmetic options to unlock such as glasses and hats, but there isn’t going to be enough here to keep anyone over the age of 10 interested for all too long beyond the first few games. Not a bad way to keep the kids quiet though.

Audio and visuals are the only remaining factor to talk about here and whilst there isn’t all that much to focus on with audio, the visuals are certainly pleasant enough. Each character comes well detailed, whilst each environment looks to have been given some good attention to detail too.

Conclusion

Overall, whilst Gummy’s Life won’t quite bring the thrills of Fall Guys, or provide quite the surprising time sink that Human Fall Flat can as you try to perfect actions through wobbly movement, it isn’t a bad game. It takes what we know from Gang Beasts, adds bots, full cross-play functionality and a ton of maps and leaves the rest to the players. It’s not going to keep you occupied for long, but the kids will get a thrill out of it and it’s not bad for a rainy day should you happen to have some friends who are willing to jump in too.

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This game was tested and reviewed on Xbox Series X/S. All of the opinions and insights here are subject to that version. Game provided by publisher.
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Good
  • Full Cross-Play functionality
  • Bots that are capable of a good challenge
  • Plenty of arenas
Bad
  • Gets repetitive
  • Forced to play overly defensive against A.I.
  • Stats aren't as important as we'd like
6.9
Okay
Gameplay - 7.2
Graphics - 7
Audio - 6.5
Longevity - 7
Written by
After many years of dabbling and failing in Dark Souls and many other equally brutal gaming adventures, I can now be found in a state of relaxation, merely hunting for a little extra gamerscore or frightening myself with the latest Resident Evil - Sometimes I write about it too!

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