Last year, a new game was revealed as an Xbox exclusive, designed for the Xbox Series X/S. That game is The Gunk, created by the same people who released Steamworld, and it is making its way to Xbox Game Pass.
The addition to Xbox Game Pass is definitely a good choice for The Gunk, as news of the title has not exactly spread far and wide. This way players will have an opportunity to experience the game firsthand free of charge, and they will be able to do it pretty soon too when The Gunk hits Game Pass day one of its release.
The Gunk is scheduled to release on Xbox and Xbox Game Pass on December 16. Ordinarily this would likely encourage a lot of players to take it out for a spin before committing to Christmas purchases, comfortably giving them something to chew before some of the most hype releases of the year. However, there are three games coming to Xbox Game Pass in December, including The Gunk. In the same week as The Gunk, Among Us lands on Xbox Game Pass for the first time, and the week before, Halo Infinite.
There's definitely plenty for players to sink their teeth into when it comes to The Gunk. Players take on the role of one of two explorers, doing legwork on an unexplored world in the hopes of striking it rich. The world in question is a paradise, but is being subsumed beneath the eponymous Gunk, and it quickly becomes the player's job to clean it up. According to the creators, the Xbox Series X/S was chosen for The Gunk because of powerful hardware, enough to render up all the Gunk that players will be sucking up off the planet.
While powerful hardware to work with is a fine reason for The Gunk's Xbox exclusivity, its scheduling for release on Xbox Game Pass could probably have been better thought out. When the two new games its competing with are free Among Us and Halo Infinite, there's a good chance it will fall by the wayside.
Still, it's not at all recommended that players sleep on The Gunk. The gameplay, shown off in The Gunk's gameplay trailer, consists of sucking up the Gunk wherever it's found, fighting the creatures it has corrupted, and solving puzzles. It looks gorgeous, and the dynamic between the characters seems like it could make for a great story. Players are recommended to set aside a little time for The Gunk during the holidays.
The Gunk releases on December 16 for PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.