Bytten

Gink in Trouble is a unique and addictive little game that is all about falling. In the opening fairy tale we hear that Gink has been placed in a grey tower by an evil creature called Slumb. Gink starts at the top of the tower, and Gink must fall at the correct rate so as not to fall off the bottom, or get crushed by the spikes at the top of the ever scrolling level.

The graphics are bright and cartoonish. The main screen that you see when first starting the game gives a very good impression of quality. Tiny butterflies flit and dance in the background and the laidback music suits the mood of the game perfectly. The story is presented in short poetic sentences and it seems like the game would appeal well to children.

The main game has plain but functional graphics. There are some nice clouds in the background, and some special effects like motion blur and smoke trails. Gink does a good job of being cute without being a generic fluff-ball too. There is not much animation there though, and it would have been nice to have some facial expressions or speech to add to the main character's appeal.

The sound effects are well done, and accompany the actions that they should. Although not used for dramatic effect, the in game music is very good too.

The game plays like one giant, eternally scrolling level. The bulk of the gameplay is spent falling from platform to platform as you try to avoid the deadly spikes that are constantly falling above. The action is quite frantic, and there are no breaks between levels. There is only just enough time to run off a platform before the next one appears. Glass floors can be fallen right through if you are falling fast enough, and the sticky ones make walking slower. You can also hit the down arrow to make Gink explode his way through the floor, and there are a few pickups to make things a bit more interesting.

At first I was very confused about what I was actually supposed to do. There is a Readme file (in Word format) and in game help too, but those things explained the controls and pickups and nothing more.

Although it is addictive, the game suffers from a serious lack of depth. The game has about as much depth as those ultra-budget Commodore 64 tape games used to have. Each level is cleverly randomised to some extent, but after playing for a few minutes I began to wish for end of level bosses, sub-games, the ability to design my own levels or play against other people. The first minute of gameplay includes everything the whole game includes, and that is a good indicator of a problem.

Gink in Trouble is a very casual game. The presentation parts are done well, and the originality and frantic action is appealing, but that lack of depth and value for money might be a problem for potential customers.

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