The Gunk Tips: 5 Things To Know Before You Suck The Slime

Players trying out the brand-new action-adventure game The Gunk will want all the latest tips for exploring the planet infected by the titular parasitic slime. You take on the role of scavenger, Rani, as she tries to unfurl the mystery of the Gunk-infested planet. It's not the most difficult game, but a few extra tricks are sure to make the trek through its barren canyons and lush waterfalls a little easier. So for all The Gunk tips, make sure to read on.

• If you're unsure about The Gunk, check out our The Gunk review.

The Gunk Tips: Explore Everything

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The world in The Gunk isn't huge, but it's worth exploring. Every pathway you'll follow toward your next objective has hidden side areas and secrets, that usually house extra resources for Rani to scavenge. These come in the form of fiber, organic, and metal resources, and collecting as much as possible will help you with hitting the well-needed upgrades later on. They're also identified by the little gold glow they emit, which resembles a series of fireflies surrounding them.

The Gunk Tips: Hold Down The Aim Button Frequently

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One of the primary mechanics in The Gunk is scanning. You can scan flora, fauna, and ancient architecture to learn a little more about the planet, and earn explanations of the ecosystem. It's also the primary method of unlocking new upgrades, as each scan increases the progression bar to the next unlock. When holding down the aim button, it highlights all the scannable objects, showing a red symbol if it's been previously scanned or a blue one if you've not done so yet. Periodically doing so will make sure you hit all the collectibles and earn all the upgrades along the way.

The Gunk Tips: Always Look Up High

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Much of your experience in this game will be completing puzzles, that combine sucking up the Gunk and utilising the plants in your environment to traverse the land. While none of the puzzles are Baba Is You levels of difficult, the solutions aren't obvious if you aren't using every dimension properly. Many of the bulbs you can find which blow up blockages or create pathways from energy pools are situated up high. So make sure to check on ceilings and walls to spot them, and shoot them down with your energy blaster.  

The Gunk Tips: Energy Lure Upgrade Is Your Friend

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One of the earlier unlocks you can find in The Gunk is called the energy lure. It's a little item that Rani can summon and throw at will, and is primarily used in combat sections. It essentially attracts the smallest spider-like creatures toward it, getting them out of your way, so you can hoover up the Gunk instead. Later on, it also has its own upgrades that have a larger radius and can incapacitate enemies when its duration ends. As the fights get more busy in the late-game, this item becomes a necessity and should stop you from being overwhelmed.

The Gunk Tips: Teleporters Are Super Useful

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As you reach new areas along your journey to uncover the unnamed planet's mystery, you'll place down little beacons that look like rods in contextual spots. These are used to fast travel around the map to different areas, and most importantly, can take you back to the ship. Whenever you get the chance to place a new beacon, make sure to fast travel back to the ship, so you can use the workbench and acquire new upgrades from your resources.

There's our rundown of The Gunk tips and tricks, and now you're ready to adventure across the planet as Rani. Wondering how much of The Gunk you have left? Check out our guide that answers the important question: how long is The Gunk?