Developer: CinderCat Games
Publisher: CinderCat Games
Platform: PC
Tested on: PC
GLUM – Preview
We’re sure that some of us think back on the quirky games of the late ’90s and early 2000s quite fondly. Said generation spawned silly titles such as Conker’s Bad Fur Day and South Park for the Nintendo 64. We were immediately struck with a truckload of nostalgia when we first joined the presentation for GLUM, which describes itself as a First-Person Booter. This is because in the cartoony world of GLUM, you won’t be traditionally shooting your enemies, but you’ll be kicking them to kingdom come. We were lucky enough to give the game a go before it was released in Early Access on Steam, and we quite enjoyed what was on offer, even if there is not that much content available just yet.
GLUM revolves around a reluctant protagonist by the name of Glum, who has to save his kidnapped overlord, Semperius. Semperius’ territory was attacked while Glum was taking a nap, and now you’ll have to kick your way through enemies to have peace restored. Glum is lazy, and probably the most incapable being to go on this quest, but he does have a talent for kicking things. Upon finding a magical boot, Glum’s ass-kicking ability is further enhanced by magic, and he turns into one of the most unlikely protagonists a game has ever seen.
The presentation so far is quite good. You’ll be treated to an adventure title that sports a cartoony style with bright and vibrant colors. The few areas in the game look neat, and there is quite a bit of asset variety and different backdrops. The enemies are also nicely designed, but we only saw a handful of different ones in the current build. Nonetheless, we loved exploring our surroundings for the hidden secrets. The sound design is also quite good, but perhaps a bit limited at this point in time. The supporting soundtrack puts you in the right mood, and the SFX pack a proper punch. There is no voice acting present in the game, and all characters communicate with grunts and audible gibberish.
In the current Early Access build, there is a tutorial, the first stage of the game, and a rough outline of the Arena mode. The tutorial explains to you what you need to know to tackle the first level. In the first stage, you’ll have to kick your way through soldiers whose commander might know where your master is currently being held. There is a variety of objects to complete, ranging from the main objective points to smaller side missions that reward you with collectibles. There are quite a few collectibles to collect, and some reward you with skill upgrades for Glum or cosmetics for your kicking boot. The current gameplay loop is already highly entertaining, and we were not under the impression that a lot of work still needed to be done in the currently available level. Everything already felt really polished here, and we hope the future stages will also be as entertaining as this one. We particularly enjoyed the boss battle at the end of the level.
Even though the game supports controller play, we preferred the mouse and keyboard setup for this one. We were able to perform precision jumps more easily, and we found it a lot easier to kick enemies into hazards. The latter is a big part of the game, as you can take out enemies in a hit or two when you kick them into obstacles or even traps. The platforming also had a unique twist, as you need to kick walls to make you bounce backwards onto higher platforms. When playing with a mouse and keyboard, you can more easily turn around in the sky, looking where you’re going.
Conclusion
Even though the content in the Early Access build of GLUM is very limited, we loved what was on offer so far. The silly spin on the FPS genre is a blast, and we can’t wait to see how the game evolves. At this point in time, it’s hard to justify the game’s price tag for the content you’re getting. You’ll be done in about an hour, without even rushing along. Even so, we still suggest putting this one on your Wishlist if this is the type of game you see yourself playing. It’s witty, it’s amusing, it plays rather smoothly, and above all, it oozes charm.
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