Gombo Review

Developer: Martin Cochet

Platform: PC (Reviewed)

Genre: Action, Adventure

Publisher: FDG Entertainment

Gombo is a co-op survival crafting game currently in Early Access. It focuses on gathering resources, crafting gear, completing quests and surviving against hostile enemies in a colourful, cartoon-style world.

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Now I can definitely see Gombo becoming much better as it gets developed. At its core, the game is decent, though it does get a bit dull after some gameplay time, especially with the bugs encountered. Now, the premise of the game is straightforward: you play as Gombo, who seems to have spawned in this magical world, and you need to survive the horrors of the day by gathering materials, completing quests and crafting items.

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The gameplay loop is really good for it being a survival game. You will gather items on the floor that can be used to craft tools; those tools then can be used to break trees/rocks, etc. Items you gather will then be used to craft items, and there’s a decent selection of things that you can craft. What makes this game personally shine, for me, was the combat and the enemies you encounter. As said previously, the game features a day and night cycle where, in the morning, you will encounter hostile and non-hostile mobs. The attack pattern for each mob differs, and they get even more aggressive during the night, which calls for a great challenge. You can also encounter more difficult jobs by entering dungeons, etc. The combat is very responsive, and I like how you have a decent amount of stamina to be able to avoid attacks and dodge. Gnomes, squirrels, and quirky mushrooms can come to attack you. You can even encounter bosses that are based on storybooks like the Big Bad Wolf, which really sells the vibe of this game. I would love to see more bosses added to the game and maybe a longer quest progression line to encounter bosses.

At times it felt like you would waltz up to a cave to go mining for ore, then find yourself fighting the Big Bad Wolf when you were not entirely prepared. I would definitely like to see an expansion to the quests and a better introduction to these bosses, as they will make the gameplay even more enjoyable.

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The aesthetics of this game are wonderful. It captures a Cuphead-like cartoonish aesthetic that creates such a whimsical setting. The characters and NPCs are all nicely designed. In the morning, everything looks peaceful and cute even though things may attack you; however, at night it’s as if everything is out to get you, and they turn into horrific mutations of themselves. The presentation of the game is excellent, and even the crafting UI, inventory management, and use of tools and items is very straightforward. With the aesthetics, I really liked the exaggerated sound effects that matched this cartoonish world. Hitting mobs would create a “bonk” sound or sometimes sound like drums bashing. The music in the game is also very whimsical, with this upbeat xylophone-like beat and mystical tunes.

As you explore quite a good-sized map, you will come across villages and circus tents where you can meet NPCs and interact with them. Exchanging dialogue with the NPCs will get you the quests that you can find scattered on the map, ranging from several different tasks.

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As said earlier, the game has a good crafting mechanic. I liked the fact that you can farm and create a little area that houses your crafting stations and whatnot that can almost act like your base. The game is a good starting point for a survival game, and it being in early access shows.

Gombo can also be played online with a friend. Accessing the online co-op feature is very straightforward, where you complete a very quick tutorial that shows you the basics of the game, and then you can join in via a code. The online co-op experience gets you both to spawn in and go straight on ahead with your adventure. I will say it seemed online co-op was much more buggy than playing on our own, though the game is a lot less mundane (after a few hours) when playing with a friend.

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We are very thankful to have been provided with another code. Moody had the following to say about Gombo: “When we started playing this game, we encountered a few bugs which took away from the overall experience, which was quite unfortunate (I do understand the game is in Early Access, but at some point those bugs required us to start the game over several times). For instance, there was a bug where my friend was breaking wood with her axe, and then midway through the animation she froze in place whilst splitting in the air. Monsters were not aggro’d on her, and she was stuck in that position with limited motion.

Additionally, for me, the pacing of the game was quick; you were able to get coins, items, and resources in a fast manner, which meant taking on combat was also quick to get around. This led to the game starting to feel a bit boring later on, where it would need better things to keep players active.

Besides these points, I really liked the art style, and it instantly grabbed my attention and the survival game aspect and mechanics like health and starvation all work well. I really enjoyed the combat and variety of enemies that all stood out and posed a good challenge in the early stages of the game. I would like to see this game get developed even more with future updates. I think it needs more life with NPCs and interactions to make it solid and entertaining.”

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Gombo already has a solid foundation and offers a fun, easygoing survival experience with plenty of charm. Its mix of crafting, exploration, combat and cartoon world is enjoyable. The gameplay may feel unfinished in some areas due to Early Access, but the game has much potential going forward. With future updates and deeper progression, this game is definitely worth keeping an eye out for!

Overall: 6.5/10