GABBUCHI Review for PlayStation 4

In a world where the dangers of falling down a rabbit hole of complexity before the campaign even beings runs rampant (looking at you, Skyrim…Destiny…you, too), it is a refreshing change to discover a simple game capable of holding one’s attention. This indie treat goes to show that there is so much fun to be had in the most non-complicated packaging possible!

Introducing GABBUCHI, a Pac-Man-esque, cookie craving chomper by Aksys Games. Little Gabbuchi’s life is very simple—he jump-floats, loves heart shaped cookies, and can’t help but eat his way through the red and white blocks that make up his little world.

Holding to the integrity of this game’s simplicity, I have nothing but kind things to say with uncharacteristically uncomplicated remarks. I am an impatient puzzle player. Frustration is not a word that sits well with me, so it does not take much for me to walk away from a game. GABBUCHI has that problem taken care of. If you find yourself no longer having fun with a certain stage, you are welcome to skip it! An extraordinarily simple feature, but a memorable and appreciated one. I get that the point of a puzzle is to…well, solve it, but if you’re stuck, you’re stuck—nothing better than moving right along, throwing your middle finger up as you pass.

I came into this game with false confidence, comfortable in my grandiose delusion that I would breeze through each of these single-screen stages. It’s cute how wrong I was. The puzzles are deceptively challenging; not only a flex for your mind, but a test on your reflexes as you shift from R1 to L1 before you accidentally have no other choice than to eat the ground beneath you.

Something I can really appreciate, although perhaps not execute as well as I would lead you to believe, is how you can create your own stages. I highly recommend that you give this unique feature a shot. Building your own levels not only serves as an intelligent way to confuse your friends, but also allows you to master the mechanics of Gabbuchi’s movements to beat the stages already provided.

Simplicity be thy name of this charming little title. Aksys Games has done an excellent job parlaying that simplicity into a puzzle game that checks all the boxes. Will you play this game forever and ever? Probably not. But is it worth the eight dollars? Most definitely.

Rating: 9/10

Check Out the Gabbuchi Trailer:

For more information, please visit here: aksysgames.com/gabbuchi