Gecko Gods Review – Reptilian Wind Waker

Gecko Gods Review

The first thing that piqued my interested about Gecko Gods was the adorable gecko protagonist. It’s not often you find a gecko take the lead role in a game. Aside from the anthropomorphic Gex that first popped up in the 90s, I can’t think of any other gecko heroes. One of my boys is a huge fan of geckos, so I had him test out the Gecko Gods demo a few months back. He loved it. I knew then that I had to review the full game when it became available. I’m really glad that I did. Gecko Gods is a well-crafted adventure with more than a few nods to The Legend of Zelda series.

 

In Gecko Gods, you take on the role of an unnamed gecko that ends up stranded on a forgotten island far away from home. The island, or rather, series of islands, are filled with remnants of a lost civilization, and it is up to you to discover the secrets and uncover the past.

Gravity-Defying Gecko

As the gecko, you’re given a small assortment of abilities to help you navigate the world, solve the various puzzles and engage in some light-hearted combat. The gecko can climb on any surface, including ceilings. There really isn’t a limit to where you can climb. The gecko’s jump will help them navigate even further. A context sensitive button provides a variety of other abilities, such as grabbing levers and chatting with the citizens of this forgotten world. Finally, the dash gives you the ability to smash pots and foes.

Combat is very low-key. Enemies are very few and far between throughout your journey. They’re often a minor obstacle and a few well-placed dashes will usually drop them.

Relaxed Pace

Gecko Gods takes a very relaxed approach to exploration. There are no deadlines or time limits. You’ll arrive at one of the handful of islands, each with their own collection of puzzles, and you’ll just complete the puzzles to progress the story. Puzzles are rarely that difficult, with only a few that stumped me momentarily.

Puzzles do come in a number of varieties. Some smaller scale puzzles work like those classic slider puzzles where you’re moving parts of an image around to make one larger image. Other puzzles include moving an object, such as a ball, to a specific spot. If you’ve played adventure games like this before, chances are you’ve come across these puzzles before. Gecko Gods doesn’t do much to re-invent the wheel, but rather, it’s solving them with a gecko that adds its own level of uniqueness.

Gecko Gods is a visual treat. It uses the same cel-shaded approach made popular by The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker. Everything has a smooth, cartoon-like feel to it. You can’t help be be absorbed into the amazing world. There were many times when the game surprised me with how amazing it looked. Navigating between islands requires a travel by boat, yet another nod to The Wind Waker, and the ocean looks brilliant. Gecko Gods features a day/night cycle and when you’re riding on the ocean when night sky appears, it truly is a beautiful sight.

Minor Hiccups

There were a few issues in Gecko Gods worth noting. Despite the incredible visuals, there were times when visual elements clipped into one another. Hardly a game-breaking issue, just something you’ll notice. Navigating the gecko around the world is often a breeze, but I did find that movement on ceilings would sometimes cause some issues with the camera angles. There were times when the gecko would just dismount and fall to the ground. Fortunately, there is no fall damage in Gecko Gods and climbing back onto the ceiling wasn’t too difficult.

Gecko Collectibles

Smashing into pots and enemies would provide some in-game currency. You’ll use these funds to purchase new colours and designs for your gecko, offering some nice customization options. Hidden relics are strewn about throughout the world to collect as well. Mileage will vary between players, but Gecko Gods should provide most players 4 to 8 hours of gameplay.

I was pleasantly surprised with Gecko Gods. Navigating this lost civilization as a gecko was a joy. The pitter-patter of feet as they scaled around the world is just adorable. There were a few hiccups along the way. Climbing along a ceiling could lead to unfavourable outcomes and sometimes visuals would clip into each other. The relaxing pace of the game should appeal to most gamers who enjoy a cozier gaming experience. Gecko Gods is a visual treat and the soundtrack is an excellent accompaniment. If you’re looking for a relaxed Legend of Zelda-type adventure, I highly recommend Gecko Gods.

***Gecko Gods review code for PlayStation 5 provided by the publisher.***