Gish (video game)

Infobox VG
title = Gish


developer = Cryptic sea
publisher = Steam, Stardock
designer = Alex Austin, Edmund McMillen, Josiah Pisciotta
engine =
version = 1.52 ( [http://www.chroniclogic.com/gish/patchlog.txt Log] )
released = Windows
vgrelease|North America|NA|May 10, 2004
vgrelease|Germany|DEU|June 29, 2005
Mac OS
vgrelease|Germany|DEU|June 29, 2005
Linux
vgrelease|North America|NA|September 16, 2004
vgrelease|Germany|DEU|Jun 29, 2005
genre = Action Strategy Side-Scroller
modes = Single Player Multiplayer
ratings =
platforms = Windows, Mac OS X, Linux
requirements = see System requirements

"Gish" is a 2D PC platform game created by Edmund McMillen and distributed by Chronic Logic and Stardock. A sequel has recently been announced, but as of February 2008, the release date is marked "later". The sequel is in development, not by Chronic Logic, but by the original programmer and the original artist (Alex Austin and Edmund McMillen, respectively) who recently acquired the rights to the game from Chronic Logic.

Overview

The hero of "Gish" is a 12-pound ball of tar named Gish. He is lacking of any external organs except yellow glowing eyes and fanged teeth. His gelatinous nature gives him the ability to become sticky, slippery or heavy and expanded at will, among other capabilities.

Story

Gish's lady friend Brea (who is human) is captured by a mysterious figure and taken underground to the sewers of Dross.This game has 2 endings, depending on the player's performance in the last level.

Gameplay

Abilities

; Sticky: Sticky Gish can climb up walls, stick to ceilings, and plant himself firmly on the ground. During the game, the player will use Sticky to cross above spikes and lava, latch onto platforms while jumping, climb to higher areas, and move small objects around. Using Slick at the same time will allow Gish to stick to static surfaces without grabbing loose objects.; Slick: Becoming Slick makes Gish slippery and frictionless. This lets him slide down pipes and through narrow spaces, move faster down slopes, and helps protect against being crushed--he's likely to slide out of a bind rather than being trapped and squashed.; Heavy: Using Heavy turns Gish's body into a rigid weight. This allows him to squash enemies, smash breakable platforms, sink in water, and resist being crushed. It also makes Gish fall faster, which can help build speed for a high-bouncing jump.; Expand a.k.a. Jump: Gish must jump to avoid obstacles and traps. To jump, Gish must flatten/compress his body by pressing the down arrow key, then expand to launch himself into the air. The more Gish compresses himself, the higher he jumps. A variety of tricks are available for extra compression, such as wrapping around a corner block or falling from a height. Like being Heavy, being Expanded protects against most falling and crushing damage, especially when used with Slick.

Ability combinations

; Sticky and Slick: This will allow to stick on walls and cellings without grabbing loose objects.; Sticky and Heavy: Using heavy and stick at the same time is useful to break ropes from below.; Sticky and Expand: This combination is used to stick to walls without taking damage when Gish is flying towards the wall at high speed.; Slick and Heavy: Using slick and heavy at the same time turns Gish into a tarball with soap-like properties. It helps him to avoid most crushing damage, and is good for rolling downhill at very high speed and squeezing through tight spaces much faster than only using the slick ability.; Slick and Expand: This is practically the same as above, except Gish's weight doesn't increase.; Sticky, Slick and Heavy: Gish sticks to the ground, but not to loose objects. Not especially useful, except for pushing objects along the ground.

Music

All of the music and sound effects were done by Tim Smolens and Jeff Attridge of Game Audio Magic. The game features songs by Smolens' band Estradasphere, including "Feed Your Mama's Meter" from the album Buck Fever. Edmund McMillen frequently uses music by Estradasphere in flash games created for Diverge Creations.

Awards

* 2005 IGF Grand Prize (Seamus McNally Award)
* 2005 IGF Innovation in Game Design
* Game Tunnel's Game of the Year
* Game Tunnel's Adventure Game of the Year
* Home of the Underdogs Top Dog
* 2004 IGF Finalist

Cameo appearance

The Gish character appears briefly in the PC game "Dumbo & Cool" in one of the game's later levels. When he is found by the player, a brief segment of music from the "Gish" game plays and the words "You found Gish" appear on screen.

System requirements

Minimum system requirements:
* Windows 98/ME/2000/XP, Linux 2.4+ or Mac OS X 10.1+
* AMD, Intel or G3 1000+ MHz processor
* Video card supporting OpenGL with 32 MiB of memory
* 256 MiB of memory

Recommended system requirements:
* AMD, Intel, or G4 1500+ MHz processor
* Video card supporting OpenGL with 64+ MiB of memory
* 256 MiB of memory

See also

*"Putty", a similarly themed game from 1992.
*TotalGaming.net, Windows distributor.

External links

* [http://www.gishgame.com Official "Gish" website]
*
* [http://www.diverge.ws Diverge Creations] , other Edmund McMillen games
* [http://totalgaming.stardock.com/games/?id=GSH "Gish" on TotalGaming.net]