The Gunk – a third-person sci-fi adventure with shades of Luigi's Mansion and Super Mario Sunshine – will come to Xbox and PC on December 16. The game will also launch into Xbox Game Pass.

The release date was announced during today's Thunderful World event. Set on an alien world covered in the titular Gunk, you'll follow the story of space haulers Rani and Becks, who are faced with the dilemma of scavenging a beleaguered planet, and making the decision whether to leave for the cash, or stay and try to help.

Gameplay sees you clearing the Gunk using a power glove device – called Pumpkin, naturally – as well as solving envirnmental puzzles and avoiding alien threats. The Gunk will run at a stable 30 fps on Xbox One, while it will play at 60 fps and up to 4K resolution on Xbox Series X and S and PC.

First announced last year, The Gunk comes from the developers of the SteamWorld series (previously known as Image & Form, now Thunderful Games), and marks the team's first fully 3D game. We got a fresh look at gameplay during Xbox's Gamescom stream this year.

Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to [email protected].

Thunderful World, the inaugural digital event for the Swedish developer-publisher, aired today, bringing new game announcements, release date reveals, and even a surprise game launch – and all presented by Mark Hamill, no less.

The show included a brand new entry in the cult SteamWorld series, a release date for Xbox console exclusive, The Gunk, and much more. We've collected together all the news below to help make sure you don't miss anything.

SteamWorld Headhunter Announced

SteamWorld Headhunter is the next installment in the cult SteamWorld series – and the first to move from 2D to 3D. Headhunter will be a "stylised and colourful, third-person co-op action adventure." While the announcement didn't reveal gameplay, a release date, or platforms, a teaser trailer (above) gave us a hint of what to expect.

To celebrate, SteamWorld Dig 2 will also be available to download for free on Steam for 24 hours.

The Gunk Gets a December Release Date

The Gunk – a third-person sci-fi adventure with shades of Luigi's Mansion and Super Mario Sunshine – will come to Xbox and PC on December 16. The game will also launch into Xbox Game Pass.

Wavetale Revealed and Surprise Launched for Stadia

Wavetale is a brand new third-person action adventure set in a flooded world, and created by Thunderful Games (Lost in Random, SteamWorld). Unexpectedly, it's out today on Google Stadia, with a PC and console release to follow in 2022.

New 3D Platformer Togges Revealed

Billed as a 'stackformer', Togges sees you using the titular Togges to create chains of blocks across pretty 3D landscapes, combining colours of blocks to create different effects and solve puzzes. Togges is coming in 2022 for PC and Console.

'Obscene' Platformer Hell Pie Announced

A 3D platformer that has you playing as a demon chained to a cherub, Hell Pie looks to combine skill-based play with a Conkers Bad Fur Day vibe. It's coming to PC and console in 2022.

Shooting-Free Shoot 'Em Up Swordship Revealed

Swordship is a shooter with an F-Zero vibe, but comes with a twist – you can't shoot, but your enemies can. Instead, you use your nimble vehicle to cause enemies to destroy themselves or each other as you escape at high speed. It's coming to PC and console in 2022.

Motorbike Metroidvania Laika: Aged Through Blood Announced

A 2D Metroidvania set entirely on the back of a motorbike, Laika sees you fighting across a post-apocalyptic desert world – and it's coming to PC and console in 2022.

Super Meat Boy Forever Coming to Mobile

The auto-running sequel to platforming classic Super Meat Boy, Forever is coming to mobile in 2022, although no release date has been announced.

Surreal FPS Industria Coming to Console

Set in 1989 and taking place both in East Berlin and a parellel dimension, Industria arrived for PC in September. It will also now come to PS5 and Xbox Series X/S in 2022, bringing sci-fi and surrealism to console.

White Shadows Release Date Announced

This black and white cinematic puzzle platformer will come to PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S on December 7. IGN revealed the game last year, which has been described by the developer as "a modern fable, a distorted mirror of our own world, funny, f**ked up and a little meaningful."

Firegirl Release Date Announced

This 2.5D roguelite platformer comes to PC on December 14, with a console release to follow in 2022. You'll play a fire rescue officer responding to procedurally generated emergencies, and tasked with rescuing citizens within strict time limits.

Cursed to Golf Gets New Gameplay Overview

This 'golf-like' combines 2D platforming with golf, and we got a new gameplay overview that talked us through the game's structure, asking you to play "18 dungeon-like holes" across four biomes to return to the land of the living.

New Looks at Upcoming and Early Access Games

3D point 'n' click adventure Crowns & Pawns, multiplayer adventure sandbox Tinkertown, and action roguelike Source of Madness all got updates.

Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to [email protected].

Valve has announced that the Steam Deck, its portable computer gaming handheld, will be delayed by two months. The first units will now begin shipping in February 2022, instead of its planned December 2021 release date.

In a blog post Valve cited the global supply chain issues and material shortages as reasons for the delay. These issues have affected many consumer devices from other game consoles to cars and more.

"We're sorry about this — we did our best to work around the global supply chain issues, but due to material shortages, components aren't reaching our manufacturing facilities in time for us to meet our initial launch dates," Valve says.

"Based on our updated build estimates, Steam Deck will start shipping to customers in February 2022. This will be the new start date of the reservation queue."

Valve says that reservations will not change and those reservation holders will keep their place in line, but starting at the new date. Meaning if you were lucky enough to get a Steam Deck reserved for December 2021, your unit will begin shipping in February 2022.

The Steam Deck is yet another hardware device to be hit by the continuing chip shortage that has affected consumer tech during the Covid-19 pandemic. Despite manufacturers' best efforts this ongoing chip shortage looks set to continue into 2022 and will keep impacting the availability of hardware like the Steam Deck but also PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and GPU cards.

IGN has a full hands-on impression of the Steam Deck as well as other exclusive details from our IGN First so check those out to learn more about the Valve handheld.

Matt T.M. Kim is IGN's News Editor. You can reach him @lawoftd.

The first two episodes of Blade Runner: Black Lotus premiere on Adult Swim Nov. 14, 2021.

Blade Runner: Black Lotus represents the continuing saga of the Blade Runner universe which was reignited with Denis Villeneuve’s Blade Runner 2049 (2017). If you’re only aware of that and Ridley Scott’s 1982 film, know that the stories in the universe have since continued with anime short films, video games, and comics. The two-episode premiere does set up some intrigue worth sticking around for, although it’s brought down by some unimpressive animation and voice acting.

In this CG-animated series, the story is still replicant-centric, this universe’s terminology for biorobotic androids. The two films were noir stories told from male “blade runner” perspectives (Harrison Ford’s Deckard and Ryan Gosling’s K), but Black Lotus shakes it up by framing the series from the perspective of Elle (Jessica Henwick), a young female replicant who has amnesia.

Who and what Elle is are in question right from the opening moments of the pilot, "City of Angels,” as she wakes in an abandoned building in the middle of an arid wasteland. Exploring the facility, she wanders outside to find a small group of seemingly average people who are just as confused as they’re suddenly all locked out of the protection of the building. Cars come across the horizon carrying some extremely enthusiastic gun nuts and everything snaps into a Mad Max-skinned version of The Most Dangerous Game (1932) or The Hunt (2019).

A brutal chase ensues where Elle (and we) figure out she’s got some serious combat and strategy skills that keep her and another young woman, Meu, stay alive. Her abject terror sparks a glow within that practically screams “replicant,” but just what she’s been used for, or who has been her keeper, remain unclear. Meanwhile in the city, the LAPD is investigating a “Black Lotus” murder of a senator that points to a replicant behind the job, so now the mystery is truly afoot.

Black Lotus is co-directed by Japanese anime legends Shinji Aramaki (Ultraman) and Kenji Kamiyama (Star Wars: Visions) and they are clearly deeply reverent of the rainy, neon-drenched environments that aesthetically define the Blade Runner films. They and their animators capture that futuristic urban, dank, melancholic vibe to a tee. But outside of the environments, the human animation is disappointingly underwhelming. Obviously, budgets make all the difference, but in this case there’s a very vacant-eyed, plastic look to everyone, from the hair down to the clothes. It prevents us from getting immersed in the animation because the performances are stilted by the technology.

The voice work doesn’t always help either. Henwick is clearly working hard to make Elle vulnerable, sympathetic, and at times ruthless, but the bad guys she encounters are vocally one-note right through the second episode, "All We Are Not." In the English dub, some acting heavy hitters like Brian Cox and Wes Bentley come into the story as the Wallace’s of the Wallace Corporation, who will take over replicant manufacturing from the defunct Tyrell Corporation. They’re sure to add some texture and gravitas to the proceedings, but it’s not there to open the series and that impacts the overall engagement and stakes.

As for the action, Elle gets to knock heads with a variety of men and women. There’s obviously something triggered inside of her in these melees, because she’s often initially way out of her depths until her eyes glow and she accesses within some Neo-style moves that allow her to overtake the threat at hand. There’s some well-done street-fighting choreography in "All We Are Not” — literally utilizing a low blow — but nothing feels particularly groundbreaking as of yet.

The most interesting elements are the non-linear images and sequences that Elle experiences throughout her journey of discovery. They are effective breadcrumbs to keep us engaged and to show that there’s a far more proactive Elle that’s just waiting to come out once she can get a foothold on her life. Black Lotus feels like it could be an engaging watch, but out of the gate, it’s not quite there yet.

IGN Prime has partnered with Thunderful to bring you SteamWorld Heist and Steamworld Dig!

Prime members click here to claim your PC key to Steamworld Heist! To get a copy of SteamWorld Dig be one of the first 10,000 sign ups at ThuderfulWorld.

Command a steam-driven pirate crew in a series of epic tactical shootouts in SteamWorld Heist. This is turn-based strategy with a twist: You manually aim the guns of your robots, allowing for insane skill shots and bullet-bouncing action!

SteamWorld Dig is a platform mining adventure with strong Metroidvanian influences. Take the role of Rusty, a lone mining steambot, as he arrives at an old mining town in great need. Dig your way through the old earth, gaining riches while uncovering the ancient threat that lurks below

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