Plungeez is an interesting concept even if it isn’t my favourite genre. Instead of tough combat and brutal enemies, your surroundings become your foe. You have limited tools, and you must manipulate the environment to solve a range of complex puzzles. If you can’t achieve your goal, you’ll remain trapped in a sewer forevermore.
This heavily inspired Metroidvania was developed by Team Zeroth and published by QUByte Interactive. It is a single-player title that uses a non-linear approach. Combining this with the Metroidvania genre works, but it didn’t blow my mind. The lack of guidance and the hope that I could piece together the pieces was a little too much. Accordingly, I found it increasingly frustrating. This is more down to my level of skill rather than a design issue. Therefore, if you love puzzles and exploration, this will be the game for you.
Plungeez tells a limited plot.
I’m a huge fan of interesting, crazy, and often over-the-top stories. I like something to get my teeth into, and I appreciate great pacing, interesting dialogue, and many twists and turns. Sadly, Plungeez doesn’t follow this idea. Instead, it is deliberately story-lite as it lets its action do the talking.
You play the role of Boni, a female plumber who is exceptionally good at her job. Sadly, an accident happens one day when an unusual manhole cover sends her into the sewer system beneath Salvador. Lost and without her tools, Boni must discover secrets, solve puzzles, and make her way through the labyrinthine world to get to the surface.
Tools and abilities.
The lack of combat may annoy those who take on Plungeez. However, I liked the lack of violence and the reliance on your grey matter rather than brute strength. You are somehow armed with a plunger, and this allows you to use its suction power to climb walls and overcome obstacles. This is effectively the traditional double jump mechanic hidden within the game’s theme.
Alongside this, there is fire to manipulate to create steam. Boilers and lamps must be used to make mechanisms jump to life. This opens new pathways that lead to the discovery of new secrets and additional abilities. However, in typical genre fashion, it is never as straightforward as you’d like. Instead, you must master the sewer system’s water if you wish to keep your flames alight.
The puzzles rely on spatial awareness, observation skills, and patience. You’ll need to study each room and work out exactly what is going to happen. This requires some trial and error and the usual back and forth. If you do not have the abilities to complete each puzzle, you’ll miss key elements, and you won’t be able to solve the problem. I enjoyed this aspect even if I didn’t like getting lost on the way.
Plungeez is grim and pixelated.
The sewer beneath Salvador is dark, claustrophobic and disgusting. This wasn’t a surprise, as it is effectively a toilet. Making your way through the narrow, maze-like world is often confusing, and the use of flames to light your path and the different items to solve puzzles was simple but effective.
When you’re lost in a dark tunnel and you have no idea where to go, every turn is a mystery. The audio captures this perfectly with its melancholy, mysterious tones. Although it runs on a loop, I liked the background music as it never overpowered the core gameplay. The sound effects are just as good. They are basic, well-considered, and match every task you execute.
Tight controls.
As platforming elements are a must, Plungeez needed tight controls and easy-to-understand mechanics. Thankfully, it achieves both as new elements are drip-fed, and the control layout is responsive, intuitive, and simple to follow. Although the continual back and forth may be too much for younger gamers, the control layout is easy for them to master.
If you love to find collectables and every hidden treasure, this will force you back to keep playing. However, if this is not your thing, you’ll need to spend around 12 hours to get from beginning to end. This may not be the longest example of the genre, but it was good for the initial outlay.
Plungeez is a nice twist on a familiar genre.
This may not be my favourite genre, but I like how Plungeez has taken its own piece of the pie. The setting is interesting, and I like the lack of combat. Furthermore, the puzzles are challenging without being too difficult. Accordingly, I like it and recommend buying it here! Can you escape the sewer and see daylight again? Grab your plunger, solve the problems, and get used to plenty of back-and-forth.
