2 
0 Completely Stretchy is a first person narrative that offers a 3D open world exploration of three Grombi Islands. It is the latest release by developer Warp Digital, published by Super Rare Games, originating from the mind and creativity of Dan Ferguson. Forewarning, this review will contain many puns and I am not sorry about it.
Completely Stretchy is available to play on Steam as of right now!
HAVE YOU BEEN IN AN ACCIDENT AT WORK THAT WASN’T YOUR FAULT?
Gameplay
You’re a Grombi, this world’s local resident. What IS a Grombi, I hear you ask? Well, a Grombi can take many glorious forms. You can come across a Grombi that almost mimics Mike Wazowsky but with arms extending out of their head. Or maybe, they’re just a big blob with eyes. Size is no issue in the land of Grombis. After an accident at work, you’ve morphed into the Elecktros; the islands power source. As a result, you’re bright blue, sticky and – queue title – COMPLETELY STRETCHY.
Your mission is simple. Use your newfound stretchiness to swing, sway and loop around the islands to find loose Elecktros and bring them back. And to also conveniently solve all of the citizen’s problems too of course. Someone has stolen all the library books? This is a problem only solved by a stretchy Grombi. Need to find an encyclopaedia worth of fish? Just use your hands, who needs a fishing rod? Help a fellow Grombi break into a bank? Gives a whole new meaning to sticky fingers…
You’ll play with the mouse which acts as your camera and your directional pads are WASD. Your sticky ability is determined by left click and you also have a sticky meter on the bottom left of the screen. The more blue blobs you find around the islands, the better you stick. I’m not making this up, I swear. It felt super smooth to swing around the map and, once I got a grip on things, I found myself whipping around lampposts and statues like a pro. Completely Stretchy remained on 60 FPS throughout the game which helped it feel effortless.
Graphics & Audio
Completely Stretchy offers a light and bouncy musicality to it which definitely adds to the whole vibe of the game. (I swear, I am not adding half of these puns on purpose). The Grombis themselves do not speak but rather grunt at you as a way of greeting. It’s especially funny when you throw something in their direction and they just go “eurgh” at you with a surprised look on their face. I mean, it is rude to throw things at people but still, think of the comedy.
The graphics of Completely Stretchy are of cell-shaded characters and landscapes with a pastel pallet contour. I personally think this is perfect as it doesn’t take away the humour from the game and allows the player to concentrate on just being their best stretchy self. In the first section, you’ll see that every Grombi is beige, the landscapes are usually the same colour with sea-green rooftops and, now and then, there’s a peek of greenery from trees to really show the industrial side of life. Things change later on in the game but I don’t want to give too much away. The only thing out of place in this scene, is you! Your now blue arm is ready to swing into action. Think Spider-Man morphed with Mrs Fantastic and you’ve got the idea.
Everyone loves a bit of affirmation. Pat pat.
Longevity
I actually forgot I was supposed to be writing a review of Completely Stretchy, honestly. Four hours in and I was still swinging on poles and climbing up buildings and rocks, interacting with NPC’s who just had SOMETHING to say about how blue I was, completing side quests.. oh, and yes looking for Elecktros to actually power the islands. I just kept discovering new scenarios where I found the strangest of Grombis in the most peculiar of positions. As I found my way back home, I popped in to see the neighbour and found him as big as the entire room because he had drank the wrong potion. My absolute favourite moment though HAS to be finding the spin class. Just a bunch of Grombis on a circular pad, spinning in a T-Pose. Fantastic.
Completely Stretchy shows the amazing sense of humour the developers must have. I actually had the incredible opportunity to interview the developers prior to the game’s release and I had to ask how they managed to keep a smile off their face while creating this whacky world. As suspected, they couldn’t, and how could they?! The little nuggets of silliness in Completely Stretchy is just playful innocent fun.
There’s so much packed in this game and I haven’t reached far into the other islands yet! I am so excited to find more bizarre moments and see just how sticky I can become (in game, not irl). I reckon once you’ve got into the “swing” of things, you’ll find yourself immersed in characters, the open world and the strange situations you’ll definitely find yourself in. Roughly the game is about 20 hours if you truly want to find every secret, in every nook this delightful game has to offer.
Final Thoughts
Completely Stretchy is just a fantastic game to switch off to and be your best sticky and stretchy self. I had so much fun playing and I am itching to get back to it. It’s been a while that a game has offered so much delight in one place like this before, for me anyway, and I revel in this silliness of this world. I can’t wait to recommend this game to everyone I know and watch them experience the same wonderful moments. I love how the game just lets you loose into this world and rewards your curiosity.
Based on the fact I had a massive smile on my face watching the trailer and was in hysterics playing Completely Stretchy, I happily reward this game with a Thumb Culture Platinum Award.
Disclaimer: A code was received in order to write this review.
If you enjoyed this review check out my previous one here!
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