Gelu

About

"Gelu" is a game featuring a cute character who must find a crowbar to open a broken elevator. The player can create and destroy Gelu's ice copies to help him climb platforms and pass obstacles, with the ability to jump, move left and right, restart, and pause the game using the keyboard and mouse. The game offers challenging levels for the player to overcome.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

70%

Audience ScoreBased on 20 reviews

emotional1 positive mentions

story3 negative mentions

The character design and small animations, such as the jump, are well-executed and enjoyable.
The game features a unique mechanic where players can freeze their character to create platforms, adding a creative twist to the puzzle-solving experience.
The levels provide a decent challenge without being overly difficult, making it accessible for a wide range of players.

The game suffers from clunky controls and poorly designed hitboxes, leading to frustrating gameplay experiences.
The music is repetitive and can become annoying over time, detracting from the overall experience.
The game lacks a story or engaging ambience, and many players feel it is overpriced for the limited content and short playtime.

gameplay
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
33%
33%
The gameplay features a unique "create your own platforms" mechanic that allows players to freeze themselves and use their created blocks for navigation, reminiscent of the developer's previous title, Yashik. However, the execution is criticized for being janky and lacking polish, leading to an unsatisfying experience, despite the game's appealing graphics and addictive nature. Overall, while the core mechanics are familiar and engaging, the gameplay suffers from poor handling and responsiveness.
- “The game mechanic is quite nice, honestly.”
- “Though, Gelu is very nicely designed in terms of graphics and has smooth gameplay, even though it's only on the keyboard.”
- “So overall, it's worth playing; it's still a nice addiction even if we all know the mechanics of these games.”
- “It's janky and unsatisfying to play... and any experienced gamer will tell you, the handling, responsiveness, and general gameplay feel of the control scheme must be well polished for this kind of game to succeed.”
- “Unfortunately, this is something the developer seems to have phoned in, with little to no apparent gameplay testing.”
- “Ok, gotta admit this, since I'm a hardcore Kongregate player, all of Gelu's gameplay is something I have already played and seen in many other platformers.”
graphics
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
25%
38%
The graphics of the game are characterized by a retro 16-bit style, which some players find decent while others criticize it as outdated and lacking customization options. While a few reviews highlight the game's visual appeal and design, many feel that the graphics do not stand out and are reminiscent of low-quality platformers. Overall, the graphics evoke a nostalgic charm but may not meet the expectations of players seeking modern visuals.
- “Best game I've ever played, the graphics look really good.”
- “Nice basic graphics and puzzles.”
- “Gelu is very nicely designed in terms of graphics and has smooth gameplay, even though it's only on the keyboard.”
- “A choice was made to use obsolete, decades-old retro pixel art as a substitute for contemporary PC graphics.”
- “There's no options to change the resolution for the game or customize the graphics settings.”
- “The graphics of this game are nothing special, and one might think this is just one of those stupid platformers that are floating on Steam.”
story
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
60%
The game lacks a traditional story or narrative, which some players find amusing given its simple nature as a low-cost 2D platformer. Reviewers suggest that expecting a storyline in such a game is unrealistic, as its focus is primarily on gameplay mechanics rather than plot development.
- “Alas, the game has no story, no ambience, nothing.”
- “It's really funny to read reviews complaining about the absence of storylines and plot in games like these. They always make me think of my old 18-year-old self just approaching the flash gaming world. Of course, there's no story; it's a €0.99 simple 2D platformer in which you make copies of yourself to get through the door or to collect the things needed to open that door. No one could expect a story in a game like this!”
- “It's really funny to read reviews complaining about the absence of storylines and plot in games like these. They always make me think of my old 18-year-old self just approaching the flash gaming world. Of course, there's no story; it's a €0.99 simple 2D platformer in which you make copies of yourself to get through the door or to collect the things needed to open that door. No one could expect a story in a game like this!”
music
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The music in the game is noted for being repetitive, which detracts from the overall experience, despite the decent retro 16-bit graphics.
- “Music is repetitive.”
- “Graphics have that retro 16-bit style, and do look decent, but the music is repetitive.”
emotional
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the emotional impact of the game to be frustrating, particularly due to mechanics like touching spikes that reset progress, which detracts from the overall experience.
character development
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Users appreciate the character design and the attention to detail in animations, particularly during jumps, indicating a positive reception of the visual aspects of character development.
- “I love the character design and the small animations during jumps.”
- “The character development is incredibly deep, allowing for meaningful choices that impact the story.”
- “Each character feels unique and evolves in a way that makes you genuinely care about their journey.”
optimization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
100%
While the game is generally straightforward and enjoyable, players feel it could benefit from some performance tweaks to enhance optimization. Overall, it remains a fun experience despite these minor issues.
- “The game is really simple, though it could use a few tweaks for better performance. Other than that, give it a go, grab that crowbar, and escape!”
- “The game is really simple, but it could use a few tweaks for better performance.”
humor
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the reviews highlights the irony of players expecting complex storylines in simple, low-cost games, reminiscent of the early days of flash gaming. This reflects a lighthearted acknowledgment of the game's straightforward nature, emphasizing that the enjoyment comes from the gameplay rather than a narrative.
- “It's really funny to read reviews complaining about the absence of storylines and plot in games like these. They always make me think of my old 18-year-old self just approaching the flash gaming world. Of course there's no story; it's a €0.99 simple 2D platformer where you make copies of yourself to get through the door or collect the items needed to open it. No one could expect a story in a game like this!”