Few games make a more brilliant first impression than Gonner Eurogamer.net If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy. Few games make a more brilliant first impression than Gonner Whale of a time. Feature by Christian Donlan Features Editor Updated on 9 Mar 2020 18 comments Years ago, an editor of mine who was very brilliant used to say, what's the chance of actually reviewing a game? Even the simplest of games contains multitudes. Even the simplest of games is impossible to get your head and your hands around. Why not just review the first five minutes? I love this idea, and it came springing back into my mind when I first loaded up Gonner earlier this morning. Gonner is free on the Epic Games Store at the moment, and jeepers! What a first impression! Few games come across as interestingly as Gonner in its first few moments, I would say. It's so gloriously idiosyncratic, and yet so direct! And so assured! Gonner's a shooter, but you don't get a gun for a few seconds. At first, your character, who is sort of a mucky rough-hewn stamped-shape sort of beast, appears to be a tadpole or a sperm, pursued - aided? - by a friendly whale. They're a splodge that can jump. Soon though they grow limbs and learn to double-jump. Next comes a gun, with yellow ammo that appears on screen huddled together like so many teeth. Next come things to shoot at, mucky red rough-hewn stamped-shape sort of beasts. You shoot at them and they pop. But hey, maybe you can jump on them too? You can! Mario lives, sort of. Jump on enemies and shoot 'em. Gonner is coming into focus. I suspect it will never fully come into focus, mind. The worlds I pass through are sketchy and jittery, drawn into life around me as 2D platforming areas with something of the internal organs to them. At the end of each room, you disappear down a sort of gut pipe and emerge somewhere else? And then? More jumping, more shooting, more discovery. Who knows? Maybe that whale will make a reappearance. Become a Eurogamer subscriber and get your first month for £1 Get your first month for £1 (normally £3.99) when you buy a Standard Eurogamer subscription. Enjoy ad-free browsing, merch discounts, our monthly letter from the editor, and show your support with a supporter-exclusive comment flair! Support us View supporter archive More Features Digital Foundry Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090: a new level in graphics performance The Digital Foundry video review - and how the new GPU champion delivers for 4K 120fps gaming. 12 Feature Evercore Heroes wants to wind people up the right way "There's less rage at them, because they didn't end your fun." Feature What games get wrong about horses And what they could do about it. 34 Feature Shout out to all the Overwatch supports - where would we be without you? Merci. 55 Latest Articles Preview Football Manager's new Console edition is the best you'll get without a PC Getting Touch-right. Splatoon 3 Amiibos will be out next month Ink-coming! 3 Fans think Phil Spencer's shelf is teasing the Xbox Game Pass streaming box UPDATE: Xbox confirms old Keystone prototype. 59 Modder dives into Demon's Souls files following PS5 jailbreak, discovers fabled Ring of the Chieftain Who knows what's nexus? 4 Supporters Only Premium only Off Topic: Take a minute to appreciate Cookin' with Coolio's incredible scallops recipe. What a great book. Premium only Off Topic: Reading City of Glass in comic form "Where exactly am I going?" Premium only Off Topic: Il Buco is a transporting film about a really big hole Underlands. Off-Topic Netflix handled Sandman brilliantly It was Dreamy. 9 Buy things with globes on them And other lovely Eurogamer merch in our official store! Explore our store