GLUM Preview

In the vibrant, over-the-top world of GLUM, it turns out sleeping on the job isn’t a bad thing: a brief 32-hour nap is actually what saved our goblin protagonist, the titular Glum, during the kidnapping of his fellow workers and his boss, Overlord Semperius. As the untypical hero, you’ll get to kick and cuss your way to victory while looking for clues about your leader’s whereabouts, using your trusty boot and handy middle finger to leave shattered garden gnomes, burned rats, and insulted enemies in your wake. Unleashing chaos is the bread and butter of this first-person “booter”, so let’s talk about all the kicking fun to be had.

With GLUM launching into Early Access on the 22nd of May, I got to try out the tutorial, the Bellsack Brook level, and a timed parkour challenge to hone my platforming skills. It’d be negligent, however, not to mention the hilarious opening cutscene, in which the narrator roasts our main character and breaks the fourth wall by quitting on the spot. Glum responds by punting the camera, foreshadowing the foot-based gameplay to come.

Visually, GLUM looks like a cartoony playground, and that said, it’s absolutely not made for children. Aside from our protagonist’s penchant for crude humour, violent solutions are your speciality in this title. A wooden palette is blocking your path? Kick it out of the way with the left mouse button. A chicken is minding its own business? Kick that, too. Need to launch a barrel at a target? Use a Charge Kick and send the item flying. Did your enemy trip on their face? That happens a lot; stomp them into the air with “V” and introduce them to your boot — and if there’s a spiky coffin nearby, make sure to aim toward it for a good, gory kill. It’s not all melee combat either, as you can simply shoot your boot off into the distance, leaving a nasty footprint on your enemy’s (probably bloody) cheek.

As you can imagine, there are plenty of fun ways to destroy your foes. No matter your preferred method of destruction, the ragdoll physics enhances the satisfaction of sending enemies bouncing and crashing into each other. I managed to fling many of them into environmental hazards, such as fiery furnaces and sharp pitchforks. However, don’t sleep on the extra items and hints you find in the world, as there are Alice in Wonderland–esque potions that can cause your target to grow until they explode into a mess of guts or bombs, which also explode (the more chaos, the better).

Controls and combat in GLUM are fun, goofy, and feel good in this Early Access build. Whether you’re dashing past enemies or kicking them, your abilities are smooth to use, and it’s quite easy to aim items (or bodies) to land where you’d like them to go. On the other hand, the platforming took me a little longer to get used to, as one of the main ways you’ll get around is by unleashing a Charge Kick on springboards. To use one, you need to face the platform, jump, kick, and let it launch you backwards after you hit it; this same process is also used for wall jumping. You never know where you’re going to arrive unless you turn around midair, which can lead to many failed landings.

As for boss fights, Bellsack Brook pits you against Major Assistant Siege Specialist (A.S.S.) Lesley who decides to drive a gigantic tractor in an attempt to run you over. This battle was the perfect opportunity to go all out with Glum’s ultimate ability: Bonkers. Once you’ve committed enough violence, you can activate Bonkers, which allows you to kick harder, move faster, and take less damage. This came in handy, since the more I damaged Major Lesley’s tractor, the faster it went, and the extra speed was vital for dodging its hits.

After completing Bellsack Brook, you’ll head back to Glum’s hub at Semperius’ Tower, where you can reset the level to do it again. You can also buy upgrades from the mysterious Collector here; they’re very interested in any magazines you find out on your missions, and as a trade, they’ll give you an upgrade. So far, I’ve been able to purchase an Instant Kick, which allows me to do a Charge Kick instantly after sliding or dashing. As for other rewards, you’re also encouraged to use your ballistic feet against any Gnomes hidden in a level. Glum hates Gnomes, but it seems the dislike goes both ways, as you’ll always find them flipping you off for no good reason.

I’m excited for the rest of GLUM’s journey. The first level was deliciously fun with action-packed chaos, and it left me wanting more boot-kicking opportunities. CinderCat Games has noted that more biomes, enemies, and abilities will be implemented during development, so there’s much to look forward to.

GLUM officially enters Early Access on the 22nd of May. The first major update is currently planned for Summer 2025.