Gomi

This game has haunted me

For I’ve the last decade, I’ve thought fondly of Gomi. It was my favorite app to play, but I made the switch to Android years ago, and never looked back. I did search for it on the Play Store, but alas, no luck. I assumed the game was deleted. Imagine my surprise when 3 years ago in 2021, I was telling my friend with an iPhone about the game, and discovered it was still on the App Store. Cue me asking to buy the game on every one of my iPhone using friends so I could play the game again. No dice. I even emailed Mr. Calderone himself, asking if the game would ever come to the Play Store, again, no luck (Which is completely fair, this dang game is 15+ years old, but a girl can dream). 3 years later, I’m asked if I want a spare iPhone my dad had, since he switched to a new version. I have never said yes quicker. Immediately purchased Gomi, only app on this phone now, but it’s exactly like I remember. Challenging, simple, and addictive. Not kidding when I say I cried the first time I opened the app since around 2012. This will forever stay in my memory. Hopefully this game receives a boost at some point, I really feel others should know about this game, even in 2024.

Deceptively simple

On the surface, Gomi seems like an easy, braindead platformer that does not require any thought. Upon playing the game though, you learn that there is more thinking involved in eating waste than it initially seems. To achieve the achievements for each level, you have to plan how to continuously eat items to get the achievements. However, the boss fights make the game an interesting experience. Unlike many platformers, you mostly have to target weak spots in the boss to beat the boss. There are other boss level scenarios aside from tackling weak points, though, such as stopping a forest fire. The only annoying thing about the boss fights is that even for the multi-phase bosses in the regular mode, there are no check points for each phase of the boss you go through, making the boss fights sometimes be more tedious than fun. The soundtrack of the game is an electronic soundtrack that flows well with the game's simplistic graphics, allowing you to enjoy the experience more. However, Gomi also comes with 8 minigames that unlock as you beat bosses. Gomi's duality as a calming but difficult game surely makes an interesting game, being able to be a good game to play anywhere.