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1[[quoteright:191:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/gish_cover__7212.jpg]]
2[[caption-width-right:191: Meet the protagonist.]]
3
4->''"Life isn't easy when you're a 12-pound ball of tar."''
5-->-- Game description
6
7''Gish'' is a 2D platforming game released in 2004 for the PC. You control an amorphous tar ball character called Gish. Gish doesn't have limbs, so he has to navigate the environment in a different way.
8
9Gish has four abilities: sticky, slick, heavy and expand. Becoming sticky allows Gish to stick onto most surfaces and grab objects, becoming slick helps him to squeeze through tight spaces and become frictionless, becoming heavy allows him to break things from above and fall down faster, and expanding helps him to jump and avoid falling damage. Gish can use those abilities as long as he wants, and he can use several abilities at once.
10
11The game has 5 worlds. The first 4 have 5 normal levels followed by a boss level followed by a level where transportation is a key. The last world is a bit different. The game also features a level editor so people can make levels ranging from [[NintendoHard challenging]] to [[PlatformHell downright sadistic]].
12
13Gish also got a mobile phone port where the storyline continues from the ending of the PC game. It also features co-op mode.
14
15Gish has shown up in other Creator/EdmundMcMillen games: He is a playable character in ''VideoGame/SuperMeatBoy'', and a boss fight in ''VideoGame/TheBindingOfIsaac''.
16
17Not to be confused with the ''[[TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons D&D]]'' slang for a MagicKnight, or the first album by Music/TheSmashingPumpkins.
18----
19!!Gish contains examples of
20
21* OneUp: Rare item that gives Gish an extra life. In Revamped version, 1-ups do not do anything.
22* AbsurdlySpaciousSewer: Although smaller than most of the sewers, it has large rooms, too. Canonically, Gish isn't a large creature though so sewers are quite cramped in some places. Partly justified for being an abandoned city.
23* ArcNumber: 1300 which is the amount of points gotten from most of the secret areas in game.
24* BlackoutBasement: World 2-6 takes place in a dark environment with limited visibility. Gish himself is the main light source.
25* BlobMonster: Gish and [[spoiler: Hera]] resemble typical blobs. Also, Honey Bucket boss is also a blob monster.
26* BrutalBonusLevel: [[spoiler:Death Island]]. A boss from world 2 is chasing you while you try to make your way through a long cave clogged with skull pillars and enemies. But the reward is worth it.
27* CrateExpectations: Crates are common in World 2, sometimes being used as a puzzle element. Although they're not breakable.
28* DamselInDistress: Brea is captured in the beginning of the game and needs to be rescued.
29* DualBoss: World 3 boss and one of the world 5 bosses are Vis sisters. Stage 1 boss is a triple boss, consisting of 3 honey buckets.
30* FlashOfPain: Gish flashes red upon taking damage.
31* FlunkyBoss: World 1 boss, world 3 boss and first world 5 boss. All these bosses spawn nibblers.
32* GlowingEyes: Gish himself has glowing yellow eyes.
33* TheGoomba: Nibblers are the most basic enemy. They move around, occasionally jump and bite when being close to the protagonist.
34* GoombaStomp: Basic way to attack enemies. However, since it's a physics-based game, there are more creative ways of killing them like throwing them into the air, rolling over them, sometimes even making more obscure strategies.
35* TheGrimReaper: Although looking nothing like your usual personification of death. Seen in the teaser trailer of ''Gish 2''.
36* "IfICantHaveYou: [[spoiler: no one can!" as said by final boss, Hera]].
37* IndyEscape: World 3-7 features a giant boulder chasing after Gish. Although you can abuse physics engine a bit and let the boulder roll over you.
38* InterspeciesRomance: Gish is a blob and Brea is a human. With the good ending, they [[spoiler: Even get married]] and in the mobile phone port, their children also make appearances.
39* LavaIsBoilingKoolAid: Lava does look very red and is not very viscous.
40* LavaPit: Starting from world 2-7. [[spoiler: In the bad ending, they're [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] by Gish joining a group about danger awareness of lava pits.]]
41* LethalLavaLand: World 3 is fire themed, featuring lava predominately.
42* MadeOfPlasticine: Big heads who have rather fragile necks. Sometimes they even die when jumping from moderate height or hit a sharper corner.
43* MinecartMadness: World 1-7 has a minecart Gish can ride on. Although you can just skip riding on it.
44* MultipleEndings: The ending depends on whether you save Brea or not.
45* NothingButSkulls: The walls of [[spoiler: Death Island]] are made of skulls.
46* OffWithHisHead: Bigheads can be defeated that way which is rather simple considering their fragile necks.
47* PressurePlate: Pressure plates are featured in some of the small puzzles. Often there are crates nearby.
48* PuzzleBoss: Aside from the first boss, all of them have a trick to defeating them. For an example, the world 2 boss can be defeated by exposing him to the light.
49* RedEyesTakeWarning: [[spoiler: Hera is a villain. She has red eyes.]].
50* ShoutOut: To many video games. There are also secret ''[[Franchise/SuperMarioBros Mario]]'', ''VideoGame/{{Pitfall}}'' and ''VideoGame/PacMan'' levels.
51* SmashingHallwayTrapsOfDoom: Hallways with crushers are here-there. For an example, in 2-2.
52* SomeDexterityRequired: First few hours of gameplay until you get a hold of controls. Jumping feels very awkward, navigating environments feels difficult, and so on and so on. Some time later, though, when abilities and their combinations are put to good use, it's much easier to do so.
53* SpikesOfDoom: Spikes chip your health away constantly and it's hard to jump off of them. Sometimes it's possible to glitch through them. The damage caused by spikes is equivalent to number of spike tiles Gish touches.
54* StationaryBoss: Honey buckets at the end of world 1 do not move.
55* SuperNotDrowningSkills: Gish can swim freely without drowning.
56* TrademarkFavoriteFood: Gish likes to eat amber.
57* TempleOfDoom: World 4 takes place inside Egypt-themed area.
58* UndergroundLevel: First 4 of the worlds take place deep under ground. Especially world 2 which has your average cave setting.
59* UnwinnableByDesign: Fourth boss. When all the blocks fail to crush it, it's time to restart the level. Also, some of the normal levels with lava pits can cause that. Third boss would also be Unwinnable, but fortunately it it still possible to use some brute force to defeat them should the original plan fail.
60* VapourWare: ''Gish 2''
61* VisibleSilence: Gish responds "..." to every boss. Only times when he says something else is when he says [[spoiler: "Calm down ho" to Hera]] or when he manages to reach [[spoiler: Satan]]. In the mobile phone port, he is much more talkative though.
62* WarpZone: The game has a few of them. Example include at the beginning of 1-4 that takes the player to the fourth world.
63* WeakenedByTheLight: Second boss can be killed by exposing him to light.
64* WhoForgotTheLights: Third area sometimes suffers from this when playing during daylight.
65* WreakingHavok: One of the main selling points of Gish was its 2D physics engine. Aside from the protagonist, there are objects that move and fall in accordance to physics, and ropes that break under too much stress.
66* {{Yandere}}: [[spoiler:Hera does not like that her childhood crush is hanging out with Brea.]]

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