Gigantic was a game that was originally released in 2017 and had a unique mixture of game elements. This is where I tell you that it was a souls-like. I’m only partially kidding, but in all seriousness, imagine a game that mixes elements from a third-person shooter with the strategy and resource management of a MOBA, and you have Gigantic. With its charming visuals and fast-paced, chaotic gameplay, it was a game that felt like a singular experience, even in the realm of “hero shooters”.
To get into the nitty-gritty of the game, it featured a five versus five setup where each player would select a hero to take into the various arenas. The teams would be tasked with taking points, claiming them with creatures who collected orbs of power, fighting the other team to claim kills, and attacking the opposing team’s creatures to obtain the orbs for themselves. By doing so, players leveled up their respective characters by selecting from mutually exclusive tech trees that enhanced their hero’s abilities. More importantly, doing those objectives would gather power that filled up a bar. It was a race to see which side could complete these various tasks the fastest. Whoever does this first has a chance to strike at the other team’s Guardian - a giant beast that acts like the core or base in a MOBA. The teams must attack the Guardian a few times to deal a lethal blow to claim victory.
The game encouraged coordination and explosive play because, other than the creatures that were summoned and static on the map, the players were the ones who clashed over objectives. This was where the beauty of this game lay. During engagements, players had to be mindful of their stamina for sprinting, dodging, jumping, and a jump attack for melee characters. They also had to keep track of cooldowns for abilities. Much like MOBAs, team fights and skirmishes were determined by a player’s resource management, movement, knowledge, and skill.
To top off the insanely fun gameplay and strategy, every hero felt fun to play with their own quirks and idiosyncrasies, and because of the tech tree-like progression during a match, heroes could take on different roles. You have characters like Voden, the tricky deer-like character who used a bow and debilitating poison, or Mozu, the wizard mouse who spewed out spells rapid-fire. It was easy to become attached to certain characters and become a specialist with them.
The game boasted an awesome cartoony art style that has aged well. Each character had their own animations that told who they were. For example, Uncle Sven a topless and plump, crazy alchemist who haphazardly ran around holding potions above his head like a child running with scissors, careless of the caustic contents inside. The maps, too, were wondrously diverse with a range of themes, from the icy glaciers of Siren’s Strand to the overgrown ruins of Sanctum Falls.
Could Gigantic Make A Comeback in 2024?
While no game is perfect, there was much to love about this game. Sadly, the game did not last for very long.
See, when this game originally came out in 2017 - after being in beta for two years - many thought this game was an Overwatch, or Paladins clone. For those who played it at the time, nothing could be further from the truth. To top that off, the game had a rough development that lacked funding, and the developer, Motiga, had to bounce around from publisher to publisher to secure funding. Along with the baseless accusations and bad marketing, the game also lacked a solid tutorial, which made the game obtuse for newcomers.
Gigantic was relegated to quietly pass away while titans like Overwatch, Paladins, and Smite took center stage as the premiere games of this type. Over time though, Gigantic became known as a sort of cult classic; a game that was not given its fair due. Throughout the years, even I have found myself watching old videos, recounting the history of the game, and wishing for a game similar to be released, but nothing could scratch that itch. There were even players who managed to get their hands on the game and play pick-up games hosted on private servers. There was clearly a desire to recapture the magic.
Color me and others surprised when in October of 2023, Gearbox opened its servers up for a short period of time and allowed people to play in what they called a throwback event - a sort of celebration of Gigantic. People started to get hopeful after that, and only some short months later, in February 2024, Gigantic: Rampage Edition was set to be released on the 9th of April, two months later.
Needless to say, I was ecstatic, and over this last week it has been my pleasure to participate in the closed beta. An absolute joy to experience again.
The beta only featured one game mode called Rush and a host of new tutorials. Rush is a brand-new mode that strips back a lot of the strategic elements and has smaller maps to focus on quicker games with more emphasis on five versus five engagements. It is a ton of fun and will be a great way to engage more casual players who just want to hop in and play their favorite heroes.
The full game will be released with new maps, new heroes, cross-platform play, and a ranked mode, all for $20 without microtransactions, and all heroes and skins can be purchased with in-game currency come April 2024.
