There’s a particular masochism when it comes to playing hero brawlers (or MOBAs, or Dota-style games, if you prefer). They’re a time sink and a colossal addiction for anyone who enjoys multiplayer games. Nothing as sweet as dominating the enemy alongside your friends, that’s for certain.
Gigantic is a magnificent game with some interesting background–the developers ran out of money at one point and the team was supposed to stop working; but the day after they got the memo, they all showed up and kept on the good work.
The result?
Gigantic spent some time on the Microsoft store–i.e. in Purgatory–where it didn’t get too much traction…since next to no one uses that platform for games, so badly is it optimized. Some streamers began picking it up, though, directly from the site. As is prone to happen with good games, people will eventually notice.
Streamers did, and so did their audiences…and more recently, it came to Steam. Since then, it’s only grown exponentially. The fact that you can buy all characters that have come out, that will ever come out, for only $30, certainly makes a sweet offer.
Now that backstory is out of the way, let’s go into the specifics of this colorful action game.
The way Gigantic looks speaks of cohesive vision–fluid, beautiful art direction is reflected both in map and character design, as well as in the way attacks and abilities are animated.
Not too many characters are available to choose from, right now; about two dozen but they’re all distinctly different. They come with unique skill kits and fall into the roles of tanks, melee and ranged damage dealers and utility characters–mostly healers. I have only played five characters, and four of them were ranged; when you play with a ranged character, Gigantic feels like a cross-breed between FPS games such as Overwatch and skillshots like the ones you might be familiar with if you ever played Smite.
There are no mobs you kill for gold and experience, nor are there items to customize your chosen character; what there is, instead, is a comprehensive talent tree to choose from, when upgrading your abilities. Two levels of upgrades per each ability which makes for a nice amount of combinations and variety in what your character does.
It’s fast-paced and skill-based, this colorful little game; and I don’t mean the skills your characters have, but the ones you have. I’ve only played for several hours, buy experience in the genres which Gigantic successfully brings into one has proven to be of great use–I’ve murdered more two-legged cows with badly textured nipples than I can count with Mozu, a strange humanoid mouse-like wand-thief. Have a picture of her below:
A real beauty, and a wicked shot, too!
The game mode is unique; you basically kill other players and the enemy’s creatures on the map in order to power up your guardian until he overpowers the enemy’s, and then you pound upon that enemy until you wound him. Wound him three times, and he dies. You win. Great job!
You get 10 points when you kill an enemy or a miniature creature on the map, twenty when you kill its upgraded variation, and twenty for energy orbs, which are orbs that help you gather Focus. Focus helps you upgrade buildings and use your ultimate ability; depending on the character, those can be pretty damn impressive.
This system doesn’t dilute personal accountability; rather, it enhances it. When you die, you allow your enemy to progress towards victory. Another tenth of the bar that allows them the opportunity to wound your guardian. The more cautious, the more attentive you are–the harder it will be for the enemy team to catch you unawares and tear you a new one. And trust me when I say this, paying attention to your surroundings and your hp and stamina bars is of the utmost import. The better you are, the greater your team’s odds of winning.
Truly, Gigantic is a wonderful experience that feels both familiar and new; much more than just a new coat of paint over reiterated design features that’ve been done over and over again. I’m absolutely charmed with this self-titled “Strategic Hero Shooter”, and can’t wait to see how it develops further.
P.S.A minor gripe– the game is locked at 60 fps, which is…unfortunate. Not for me, but for people with 120hz monitors and preference for hundreds of frames per second, it’s certain to leave a bad taste It also requires a minimum of 6 Gigabytes of RAM; if you’ve got less, I’m sorry to say–you’re very much out of luck.
At any rate, thank you for reading! It’s been fun, writing this up! See you again next time.
The Grimoire Reliquary 
Aw, that looks like a really charming game. Those are my favorite. And Mozu is adorable. And if she’s a good shot, then she’s dangerous and adorable, like me! I’ve already found a friend! 😀
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