Sadly, it wasn’t a competitor to hero shooters like Overwatch or even Battleborn in terms of player counts. This isn’t to say it didn’t at least surpass the latter in terms of quality and overall presentation, but Motiga was targeting a different crowd. Gigantic was still a third-person title, though, one that incorporated shooter and hack-and-slash elements, but pushing with your team, not getting caught out, knowing when to back off and choosing heroes that could complement allies or shore up any weaknesses were key.

"Gigantic is set in the world of Gig, where two houses – Daevaedra and Aurion – battle it out via giant Guardians. As both descend onto the battlefield, your job as part of either house is to gather Power Orbs alongside your teammates."

Perhaps because there was so much fever for Overwatch and what it was doing, but Gigantic never found an audience despite launching a year later. It shut down in June 2018 and seemingly vanished forever, even as it built a niche dedicated audience. However, a brief invite-only event occurred in October 2023. Before we knew it, Abstraction Games and Gearbox Publishing (now Arc Games) announced it was back, dubbing it the Rampage Edition.

Is it a major comeback for Gigantic? Yes, but its current player numbers, peaking at 6112 concurrent players on PC via Steam, is nothing to shout about, even if it is higher than the original’s peak. The Rampage Edition is for fans to indulge in and enjoy for however long it lasts. The real question is how newcomers should approach it, especially in this day and age. Based on my time with it, Gigantic feels like it has a strong base to build off but falls short in some aspects while fumbling in others. Whether it has the opportunity to become something better is the real question.

Gigantic is set in the world of Gig, where two houses – Daevaedra and Aurion – battle it out via giant Guardians. As both descend onto the battlefield, your job as part of either house is to gather Power Orbs alongside your teammates. Once enough charge is gathered, your Guardian will assault the other in a Rampage, pinning them in place and exposing a giant weak spot. Deal damage to it, and the process repeats once more until victory. If the other team gathers enough charge, you must defend your Guardian from attacks. Alternatively, you could try and impede your opponents, buying precious time since they have to get to your Guardian to deal any damage.

In the neutral, you can summon creatures who provide healing, attack enemy players, or even create a portal to help get you to and from fights faster. You can upgrade these using Focus – the catch is that it’s used for your Focus ability, which is an Ultimate that can potentially turn team fights. Since you only get so much Focus in a match, it’s a tradeoff between making big plays or contributing to the team. Enemies can also destroy creatures, so defending the latter is a must, especially since some will periodically spawn Power Orbs for you in Clash.

"Each hero is suitably unique, whether it’s Tripp, an emo assassin with lightning powers, or Queen Zenobia, slithering onto the battlefield and inflicting elemental statuses."

As for the heroes themselves, each has five abilities and a talent at level 5. You’re gaining experience through various actions, like assisting teammates, badges for certain feats (like saving teammates by slaying their attackers), killing creatures or even collecting Power Orbs. Upon leveling up, Skill Points can upgrade abilities in one of two ways. Once talents become available, you can choose one of three to bolster your build. All-in-all, pretty standard MOBA mechanics.

Gigantic doesn’t otherwise have any mobs to farm, and while some creatures can qualify as “towers” to destroy, you can traverse the maps unimpeded. There is the concept of lanes and assaulting different positions to gather Power Orbs, usually where team fights play out, but battling other players is the goal. You could run up to the enemy guardian when it’s not a Rampage phase, but they’ll quickly beam you down unless invisibility is active.

The aesthetic is rather fetching – the Guardians and each hero look distinct and well-animated, while most environments feel like organic, lived-in places. Each hero is suitably unique, whether it’s Tripp, an emo assassin with lightning powers, or Queen Zenobia, slithering onto the battlefield and inflicting elemental statuses. Some can appear a little goofy – Uncle Sven and Pakko come to mind – but they don’t feel out of place.

It’s also a testament to the design that they all feel unique to play. Certain elements are reminiscent of characters from other hero shooters – Rutger can create walls and burrow underground for survival purposes, immediately bringing two Overwatch characters to mind. Nevertheless, they control well, especially when you get down to interrupting enemies with Tripp and dealing burst damage before turning invisible and slinking into the night.

"While support heroes that provide dedicated healing exist, this isn’t quite like a tank/damage dealer/support composition where you must fill each role."

That is unless you’re crowd-controlled to hell and back. Because of its MOBA bent, Gigantic leans heavily into crowd control abilities, status effects and damage over time (known as degens). It’s all you can do to enter a team fight and not get slowed, poisoned, bled, burnt, receive reduced healing, deal less damage, immobilized, ensnared – the list goes on and would honestly make an Overwatch 1 player feel like they had it easy. You can only do so much with your positioning because, unlike a MOBA, this is a third-person game, and your viewing angles are naturally restricted.

The sheer number of effects also causes visibility issues, which would probably be less annoying if you had a bird’s eye view of the action. To perhaps compensate, almost every hero has an escape ability to disengage. There’s also a stamina bar to let you flee, though it’s consumed by side-dashing or jumping.

On the one hand, I like that it encourages you to be thoughtful about your fights and creates some tension when struggling to run away and find healing. However, it feels like this weird push and pull, where each team tries to burst the other down before anyone can escape. It’s not always the case, especially in some of the smaller fights, and your experience can vary depending on the heroes played, but it happened more often than not for me unless I went super long-range.

While support heroes that provide dedicated healing exist, this isn’t quite like a tank/damage dealer/support composition where you must fill each role. If you feel like your team can rock with two ranged damage dealers and two frontliners, go for it, though success is far from guaranteed if the enemy team sticks together and has abilities to specifically neutralize you. The crowd-control effects, statuses and whatnot are annoying, but some heroes like Tripp, Wu and T-MAT could use some balance passes.

"There are also two new maps – while I wasn’t too enamored by the closed quarters and awkwardly placed jump pads of one, Picaro Bay is a different story."

Controlling each hero feels decent enough, but there’s something off about the hit responses. It can feel like you’re slicing the air, and shots lack impact, to the extent that I had to look at an enemy’s health bar to see if I was dealing damage, even in close quarters. Initially, it seemed no melee attacks were causing harm, while a noticeable delay was seen when shots landed and registered. It’s become less prevalent as additional servers become available, but that lack of weight when attacking still throws me off. At least my character isn’t rubber-banding as much as before, so that’s a plus.

Gigantic: Rampage Edition offers two main modes – the classic Clash, which plays out over multiple rounds, and the new Rush, a condensed version on smaller maps where all heroes are automatically at level 10, and creatures are already pre-summoned (though manually collecting Power Orbs). The latter is also more appealing because you can switch between heroes as the situation demands. It has its appeal, given the pacing, and while I can appreciate Clash for providing more freedom and strategic potential, Rush is good for some quick sessions.

You also have Practice and Custom Modes, though the latter is extremely odd in that you need to enter the matchmaking queue to start it. Friends can be added to your team, but if you want to fight against each other, you need to start the Custom Match and have them enter a match ID. At least there are options to auto-fill games with bots who can range from downright awful to eerily coordinated.

In terms of new content in the Rampage Edition, I spent a little time with the cat-like assassin Kajir, who employs illusions and offers an alternate means of singling out and taking down weak enemies. Roland, a bounty hunter with a drone, was more appealing simply due to the ability to grapple out of danger when required. His Blunderbuss takes some getting used to, but they’re both solid additions to the roster. There are also two new maps – while I wasn’t too enamored by the closed quarters and awkwardly placed jump pads of one, Picaro Bay is a different story.

"It’s also odd to see the frame rate capped at 60 FPS or being unable to see your ping. These aren’t the hallmarks of a competitive title in 2024, which only raises further doubts about Gigantic: Rampage Edition’s lifespan."

It offers multiple vantage points, different flanking routes and elevations alongside well-placed cover made for some fun engagements. There’s also the opportunity for environmental kills if you can push opponents into the water near the ship, but it’s thankfully more situational than the norm.

Microtransactions are gone, so now you unlock heroes with vouchers and earn Crowns by simply playing the game to unlock new skins and, oddly enough, creatures. Various challenges, known as Fortunes, are available, ranging from General to Weekly, which provide the currency and XP to level up your profile.

Each hero also has specific Fortunes to pursue, but the downside is that you must “watch” a Fortune for it to track, and you can only watch three at the same time. Won five Rush matches or went invisible 50 times as Tripp? It doesn’t count towards the Fortune if you didn’t watch it. While I can understand not wanting players to unlock everything immediately, there must be a better solution – maybe providing more slots for Fortunes.

At least there’s a statistics and match history page to keep track of my player record. Oddly enough, it’s showing zero hours played for my most frequently used heroes. Granted, it’s a minor issue compared to the beginning of the launch, where logging in felt almost impossible. I’ve also been fortunate enough to avoid crashes, unlike some other players, though the game occasionally can’t fetch match results. It’s also odd to see the frame rate capped at 60 FPS or being unable to see your ping. These aren’t the hallmarks of a competitive title in 2024, which only raises further doubts about Gigantic: Rampage Edition’s lifespan.

"However, it whiffs on the actual combat feel, parts of the hero balance, the approach to crowd-control effects and statuses and lack of essential competitive features."

When everything comes together – the matchmaking, the hero matchups and the strategies – Gigantic: Rampage Edition can offer an enjoyable experience. Its mix of hero shooter and MOBA, leaning further towards the latter, remains unique, with that itch to learn more (thankfully facilitated by in-game guides).

However, it whiffs on the actual combat feel, parts of the hero balance, the approach to crowd-control effects and statuses and lack of essential competitive features. Perhaps most important is that the areas it excels in don’t necessarily put it above the more well-rounded competitors, which have had years to iterate and improve their systems.

Of course, as noted earlier, Gigantic: Rampage Edition doesn’t feel like it will spark an influx of new players. It caters to those who enjoyed it all those years ago and want to engage with it once more: no more and no less. Abstraction does have some updates in the pipeline, and its $20 entry price looks appealing, but it’s a toss-up on whether you’ll garner enough value in its potentially limited lifespan, especially if you didn’t get into it all those years ago.

This game was reviewed on PC.

NOTE: This interview was conducted prior to the game’s launch.

"We decided to bring back Gigantic not only because of the incredible fans of the original game and they’re amazing support over the years, but also to introduce a new generation of hero shooter and MOBA fans to the game for the first time ever."

What was behind the decision to bring Gigantic back with an enhanced and expanded version?

Maverick Bautista (Producer): We decided to bring back Gigantic not only because of the incredible fans of the original game and they’re amazing support over the years, but also to introduce a new generation of hero shooter and MOBA fans to the game for the first time ever. From the incredible response we received from players in their limited-time Throwback Event for Gigantic last year, it was clear that more than ever, players want a unique, microtransaction-free hero shooter to jump into. We feel now is the perfect time for the game to make a comeback, but this time as a premium title without microtransactions.

What can you tell us about Rampage Edition’s new heroes and what they bring to the table for the game’s overall roster?

Bart Vossen (Senior Game Designer at Abstraction Games & Game Design Lead on Gigantic: Rampage Edition): Roland is a bounty hunter who excels at short-mid range combat. Besides his strong shotgun, he can set traps for players and ambush or escape with his grappling hook. Kajir, on the other hand, is an air pirate who can be his own three-man crew. He’s a burst focused assassin with high mobility.

Baustista: To add to what Bart mentioned, Roland brings some charm and promise from the old days of Gigantic, it was a hero that was seen before but never saw the light of day due to skill issues. This hero brings another “ranged” hero with a unique twist on mobility and additional friendly support in the form of an attack drone. Kajir is another DPS assassin, similiar to Tripp, with a kit that provides a lot of stealth and deception. Kajir is the perfect hero to clean up heroes who move out of position and can get in and out of fights in a different way compared to other DPS heroes.

With the new Rush mode promising a more streamlined and accessible experience for players, can you elaborate a little bit on the sort of changes it makes to achieve that?

Vossen: Rush mode reduces the complexity and number of mechanics that players need to know about during the match. You start with all your upgrades, don’t have to worry about creature summoning, and can just focus on the fights at hand. There’s still strategy involved with which points to attack and trying to outplay the enemy team, yet for players that love more intricate strategies it’s better to play Clash mode.

This bigger focus on fights also allows players to focus on learning their heroes. We didn’t want to completely remove upgrade choices, which is why you can select your build on the airship. This removes the need to make upgrade choices mid-combat and instead gives you plenty of time between matches to think really your build through.

"This bigger focus on fights also allows players to focus on learning their heroes. We didn’t want to completely remove upgrade choices, which is why you can select your build on the airship."

What was the process like of designing new maps for Rampage Edition? How much of a benefit was it to be able to dive into fully made maps from the original game to get a feel for the sort of design style you need to be targeting for the new maps?

Vossen: Heaven’s Ward and Picaro Bay started off as maps that were in early development by Motiga. We looked at what the design intent was behind each and took that as the starting point. After that it was a lot of iterating and playtesting. The biggest challenge was making the map work for all the different heroes. For this, the existing maps were very useful to look at and see what did and didn’t work.

Beyond the new content, what are the biggest tweaks Rampage Edition makes to Gigantic’s core gameplay?

Vossen: Rampage Edition stays true to original Gigantic in terms of core gameplay. The biggest quality of life feature we added was the ability to create custom builds and auto upgrading for Clash matches.

Besides that, the tutorials got a revamp to gradually introduce each mode’s various features in an actual match context — which then also allows players to practice and learn all intricate details about each mode.

Progression was also largely overhauled, since there are no microtransactions in the game. The emphasis is on hero mastery, earning XP as you play matches and by completing Fortunes (a set of challenges). This enables you to unlock all cosmetics for a hero.

You’ve confirmed that you’ll be adding new skins and a ranked mode to Gigantic: Rampage Edition with free post-launch updates, but do you have any other content or updates planned beyond that?

Baustista: We’ve very excited to release new skins and a Ranked mode for free post-launch, especially Ranked mode as that was requested by many players of the original. We’ll share the release timing for the new mode and the skins shortly after launch. For additional content plans following that, right now, we’re currently focused on getting the game ready for launch, and the current post-launch content ready as well.

"I like to say the new progression system is similar to something found in something like Super Smash Bros. and how things are unlocked in that game – where you unlock things over time — that’s what we strived to achieve here with Rampage Edition."

With Gigantic going from a free-to-play experience to a paid one with this version, how will that affect things such as monetization, cosmetics, and the like?

Baustista: For starters, we completely removed all the microtransactions from the original and there will be zero microtransactions in Gigantic: Rampage Edition. Once you pick up the game, you can unlock all content, like heroes and cosmetics, just by playing the game. With Gigantic: Rampage Edition, we’ve revamped the Fortunes system to be a challenge-based progression system. After matches, you’ll make progress on various Fortunes (challenges in the game), you can earn rewards, including hero vouchers, Crowns and XP. Hero vouchers can be used to unlock new heroes, and crowns can be used to unlock various customization options. Additional game modes, such as Clash that will available at launch and Ranked available post-launch, can be unlocked by playing the game and leveling up via XP. I like to say the new progression system is similar to something found in something like Super Smash Bros. and how things are unlocked in that game – where you unlock things over time — that’s what we strived to achieve here with Rampage Edition.

Do you have any plans to eventually also bring the game to the Switch?

Baustista: Anything’s possible. As mentioned before, we’re currently focused on getting the game ready for launch on PC, PlayStation and Xbox.

In its interim financial report for January to March 2021, Paradox Interactive revealed an interesting stat for Surviving Mars. The colony builder, which first released in 2018 for PC, Xbox One and PS4, hit five million unique players. It also reiterated plans to showcase new content being developed by Abstraction Games with “several content releases” planned in the coming year.

Paradox also sees “great opportunities” in the game becoming part of its “core portfolio.” Such is the company’s focus that it revealed the cancellation of further development on two unannounced titles from other external studios. Originally, development for Surviving Mars was handled by Haemimont Games which released the last expansion Green Planet.

However, in March 2021, Paradox would restart development under Abstraction Games and confirmed that a fully-featured expansion was in development. Free content like the Tourist Update which adds new buildings like Hotels and Holiday Experience ratings. The developer also recently released the In-Dome Buildings Pack, developed in collaboration with a community modder named Silva, that brought eight new buildings and other options for housing to the game.

As previously announced, ARK: Survival Evolved, the popular survival (bet you didn’t see that coming) action video game featuring a whole lot of dinos, will be coming to the Nintendo Switch. Today we learned exactly when—in a new trailer, Studio Wildcard confirmed that the game will come out on Switch on November 30.

The new trailer also shows us a lot of footage of the game running on the Switch, and it looks surprisingly great on the console, especially given how infamously poor its optimization is even on far more powerful consoles than Nintendo’s admittedly underpowered tablet. The game will come out on Switch with all the content and features in the other versions.

It will be playable online, or locally, as well as single player, and will be available for $50. That price is steep, but the good news is, you at least get to buy a physical copy for the game, in case spending that much money on a digital title makes you blanche.

You can check out the trailer for the game below. ARK is already available on PS4, Xbox One, and PC.

Studio Wildcard has their signature survival dinosaur game on everything else under the sun, so according to a new press release, the next platform being targeted for ARK: Survival Evolved is Nintendo’s hybrid megahit for sometime this year.

Being ported by Abstraction Games, it is said that the port is feature and content complete. Abstraction CEO Ralph Egas commented on the development of the port recently, saying that the difference between the Nintendo Switch and the base PS4 and Xbox One really isn’t as big of a gap as most people seem to think. As such, the biggest limitation is cart space and they expect very minor downgrades in draw distance for the Nintendo Switch version.

Being targeted for a Fall 2018 release, ARK: Survival Evolved will bring its prehistoric survival on the go thanks to the Nintendo Switch. Indie titles have been seeing great success on Nintendo Switch, and Nintendo recently revealed the 10 best selling worldwide  indie games for the platform.

Billed as a remastered edition of sorts for its Steam debut, publisher Mastertronic brings some new additions to this 20-year old machine, as well as some tweaks to the control scheme and enhanced visual options. I say “enhanced” loosely here, as all enabling the option does is add this shiny, unappealing smoothing option. You’re honestly better off sticking to the default classic look, even though the game itself isn’t much of a looker despite its neat steampunk clothing.

You have the option of selecting six different kinds of characters, their corresponding play-styles, and a kick-ass pixelated portrait to boot. These characters are as follow: the Navvie, Thug, Brigand, Mercenary, Gentleman and Preacher. Some characters will be able to deal more damage than others (Navvie and Thug), while others will have access to more special abilities (Gentleman and Preacher). For every two levels in a World that you complete in (four Levels with four Worlds), the cash you obtain can be used to upgrade your stats, weapons and abilities.

"There’s a bit of satisfaction that comes with mowing down enemy after enemy, which can also lead into frustration if you’re not being careful."

The gameplay is mostly comprised of you and your partner (either controlled by the competent enough AI or a buddy), walking from area to area, gunning down mutated frogs or soldiers… all the while searching for keys or killing enough enemies to trigger an opened pathway to the next area. Once you’ve nailed all the nodes in a level, you’ll be able to pass through a usually nearby exit. All this, with a studious narrator to give a few short-liners whenever you’ve destroyed a node, respawning back from the grave, or activating a special ability.

There’s a bit of satisfaction that comes with mowing down enemy after enemy, which can also lead into frustration if you’re not being careful. As it turns out, simply running and gunning towards the next node won’t cut it. You’ll have to tread carefully, as enemies have a tendency of respawning where you least expect it. Ninja Commando on the Neo Geo, this ain’t.

Part of this frustration is because of your controls. New to the digital re-release is the 16-directional movement, which allows for you to shoot diagonally. It’s a welcome addition, but doesn’t change the fact that you’re still moving rather sluggishly. Even while using a speedier character or buffing your stats, there’s definitely a level of smoothness that you’ll miss from more iconic examples in the genre.

"Once you’ve invested in enough upgrades and lives, The Chaos Engine can definitely have its sweet spots."

And once you’ve finally run out of extra lives, you’ll have to restart the level again. You won’t be able to purchase additional lives at the upgrade screen at will. So if you’re a cheap crock like me, you’ll use cheat codes for getting more. Unfortunately, there’s no way to go in solo, as you’re always with a partner and there’s no way to share resources with each other.

Once you’ve invested in enough upgrades and lives, The Chaos Engine can definitely have its sweet spots. While there are no boss fights save for the (spoilers!) final encounter, its cool enough to try and investigate every nook and cranny just to see what items or gold you’ll find along the way. Its a lot more “retro” in the traditional sense aside from simply looking the part, as its now dated feel will rarely latch off. If you’re willing to look past that, and have a friend to join the ride, you may find some nostalgia yet.

This game was reviewed on the PC.

The Chaos Engine, the modern remake of the classic Amiga shooter created by the legendary developers The Bitmap Brothers, is now available on PC, Mac, and Linux. The 90s shooter has been remade by Abstraction Games, who recently handled the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita ports of the indie hit sensation from last year, Hotline Miami.

The remake has been built from the ground up, and every care has been taken to ensure that it is as faithful to the original game as possible; it includes a number of enhancements as well.

The Chaos Engine was notable for multiple things when it first released- it was one of the first games to have a Victorian era Steampunk setting, and it was also the first game to have a skill based equipment mechanic in its genre.

“This really feels like the right time to bring back The Chaos Engine” says Mike Montgomery, one of the founding members of The Bitmap Brothers. “There are many fond memories of The Chaos Engine and I wanted to make sure that the game was true to the original without losing its charm during the restoration process. The option to play in the original ‘Classic’ mode with the added option to play in ‘Enhanced mode’ with its refined pixel-perfect finish is a clever way to satisfy all enthusiasts! It feels a completely natural transition to the PC.”

“When Abstraction Games was first approached by Mastertronic to work on The Chaos Engine we were super excited,” said Ralph Egas, CEO of Abstraction Games. “Revitalizing a game that was so much ahead of its time and has been on gamers all-time favorite lists for almost two decades has been such a treat and a real honor. We’ve gone all-out in making sure that we captured its original brilliance. At the same time we wanted to make sure that players who never got the chance to play the original had an opportunity to do so, so we added 360 degree controls, online co-op and enhanced visuals that make the game shine on higher resolutions too. We hope that this revitalized version will appear on more gamer’s all-time favorite lists for at least another two decades.”

The game is now available on all three OSs so make sure to get it.

You probably don’t know about this game (I sure didn’t), but in 1993, The Bitmap Brothers released a game called The Chaos Engine on Amiga computers to general acclaim. It was a top down shooter, and it is now being restored and re-released by Abstraction Games, the same outfit that ported indie cult classic Hotline Miami to PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita.

The original Chaos Engine appears to have been a pretty influential and seminal games in multiple ways- it looks like it was one of the first games to embrace a steampunk setting, being based in an alternate, technologically infested Victorian era. On a mechanical level, it was also allegedly the first action adventure game to allow for skill upgrades and equip individualized weapons.

Of course, all of this is stuff that we take for granted now; however, if there are those of you who want to own what is legitimately a veritable piece of gaming history, be sure to pick this one up when it launches. The enhanced restoration will now also have local and online co-op support.

Dennaton Games and Devolver Digital has announced that the award-winning, insanely stylish also just plain insane Hotline Miami will be arriving on PS3 and PS Vita this Spring. The title has currently sold 300K units on PC thus far.

Senior Business Development Manager, SCEE Shahid Ahmad stated, “Our team have been fans of Hotline Miami from the very start and we are absolutely thrilled to have such a brilliant game launch on the PlayStation platform. The intense visuals and pulsing soundtrack are perfectly suited for PS3 and PS VIta and we can’t wait for PlayStation fans to see what Hotline Miami is all about.”

Development will be handled by Abstraction Games, though Dennaton will still provide guidance. To make the deal sweeter, Hotline Miami will support Cross-buy so consumers can play the title on the Vita and PS3 through PSN with a single purchase. Stay tuned for more details on pricing and an exact release date.