Gigantic (XB1/PC) - "A Different Kind of Titan"

[SonicWind]

Gigantic is a multiplayer third-person action game, and the first from Bellevue, Washington-based independent developer Motiga, in which two Houses duke it out in intense 5v5 battles to gain supremacy. It combines elements of MOBAs and Hero Shooters (that is, games like Overwatch and Paladins), but is fairly different from the games it was inspired by. One major difference is that you and your four teammates are not alone on the battlefield-- you're joined by a Guardian, a towering and powerful beast. But there's a problem-- your enemies have a Guardian of their own, and as the saying goes, in the end, there can be only one. Your goal in Gigantic is to kill the enemy Guardian.

That's easier said than done, though-- should your team get close to the enemy Guardian as is, they'll obviously laugh at your pointless attempts to damage them and stomp you flat. First, your team needs to build up 100 Power for your Guardian by killing enemy heroes and creatures, as well as collecting Power Orbs that gather on specific control points on the map called Power Circles. Once you've gained 100 Power, your Guardian will rampage across the map and pin down the enemy Guardian, exposing their weak spot. That's your team's cue to wail on it until the current portion of their health bar is empty, which Wounds them; then the cycle starts all over again. Of course, this can happen to your team's Guardian as well, in which case your Power at that point will become a shield guarding them from damage; if it isn't already full, said meter can be filled further by killing the attacking enemies, as well as enemy creatures. The first team to Wound their enemy Guardian three times wins the match.

About those Power Circles I mentioned earlier-- you can also summon creatures there, which are living beings that attack enemy heroes in their vicinity, automatically collect Power Orbs if one is gathering at their point, and do one of many things, such as healing your team or creating walls to block off enemies. You can have three creatures in your selection out of several, but they all start as babies and can be upgraded to their adult forms using Focus, which is also used to allow you to use your Focus skill (that's your Ultimate in this game). You can gain up to three Focus Charges to either make your Focus skill more powerful or upgrade creatures with higher Focus drain, so you'll have to think before you let loose with that Focus skill.

Gigantic has a diverse roster of 20 playable heroes so far, each with their own physics-based abilities and stats. Some heroes go in for melee attacks, while others prefer to do their dirty work from a distance. Each ability in a hero's arsenal is upgradable as they level up each match, with branching paths that can dramatically change how they're played. Enemies keep slipping away from you as Lord Knossos? Upgrade his Chuck ability to slow them down so you and your team can go in for the kill. Find Wu's tongue isn't long enough to grab enemies and yank 'em towards you with his Tonguelash ability? Upgrade it to have a longer range. Each character has different upgrades to fit your playstyle or counter the enemy team. Your hero even gets to choose from one of three Skill Specializations, which upgrades one ability further and also grants you a bonus trait during the climactic Clash phase of a match, in which the map is made smaller, fights break out quicker, and come-from-behind victories are made possible.

I bet you want to see all this in action, don't you? Well, here's the game's launch trailer:

Gigantic just fully released July 20th on Arc (the client of Gigantic's publisher, Perfect World), Steam (which didn't have the game until then), the Windows 10 Store, and Xbox One. What's that? You don't have any money to buy it with? You don't need any-- the game's free-to-play! I know those words can be a deal-breaker, but Motiga handles microtransactions quite well, and if you want to, you can buy the game's entire roster of heroes-- current and future-- for $30 with the game's Ultimate Pack, plus more. They're planning for monthly major updates.

And let me tell you something-- Motiga did not quit while developing this game. It went through development hell for a while, and they lost money to the point where every employee had to be laid off. Usually, that's the end of the story. But not this time. They were so passionate about getting it released that the day after the layoffs, almost every one of them came back and continued work anyway, despite not getting paid for any of it. Why? Because they refused to accept the game's fate (more on Gigantic's development story here). They sacrificed a lot to get Gigantic out the door. If that doesn't show you they care, nothing will. It's a genuine labor of love for them.

Have I piqued your interest? Then download the game using the links above, follow it on its official website and social media (Facebook | Twitter | YouTube | reddit | Twitch), and read up on the official game guides for a better understanding of how it all works. A quick warning to those of you planning to play on PC, though-- the game needs 6 GB of RAM to run. Motiga is working to lower this requirement.

And remember-- think fast. Be bold. Go Gigantic!

[SonicWind]

Motiga has launched a community challenge! Deal 2.1 billion damage to enemy Guardians before next Monday, and the entire community gets a new Mozu skin! We're already off to a great start!

 

[SonicWind]

Gigantic's first big update since release, the Corruption update, has arrived! New in this build are custom lobbies, push-to-talk functionality, creature gestation (though this was in the game previously before the June update removed it), and a new hero, Oru! Read the patch notes for more info.

Also, the community has succeeded in the challenge of dealing 2.1 billion damage to enemy Guardians, and Mozu's Solar Flair skin is now available.

But there's a new community challenge-- complete 280,000 matches by next Monday! All participants will earn 500 rubies (a currency of the game).