Gigantic Rampage Edition Review: Ambitious but not there yet

Gigantic: Rampage Edition is a much-expected revival after seven years, but it doesn't seem to realize its own potential. While a fun game to play, the biggest issue is the change in the business model and a somewhat lacking amount of new content.

Character Design

I have to give big props to the visuals of Gigantic. While I do enjoy the way games can now recreate a human face and our movements almost perfectly, I have a soft spot for games like this one. The unique and colorful art style of the characters made me want to play all of them at once, and out of the entire roster, I couldn’t find one whose design I didn’t like. I’m especially a big fan of Griselma, a grandma summoner with the fanciest glasses, and Wu, a frog melee champion who hops around the map.

Not only do all of the characters look different, but they also behave differently and have different skills. You'll find the typical sniper in Imani, but then you'll also have a Robin Hood-inspired Voden who uses a bow and arrow. In a game with many characters, it's not always easy to make each one distinctive, and I applaud the developers for this.

However, this is mostly the design from the original game with some changes and only two new characters. While I do love their designs as well, you would expect more from a relaunch of a game after seven years. They didn't have to change any of the old characters, but a few more new ones would have been better. Considering the game went from free-to-play to buy-to-play, more heroes with the Rampage Edition could have enticed more new players and returning players to purchase it.

Related: Wild Rift Tier List - All Champions ranked

Score: 4.5/5

Maps

Gigantic has an overall fun atmosphere, from the colorful map and character design to sound design and unique combat. Much like the characters, the map roster of the game is varied. There aren't that many, but they all have distinct looks, some being more linear, others vertical, and some with more dangers like cliffs and drops. I'm someone who tends to fall off maps, and I'm not even mad; it just makes it more hilarious.

The maps will even differ between the two game modes. Maps in Rush, the quick mode that was added in the Rampage Edition, will remain unchanged throughout a battle. The main mechanic is collecting the Power Circles spread out across the map so it's a relatively simple mode to get the hang of how the different maps work.

Clash is the original game mode that has many additional mechanics, including changeable maps. These can now contain dangers like flooding areas or an enemy ship setting the map on fire. If you got used to the maps in Rush, be prepared to relearn them. This mode also requires a lot more strategy, including Creature and hero placement.

However, I have the same issue with the characters: there are only two new maps in the Rampage Edition. I admit they look absolutely stunning, and Picaro Bay is at the top of my favorite maps. But as a game that's trying to make fans relearn how to love it, it just feels like more content is missing.

Score: 3.5/5

Combat

You can choose from four classes of characters: Frontliner, Ranged DPS, Melee DPS, and Support. Some characters are hybrids between two classes, which I love because you can play them in different ways.

All heroes in a class have two premade builds you can pick based on your combat playstyle, but you can also make custom builds specifically tailored to your tastes. If there are too many options, I tend to just go with premade builds, but Gigantic has just the right amount of choice. I had fun selecting the exact skills and their upgrades for my favorite characters.

If you don't like leveling up like me, Gigantic has put out a new Rush mode, which is essentially a faster Clash that has kept the Power Circle collecting but removed the Creature placement mechanics. The Ranked system will essentially be in Clash mode, so leveling will have to happen. But luckily, there is an Auto-upgrade option I can turn on. Those who like the challenge and want to make adjustments to their gameplay as they go, I respect you a lot, but I could never do that.

Overall, the combat is fun to experience, and there is a hero for everyone. However, as someone who hadn't played the original, there was definitely an adjustment period as I tried to figure out everyone's skills and the best strategies. There was a lot of dying and not a lot of killing in those first few hours.

Score: 4/5

Related: Best Creatures in Gigantic

Performance

Gigantic: Rampage Edition is not demanding on your system. It runs well on my potato laptop as well as on my gaming PC, making it a perfect game to play while traveling with a lower-spec setup. If you're interested in a colorful MOBA 5v5 shooter reminiscent of Overwatch with its abilities, then it will be easy to get into Gigantic.

However, the game is having some pretty big server issues, which have been deterring both new and returning players from diving back into the fray. While server issues are a common thing online games have to deal with, it's not ideal for the game to be virtually unplayable only a few days into launch. I did have time to test out characters in the Practice Arena, but there are only so many training dummies and Motigas you can kill on one map before you get bored.

Score: 3/5

Verdict

While I love the way the game looks and plays, I would also love to be able to play it more without continuous server issues. This, along with the game now being buy-to-play, has really affected the reception to this relaunch. There is room for improvement, and I'm hoping they manage to do so with future updates, as I did have fun whenever I managed to get into a match.

[Disclosure: A free copy of the game was provided to PGG by the publisher for review purposes.]

If you want to play with your own setup, check out How to make a custom build in Gigantic on Pro Game Guides.