It is incredibly hard to keep up with all the live-service multiplayer titles dropping nowadays. As everyone is trying to be the next big hit, few end up standing out among the crowd for more than a month at a time, but Gigantic: Rampage Edition is a bit different from your regular multiplayer title.
It has already proven it can build a loyal and sizeable fan base with its interesting mix of third-person shooting and MOBA mechanics. Gigantic first launched in 2017, then was shut down around a year afterwards before being brought back over half a decade later, surprising and rewarding those patient fans who always had hope.
I can't claim to be one of those fans. The first time I touched Gigantic was for this review, but Abstraction Games' MOBA immediately sets itself apart with its charming visual style. Cartoonish, vibrant and fun, each map, character, and effect is very well-made, whether it's a something as simple as a sword swing or the epic clashes between the two ancient beasts that essentially act as your base.
No matter what game mode you're playing, your goal in Gigantic: Rampage Edition is to protect your big friend and end the enemy's. To do that, you can't just run up and start shooting, and will instead need to either kill enemies or steal power from certain points across the map. It's an interesting way to push players towards the action rather than basing the game around the traditional MOBA structure of taking down a tower, then a bigger tower, then a beast that acts as a big tower, before finally just winning.
Gigantic's games are therefore fast paced and frenetic. You leap from your starting platform and usually have to wait no more than a minute before you're head-to-head with a group of enemies. Because of this, matches usually run quite short. Compared to something like Dota 2, where you've got to be willing to commit around an hour, you can be in and out of Gigantic in thirty minutes maximum.
On the one hand, this allows Gigantic to differentiate itself from its competitors, and it clearly works for a good amount of people, but on the other hand, it can make the game feel a tad shallow. The depth in the map isn't there, nor does it feel like the long-term strategies of a team can really play out, as you're constantly just throwing yourself at the enemy team without a moment to pause and think about what you actually want to do. A treat for the eyes but quite numbing for the brain.
There is a lot of depth in the heroes that you get to play as, though. In terms of their design and gameplay, Gigantic has a great and diverse roster, where you really can match your playstyle around the hero that you pick, building your skills to go down one of two paths or just going with your own flow. My personal favourite was a rather rotund alchemist called Uncle Sven, who can heal allies with his potions while also flinging explosive bottles at enemies that set them on fire. Each hero has their own unique offense and defence options and while a lot of them do seem similar after a while, it allows you to try out different heroes without feeling completely lost. Something I was particularly drawn to was the movement of each hero. The models and the way that they make their way around the maps always feels very unique.
Unfortunately, aside from bot matches, I've not been able to experience too much of Gigantic: Rampage Edition. Not for want of trying, might I add. The game has had some bad server issues since launch, and while they are being worked on by Abstraction Games, for those who bought the game right away, the matches have been unstable at best, with random people disconnecting and dropping out through no fault of their own. It's an unfortunate start, especially when there are a lot of high expectations from nostalgic fans.
Gigantic: Rampage Edition is a fun third-person shooter MOBA mix, but its ability to leave a lasting impression will vary. Its matchmaking is quick and full of action, but a lack of depth can often make games feel repetitive, when the key to a good multiplayer game is usually having repetitive mechanics but making each match feel unique. It's certainly not a bad game: the hero designs and overall look are good to great, but despite its name, it feels largely like a much smaller fish in a pond full of leviathans.
