Gigantic: Rampage Edition Review

Gigantic appeared to be a distant memory after the servers were shut down and the game’s demise was announced in 2018 just a year after its release. After this, I never thought the game would see the light of day again but after some invite-only sessions back in 2023, there were some slight rumblings of a revival of the game. Then surprisingly the news came in February 2024 that Gigantic would not only be returning but repackaged as Gigantic: Rampage Edition with the servers being flicked back on.

This time the game would be looked after by the development team at Abstraction Games and published by Gearbox. Admittedly I was a bit miffed that this hasn’t launched as a free-to-play option but has instead gone for the paid entry route. This is a brave choice since the most successful games of this nature are usually not at any cost with paid cosmetics and battle passes propping up the revenue stream. The strategy may be different this time considering it is the second crack of the whip.

So What Is Gigantic & What’s Different?

By definition, this is a third-person MOBA hero shooter with a large and diverse roster of characters to choose from. It seems to bear similarities to games such as Overwatch and Valorant whilst taking its very own path with the modes and abilities on offer. 23 of the heroes you may be familiar with if you played the game in the past, but there are two brand new ones this time known as Roland and Kajir. All of the original maps remain with Picaro Bay and Heaven’s Ward introduced as new battlegrounds. The game mode Clash is back with an all-new Rush playlist that promises to be more accessible and fun to casual players and newcomers.

Players across both PC and consoles will be pleased to hear that Gigantic: Rampage Edition offers crossplay meaning you can link up with friends easily. The development team has also stated that free post-launch content will be coming to the game in future updates for those who invest in the game. A ranked mode has also been promised along with cosmetics further down the line. The game is available on Windows PC via Steam/Epic stores, Playstation4|5 and also Xbox One/Xbox Series X|S.

How Does It Play?

Admittedly I was going in blind with Gigantic: Rampage Edition, for some reason I didn’t play this back in 2017. By all accounts, the game is nearly identical and runs on the same engine as before. If it isn’t broken don’t fix it right? For those hardcore players of the past, they will undoubtedly be pleased that the formula of the game hasn’t changed. There is a short tutorial at the beginning which leads you into the fundamentals of the game, but after this, you’re on your own. Going straight into the game I selected the Rush mode, which appears to be a shorter version of Clash but with any character you select set at max rank with all abilities unlocked. This is a perfect option if you’re short on time or don’t want to invest in levelling up.

Sadly during my review, I had so many issues with matchmaking that I was half tempted to give up on several occasions. Often I’d be waiting a few minutes to be led into a game for one person not to connect to the server and then be thrown back to the main menu again. This resulted in me spending more time sitting in game menus than playing which is a problem, but one that can be resolved with some future fixes.

Graphics & Audio

Visually this game has aged quite well and I’m not sure if they have enhanced the graphics from the original. What we have is a warm and colourful experience that handles all the intensity on screen exceptionally well. Character design is diverse and unique with a range of male and female heroes all boasting different abilities that present well on screen during battle. Map design is also fantastic with a plethora of different arenas all presenting different angles and strategies to adapt to. Audio blends well with the atmosphere with no issues on the sound front.

Final Thoughts

Gigantic: Rampage Edition is a fun time with a bit of a learning curve to climb. Whilst I find the change to a paid entry rather than free-to-play a little baffling, it isn’t a huge cost to purchase and with the promise of more content for your money then it isn’t all doom and gloom. The connection issues to servers were really frustrating and honestly offputting but then the game had only just launched when I started this review. These issues are almost always resolved so I can give them the benefit of the doubt here.

If you’re a huge fan of the original game or just fancy a new shooter experience then I’d say it is worth the investment especially if this genre is your jam. If you played the last one to death or bounced off it back in 2017, then you won’t see much in the way of changes apart from a new mode and a few characters. But the gameplay loop is still the same satisfactory fast and fluid fun as it was 7 years ago.