2017's Gigantic was a fun MOBA experience while it lasted; the roster of heroes was fun and unique, the main Clash mode put a cool spin on the format, and each match played out in that sweet spot of "not too long, but not too short either." It was poised to make a decent disruption in a then-crowded scene…but unfortunately, that disruption never came. Within a year, the game was shut down, lost to time, and thought to be forgotten.
Enter Abstraction, a studio known for restoration projects like Halo: The Master Chief Collection and Mass Effect: Legendary Edition. With the backing of Gearbox Publishing and a partner in Arc Games, the team has brought back the competitive MOBA in a big way through Gigantic: Rampage Edition. Whether or not the game can stick around this time remains to be seen, but at the onset the game is still a ton of fun to play.
The main gameplay mode of the original release, Clash, remains in Gigantic: Rampage Edition – teams will gather power in order to summon their Guardian and incapacitate the opposing Guardian, which can then be attacked for a brief period of time. First Guardian brought to zero health will result in a win for the opposite team. The large roster of characters fill all manner of expected roles, from mages to melee characters, attackers to healers, and more.
In trying different characters in each match, a few emerged as early favorites. HK-207 and his long-range assaults would come up clutch in big moments, particularly when my Guardian was activated. Ramsay is an ultra-powerful character up front, with devastating melee attacks that can take down an enemy before they have a chance to react. The Margrave, meanwhile, is a tank's tank capable of absorbing a ton of damage before getting killed. These are the characters I got to really experiment with, though – there are still over 20 to check out, which include some long-range mage attackers I've got my eye on.
Playing Clash mode feels like getting back on a bicycle for the first time in years, as I was able to jump right in and enjoy it with little issue. While the game looks like it did during its original run, those graphics are enhanced for modern consoles and really make the screen pop. Each match I played was technically crisp and clean, with very few issues regarding framerate or visual fidelity. The few times I did see some hiccups were in moments where entire teams were unleashing attacks all at once, which filled the screen with flashes and colors and slowed down my PC for a few seconds, but other than that, there were no game-breaking bugs.
The major new addition for this new Gigantic: Rampage Edition is Rush mode, which condenses the entire Clash mechanic into a ten-minute match rather than a 25-30-minute affair, and that shortened time frame comes with some extra perks. For one thing, I can change my hero on the fly during a battle, which allows me to switch up strategies at my discretion. I appreciate this choice, as it makes playing with as many heroes as possible a reality. This switcheroo keeps me on my toes, as I never know if my opponents will switch things up on me, too.
The other big change regards leveling up—specifically, you don't have to anymore because this mode lets every character start at the maximum level 10. This also unlocks all of their abilities, which gives you access to a character's full kit right from the starting gun. This gives me much more firepower as the match begins, and if I'm coming in with a team of players, we can coordinate our attacks to deal incredible damage.
I loved what I played of Rush mode, as the emphasis on speedy attacks and quick location claims opened my eyes to wholly different wants to play this game. Perhaps that Beckett has a cool gun move I didn't know about before, or Lord Knossos is more than just his throwing spear. I can figure that out now, quickly, thanks to Rush mode. I dare say this mode could be the boon that keeps Gigantic afloat this time around.
Gigantic wasn't very successful when it first launched in 2017, but it still had the glimmer of a good idea packed in there somewhere. Thanks to this new Rampage Edition in 2024, Abstraction finds itself with a potential massive hit on its hands. Between the familiarity of the game when compared to the original launch, the brand-new Rush mode which speeds the entire game up, and a clear roadmap of things to come, Gigantic might just find the opening it needs to become a smash hit. Based on the few hours I've played so far, there's a Gigantic amount of fun to be had.
