For gamers who may have missed the boat during Gigantic‘s initial run back in 2017, Gigantic: Rampage Edition is a second chance to experience a MOBA that offers some spectacularly fast-paced and almost MMO-like team-based PVP. While the game’s original release was free-to-play with microtransactions, the new and improved Rampage Edition is a paid release that allows all of the game’s content to be freely unlocked through gameplay.
Game Rant was given an early look at two of Rampage Edition‘s new maps along with the new condensed Rush Mode that distills the game’s mechanics into bite-sized sessions. We’ve also been provided with an exclusive trailer showcasing Picaro Bay and Heaven’s Ward, courtesy of Abstraction Games and Gearbox Publishing.
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Gigantic: Rampage Edition’s New Maps Are A Perfect Introduction to the Game
New Map: Picaro Bay
The first of the two new maps we experienced was Picaro Bay, a vibrant seaside town inhabited by competing pirate crews, and their squabbling eventually has some impact on the level’s layout as the match progresses. Picaro Bay is a strong display of Gigantic‘s emphasis on interesting level design, and it heavily leverages the verticality among rooftops and the street level to encourage ambushes and even some mild platforming. In Clash mode, once a Guardian has been reduced to its final heart, the pirate ship hosting the E capture point will be set ablaze by cannon fire from offshore, resulting in some shifts to the map layout reminiscent of the Battlefield series’ evolving maps. While the rooftops and courtyards seem to favor ranged heroes, we found plenty of chokepoints where a melee character can be quite effective.
Picaro Bay works particularly well in Rush mode since the level’s verticality remains; only some additional paths and capture points are missing. Even in this short-form mode, Picaro Bay was a consistently interesting map to navigate, and its geometry was just as central to how we approached combat encounters as our character choices were.
New Map: Heaven’s Ward
The second new map is Heaven’s Ward, and its industrialized cyberpunk cityscape contrasts heavily with the previous sunny island village. As a dense urban landscape, Heaven’s Ward is filled with interconnected alleys and streets that are prime for sneaky playstyles and flanking tactics, and there’s a solid balance between sniper-friendly sightlines and geometry to hide behind. Beyond the gameplay, it’s also just a visually striking level that left us occasionally stopping to take in the scenery admiring the colors, animations, and background traffic in the skies above.
One of Heaven’s Ward’s more memorable features is a series of abyssal areas in the map’s center, where many of Gigantic‘s knockback-equipped heroes can likely be found fishing for a cheeky instant kill. The map’s combination of winding streets and deadly drops kept us focused on memorizing the layout and landmarks, and we often felt rather clever for outfoxing pursuing enemies as we flanked around from an alternate route.
These maps were in various stages of completion before Gigantic‘s closure back in 2018, and Abstraction Games did a commendable job of realizing Motiga’s original vision. Both of these new maps are excellent showcases of what makes Gigantic unique: its intricate and dynamic level design and the team play that comes as a direct result of the level design. Despite this intricacy, the maps still manage to remain deceptively symmetrical. Although there are plenty of visual changes from North to South, a glance at the minimap shows that both teams are actually on a very even footing from the start.
Gigantic: Rampage Edition’s New Rush Mode Is Accessible Instant Gratification
Rather than attacking and defending a static structure like League of Legends‘ Nexuses, Gigantic‘s matches revolve around the titular gigantic living Guardians. The core gameplay loop involves capturing various points around the map to build up energy and trigger a Rampage that makes the opposing guardian vulnerable to damage. Ultimately, this push and pull between the capture points and the assault on the Guardian means players must routinely consider offensive and defensive options, leading to more thoughtful PVP gameplay than a cut-and-dry deathmatch.
In the new Rush Mode, Guardians have their health pool reduced to one heart compared to the three health bars players must deplete in the standard Clash mode. Additionally, map layouts are adjusted to be more condensed in this mode, so players are often funneled into tighter spaces along more predictable routes. Players can also swap heroes mid-match in Rush mode, so team compositions can change drastically through the match as players counter each other or experiment with new strategies. As the match progresses, characters will automatically upgrade their skills along a chosen preset build, so players can focus entirely on the moment-to-moment gameplay rather than meta-strategy.
Overall, it’s both a highly accessible and straightforward mode that feels like a great introduction to the game’s mechanics, and it also stands on its own as a potential favorite mode for players seeking a more “instant action” approach to MOBA gameplay.
Gigantic: Rampage Edition Is An All-Around Upgrade
Gigantic: Rampage Edition features many small details that are highly appreciated during matches and even outside gameplay. There’s a strong emphasis on feedback to the player, such as floating text above characters describing virtually anything happening to them, including fall damage or buffs and debuff applications, which is a particular boon to support players seeking to maximize their buff coverage.
This feedback extends to the post-match performance metrics, which award each player a letter grade. Playstyles are categorized with actions like taking damage, dealing damage, or applying buffs, and players can easily tell if they are performing above or below average for their preferred playstyle. It’s been confirmed that a ranked mode will be arriving in the game at some point after launch, so these assessments will go a long way toward preparing players for more high-stakes matchups.
There’s also a massive amount of customization options between matches that are microtransaction-free and instead are unlocked through regular gameplay. On top of this being a refreshing and player-friendly approach to MOBA cosmetics, it also makes these cosmetics feel like meaningful progression milestones similar to how Helldivers 2‘s warbond system keeps players motivated for the next cape or helmet unlock. These cosmetics range from fancy particle effects for the initial “jump” into the match to intricate character skins that aren’t merely recolors but rather change the model entirely.
So far, Gigantic: Rampage Edition looks to be a worthwhile addition to any MOBA players’ rotation, and it’ll be interesting to see how the game lands in April thanks to its new lease on life.
Gigantic: Rampage Edition launches April 9 on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and Xbox One.
