In line with the launch of Windows 10 today, we would like to introduce you to the new MOBA shooter GIGANTIC. At release, Gigantic will be exclusively playable on Windows 10 and Xbox One.
GIGANTIC from Motiga is currently still in Alpha. With its stylish toon look, the MOBA shooter aims to shake up the genre on console and PC with new gameplay mechanics. Instead of towers and inhibitors that need to be destroyed, everything revolves around the so-called “Guards”. At the start of each match, teams composed of 5 players each choose a Guardian. Currently, the Griffin and the Naga are available for selection. You can think of them as a mobile inhibitor. The goal of each match is to protect your Guard and defeat the opponent’s.
No jungle, instead there is “Clash” in Gigantic
Instead of Tarzan action in the jungle, there is a marathon run around the so-called summoning circles. These are magical places that provide your Guardian with power and grant your team a buff. At these points, you also summon creatures that fight alongside you.
The final phase of each game is called “Clash” by the developers. This is the moment when the team’s Guardians are supplied with enough energy from the summoning circles and kills of opponents, and rise for the final blow. The Guardians make their way to the center of the battlefield, where they are supported by their team and the creatures from the summoning circles. Targeted attacks on the Guardian’s heart lead to a quick end and a well-deserved victory.
Toon-World Graphics and Third-Person
Gigantic comes with flashy toon graphics. This special look is also known as cel shading. It is a technique for “non-photorealistic rendering of 3D computer graphics“. The game is played from a third-person perspective, similar to the MOBA Smite. Also, the number of abilities for the heroes is typically limited for the genre. Nevertheless, additional abilities are unlocked over the course of a match as your team levels up.
Microsoft on board as publisher
Gigantic is developed by the independent studio Motiga. This development studio was founded in 2010 in Bellevue by Chris Chung, former CEO of NCsoft West and Chief Strategy Officer at Trion Worlds. Further prominent members at Motiga include Creative Director James Phinney, Lead Designer for Starcraft, Guild Wars, and State of Decay. The 46-member team around Chris Chung also consists of capable individuals who have worked on games like StarCraft II, Guild Wars 2, Wildstar, Borderlands, and Mass Effect. Despite the star-studded lineup, the American studio Microsoft has come on board as publisher. Motiga comments on the decision as follows:
… als we developed the game, it quickly became clear to us that it would be great to have Gigantic playable on both PC and console. If you want to develop a great game for PC and console, a partnership with Microsoft is simply the logical consequence …
Taste Gigantic! Taste it for free
So first of all, Gigantic is set to be released as a free-to-play title. Information regarding microtransactions has so far been withheld. Whether the business model will follow titles like League of Legends and Dota 2, offering skins and various cosmetics for sale, remains unclear. Content updates at regular intervals are also planned. However, whether these will be chargeable and how much they would cost in that case is still unknown. In any case, it should be possible to enjoy Gigantic without having to pay anything.
Gigantic is expected to be released in fall 2015. For a closed beta test in August, you can sign up here on the website gogigantic.com.
Marcel says: GIGANTIC leaves me with a really solid first impression. A colorful mix of shooter and MOBA elements makes Gigantic a notable title that could bring fresh wind to the MOBA genre this year. The altered winning conditions with the Guards give the game a far more dynamic character than static Nexus brawling. Moreover, I’m really into this comic graphics style, which is not like WoW. But speaking of Blizzard: When I first saw Gigantic, I immediately thought of Overwatch. Not Smite. Of Overwatch!
While your Windows 10 is downloading (I know, for some it takes a little longer until the download starts), feel free to share your impressions of the game with me.
