Introduction
Playing GIGASWORD feels a bit like rediscovering a game from childhood; its pixel art and epic narrative tug at old memories of past adventures. But just as its hero strains beneath the immense sword that defines their quest, GIGASWORD itself is held back by its technical troubles. It’s an impressive debut for solo developer Jack Breen, full of heart and creativity, but one that sometimes buckles under the weight of its own ambition.
Premise
Set in a high-fantasy world, GIGASWORD is the story of Ezra, a young man who has lived a grueling life on the streets of Theonhart. The populace is at breaking point, plagued by famine and disease, leading to the city’s general Vearst mounting a siege on the towering Nestrium. Their goal: to slay the Nocturne, a race of statuesque owl folk who live within the Nestrium, and take the God Crystal, Gnosis, that lies within the tower. Waking up to see an ominous storm growing over the Nestrium, Ezra arrives too late, finding the Nocturnes slain and monsters now roaming the tower and surrounding countryside. Finding his friend Omari, a Nocturne who had cared for and mentored him over the years, he cradles him in his last moments. Ezra vows to take revenge against Vearst and his subordinates, taking up his murdered friend’s blade, the eponymous GIGASWORD, and enters the Nestrium.
The premise of GIGASWORD is a classic tale of revenge and prophecies, steeped in well-established tropes that feel right at home in this world and story. The main plot is also mirrored in Ezra’s personal journey of self-belief, as he comes to terms with his role as a hero, despite his humble origins and lack of confidence. He won’t have to face this undertaking on his own, as to both their surprise, Omari returns to guide Ezra as a spirit, encouraging Ezra in his moments of doubt and imparting sage advice.
The straightforward narrative, rich with lore, captures the energy of older RPG and adventure titles, and is well-paced for a game that surprised me with its scale. The interactions between characters, or Ezra’s moments of introspection, are written with a confidence that gives them a believable quality, helping make Ezra and his struggles more relatable. The one sticking point I have with GIGASWORD’s writing is that it continues to drop new lore right up to the last moments of the game, most of which felt wedged in where it could fit. I already had a firm idea of the game’s narrative and themes, and these later additions felt cumbersome and unnecessary.
Gameplay
On the surface, GIGASWORD is a 2D sidescrolling metroidvania game that wears its inspirations proudly on its broad blade, but it is that same weapon that adds an incredible amount of depth to the game’s combat, traversal, exploration, and puzzlesolving. When you first take control of Ezra, he is quick, can jump high, grab onto ledges, swim, crawl through narrow spaces, and has a long dodge roll. He is nimble to control, with precise controls and immediate responses to your inputs. But, he is unarmed, unable to fight against enemies, break down or remove barriers, or interact with certain objects and mechanisms within the Nestrium. This all changes the moment he picks up Omari’s GIGASWORD.
The colossal blade is as tall as Ezra, and requires him to wield it with both hands. In fact, it’s so heavy that the young man must drag it behind him on the floor. With the GIGASWORD in hand, Ezra can fight the menagerie of monstrosities that now infest the Nocturnes’ home, but at a price. He is slower, with a shorter dodge roll and jump, and is unable to crawl through small spaces, grab ledges, swim, or pick up other items. His attacks are slow, each one in the three-hit combo requiring him to wind up, with the slight input delay and purposeful animations translating the weight of each swing brilliantly. Ezra can also use the sword to push blocks, open certain doors, break certain walls and floors, as well as interact with other pieces of Nocturne engineering found throughout the Nestrium. Ezra can leave the sword in the ground or mechanism and pick it back up with a single button press, making the transition between gameplay styles nice and smooth.
It is this dual gameplay structure that is at the core of GIGASWORD’s design, and the way that it has been integrated into every facet of the game is nothing short of incredible. You are challenged, not just in how good you are at fighting and platforming, but in how you apply your wits in every situation. With nearly the entirety of the game taking place within the home of the Nocturne, all of whom seemed to have blades like the one Ezra now wields, it makes sense that so much would hinge on using it to get around. Throughout my playthrough, I kept having little “aha” moments, sudden revelations of what I could always do but hadn’t yet thought to try.
There is so much variety in the challenges that GIGASWORD has to offer, far more than solving the occasional sliding block puzzle or cutting your way through room after room of monsters. Some floors have interesting gimmicks, like having to navigate dark areas carrying a lantern that replaces your sword (don’t forget where you left it), and changing the water level to access different areas of the floor. Ezra will also need to collect different gemstones that slot into the GIGASWORD, letting him use certain pieces of Nocturne technology, like spring pads, to progress higher up the tower.
You can upgrade the GIGASWORD at save points dotted around each level, unlocking powerful attacks and spells to fill out your skillset. A metroidvania would not be complete without several new bits of equipment to collect along the way, and GIGASWORD makes great use of these, creating paths forward and backward to explore. There are several collectibles hidden throughout the Nestrium, many of which lie behind fake walls only distinguishable by a small crack. These include scrolls that hold more lore, and feathers that, when all have been collected on one level and offered to a save point statue, will extend your health by one point. I found a fair few of these on my travels, and felt richly rewarded for my curiosity and experimentation to reach certain locations, even discovering one of the floor’s secret bunnies, which will upgrade your help in exchange for a carrot found somewhere else on that same floor.
You might want some extra health, because GIGASWORD is no cakewalk! While enemy attacks are clearly telegraphed, battles can get hectic when the projectiles start flying or there are too many foes and not enough space to swing your mighty blade. There is a great selection of enemies as well, which all require a different approach when dealing with them, including armoured guards who can block your attacks, skeletal dogs that will chase you down, poisonous plants that shoot spores into the air, and tentacled eyeballs, to name but a few. The bosses of GIGASWORD are standout, and make good use of the myriad of abilities you gather. A personal favourite was a particular boss fight I had to do unarmed, leading to a fair bit of panic before finally working out what I had to do. Death means going back to the last save point you rested at, leaving the currency you have collected from enemies and chests where you died. Get back to it before dying again to retrieve it, a notable bit of souls-like DNA creeping in.
The game’s UI is neat and unobstrusive, with easy-to-navigate menu screens to check what collectibles and equipment you have, as well as view grid maps for each floor of the Nestrium, complete with collectible trackers and a map percentage. Boss and save rooms are highlighted in different colours from the rest of the maps, and rooms leading to other floors are marked with a coloured dot that corresponds to which floor it leads to.
Unfortunately, as I alluded to in the opening paragraph of this review, GIGASWORD is plagued by technical issues that mounted up over my 20-hour playthrough. While none of these were game-breaking, I experienced several different issues that included misplaced collision detection that blocked side paths, floor maps having inaccurate tracking and being partially revealed before I had explored them, and my dropped loot disappearing on several occasions. There was even a moment when my character sprite got stuck in a wall during a crawl section, forcing me to quit to the main menu and lose any progress I had made since my last save. These issues were not persistent, and GIGASWORD is far from unplayable, but I found them frustrating, casting a shadow over my time with the game. That frustration is compounded by the fact that I like so much about this game, from its innovative approach to traversal, combat, and puzzlesolving based around the titular Gigasword, to its creative boss fights and rewarding exploration.
Visuals
The majority of GIGASWORD’s pixel art is stunning, with highlights being many of the epic backgrounds you’ll see scrolling by as you explore, as well as the enemy and boss designs, all of which stand out and feel different enough from the usual slate of creatures. The world of GIGASWORD is alive with colour, despite being almost entirely concealed within the Nestrium. Each floor of the Nestrium has a style and colour palette, giving each its own identity and sense of place. The dank waterways at the base of the tower are a mix of deep blues and greens, with nature still finding a way to creep in between the chiseled stone, while the Lunarium feels like you are floating in space, so high up and far removed, surrounded by unfamiliar, austere architecture. Giant statues of Nocturnes brandishing their signature weapon can be found throughout, while others depict moments from their history and prophecies.
I would be remiss in not mentioning the animations of GIGASWORD, which constantly surprised me in their detail, smoothness, and execution. Each of Ezra’s attacks looks great, with a heft and weight that translates so well. What sold it all to me, though, was the screen shake that accompanies his plunging attack, quickly making it my favourite move in the game.
Audio
GIGASWORD has a great chiptune soundtrack that carries an often mystical, sometimes ominous tone throughout the game, very much in keeping with the narrative and setting. The Nestrium’s many floors each have their own track that reinforces their diverse design and aesthetic, along with their art direction and colour palette. Boss battles are where the music pops off, a clear shift from much of the rest that adds an intensity that stuck around even on my fourth or fifth attempt. There is a grandness that matches the towering nature of the Nestrium and Ezra’s quest that is very fitting.
There is no voice acting in GIGASWORD, with all dialogue appearing as text on screen, but clearly, a good time was had finding and implementing the crunchiest sound effects that could be found. Each of Ezra’s heavy swings is accompanied by a loud swoosh, and each successful hit is met with a satisfying crash. Enemies also get the sound treatment, the epitome of which is found in these giant skulls that protrude from the walls, firing giant lasers from their mouths that sound like a thunderstorm in a tin can! There is a bold roughness to the game’s sound design that I found endearing, but some may find it a bit jarring.
Conclusion
There’s something special about GIGASWORD. Beneath its technical flaws and occasional frustrations lies a game built with real care, a throwback that manages to feel both familiar and fresh. It’s rough around the edges, certainly, but every pixel and puzzle carries the mark of a creator swinging for something big. I genuinely enjoyed my time with it, even when its issues got in the way, and I hope future updates can smooth out the experience so more players can appreciate what’s here. Like its protagonist burdened by his colossal blade, GIGASWORD stumbles under its own weight, but still manages to stand tall in the end.
GIGASWORD is out now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series, and Nintendo Switch. There is also a demo, which we highlighted in our October issue of the GSC Demo Disc.
GIGASWORD was reviewed on PC using a controller.
We would like to thank Akupara Games for the review key.
