The inaugral PAX South gaming convention is under way in San Antonio, TX. Clearly in its infancy stages, the smaller of the PAXes is predominately made up of lesser known developers. That is not to say there aren’t some indies here playing the role of say the larger triple A companies. Case in point with Seattle-based Motiga Games. Last year, in their backyard at PAX Prime 2014, Motiga revealed for the first time, Gigantic, a team-based action PC title.
Here in San Antonio, the general public is now getting their hands-on with Gigantic for the first time. The Motiga team have a large presence on the show floor as well as a home base on the second floor where they’re conducting many community panels, press events, and other social gatherings. Quite impressive for a small indie developer with a relatively, to-date, unknown title.
Gigantic is a team action 5v5 game where players battle it out on an objective-based map while fighting alongside a larger-than-life guardian. With bright vibrant colors that pop off the screen, Gigantic is a game that appeals to your senses immediately. However, it is more than just a pretty game with a bold title.
The game features a diverse set of characters that range from the heavy-duty juggernaut by the name of HK-206 to the acrobatic stealth character named Tripp. This weekend they have also announced two new characters: Mozo “a mischievous, wand-wielding magician” and the old sage, summoner Griselma. By the looks of their videos, the game also features lush battlegrounds for many a battle to take place. During our playthrough, we were introduced to the newly revealed Canyon map. With many paths and ledges to take aim from, the Canyon map was a natural fit for the turret-like abilities of HK-206.
The developers are quick to point out that Gigantic is quick to pick-up but difficult to master. With normal WASD controls and many hot-keys to fire power-ups, the game controlled very-well, even for a game in a closed alpha state. The action was fast-paced with a strong emphasis on team-based tactics. Players will have the ability to level up their characters on the fly, which will let them adjust their abilities to suite them better for the current maps and objectives.
While PAX South might not be brimming with many of the usual Triple A titles one would expect from a gaming convention of this size and price, Motiga Games is proving that indie developers can bring the muscle too. At first what appears to be a lot of eye-candy and sizzle, Gigantic is a deeper game with a wide variety of characters, earned abilities, and objective-based maps. The team at Motiga certainly appears to be throwing a boat-load of man-power and cash into getting their title out to the masses, the question will be does their game offer enough to seperate themselves from others in the genre.