GigaBash

GigaBash is a love letter to Kaiju cinema, assuming that a love letter can involve throwing buildings at each other. Raucous, entertaining, and brilliantly designed, GigaBash deserves to stomp its way into players' hearts around the globe.

GigaBash is quite straightforward in what it proposes large-scale battles between monsters and other typical figures of the genre and offers very simple, but very satisfying systems. If, on the one hand, it offers little content to keep the single-player player engaged for a long time, it is in the shared fun (online or local) where the game reveals its great strength.

GigaBash is not be a spectacular brawler, it still does a fantastic job of capturing the feel of a bygone era of monster movie whilst also playing out as a fun multiplayer title. It faces a tough battle in an oversaturated modern market where online is concerned, but as a local multiplayer title, it could easily maintain a healthy shelf life.

There is a lot about GigaBash that speaks to me as a lifelong kaiju fan. The visuals, the Titan designs, the pick-up-and-play ease of the controls, the level variety, the lore, it’s all top-notch and easy to gush about. If you can consistently get three other people to join you locally in the action, you’re going to get a lot out of this game. If that’s not realistic for you, know that it can still be a pretty fun time even if you’re not getting the optimal experience.

In the end, GigaBash is a game that's loads of fun if you're playing with local friends. Even if you don't partake in the minigames, the combat is deeper than expected in a fighting game like this, so you'll spend more than a few rounds playing with others. It doesn't have much going for it if you choose to play solo or are trying to get online, but as long as you have a group ready for a get-together, GigaBash fits perfectly in a party-style rotation.

If you put 40 meter tall monsters in a fully destructible environment and have them duke it out, you're in for a good time no matter what and this party game gets that stuff right. However, to really get the most out of GigaBash, you'll need a sofa full of mates to play it with.

While GigaBash's core gameplay systems of brawling are solid, everything surrounding that experience - the online component, content offerings, roster - are underwhelming when compared to contemporaries.

GigaBash doesn’t try to do anything particularly new, but it doesn’t really matter. It’s a game that’s easy to pick up, resulting in an accessible brawler that’s not only pleasing on the eyes, but also a riot to play. Mastering each monster on offer is a joy that’s only rivalled by picking other players up and throwing them across the screen, or gathering enough energy so you can grow to epic proportions for a short while. Needless to say, if the idea of battling friends and family while levelling cities appeals to you, GigaBash is worth a look. Well, as long as you can stomach its price.

Multiplayer is undoubtedly the game's main draw. Supporting up to four players, you've got free-for-all, 2v2 team battles, while Mayhem Mode – which is sadly not available online – introduces minigames, including classics like The Floor is Lava and boss fights. Our personal favourite is Rampage, which sees players racing to destroy as many buildings as possible for points, though there’s plenty of other options. This all adds some necessary variety and if you can assemble three other players, GigaBash is a great time that comes recommended.