GIGASWORD Review: Heavier Than it Looks | The Gamerheads Podcast

Platform reviewed: Steam

Also on: PC (Steam), Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S

Price: $14.99

GIGASWORD is a side scrolling 2D puzzle action metroidvania game where I played as Ezra,  a thief in the city trying to survive, when the human population is on the brink of starvation. I was tasked with ascending the ancient tower in search of a crystal called Gnosis. Helping me was the Gigasword, the titular weapon of the game, a massive sword about the size of Ezra. Wielding the giant sword is somewhat of a burden on your character which plays into the puzzle aspect of the game. I was able to drop my sword allowing me to jump higher, swim easier, and crawl into smaller places when I left the Gigasword behind. The problem of leaving the sword behind is that it left me defenseless against enemies as well as being blocked behind doors that required the Gigasword as a key to get to new areas.

I thought the game created a nice balance between enriching combat and puzzles that make you think how you will get from point A to point B. The fact of splitting Ezra from the sword also gives a sense of almost playing two different characters: one, the brute warrior of the tower and the other nimble thief of the city.

I found Ezra an intriguing character. A proverbial “fish out of water” when it comes to the burden that is placed on him at the beginning of the game, he lacks the trust in himself when it comes to the task of saving the world. I can’t blame that guy for having these thoughts though, the large burden in a task for saving the world when shortly before he was stealing food from guards. There is a sense of irony to his fate though, the heavy weight on his shoulders with the task ahead as well as the literal weight given to him by the Gigasword.

The fact of splitting Ezra from the sword also gives a sense of almost playing two characters: one, the brute warrior of the tower and the other a nimble thief of the city.

There are many secrets I found while exploring the tower as well. Tucked away in corners of the map I would find small cracks in the walls, which I was able to break with the Gigasword, revealing large hidden areas of the tower usually resulting in an upgrade to my mana or health. These could also lead me to chests filled with the currency of the game, ore. The ore is used to upgrade my Gigasword allowing me to do additional combos and abilities with the sword. A favourite of mine was when I had full health using the Gigasword would lay down an energy wave dealing damage to enemies that got in its way.

These upgrades could be purchased at the checkpoints I found throughout the game, where I could also save my progress and turn in feathers to increase my health. A problem I had was the scarcity of these checkpoints., When I died I would lose the ore I had on hand. However, I could recover the ore I dropped, similar to how souls work in Dark Souls. That said, dying far from a checkpoint often made the long trek back frustrating, especially when I would sometimes die again before reaching it. I lost a large amount of ore this way.. This wouldn’t be as frustrating as I have definitely had this issue in souls games before. But the fact that upgrades cost over 600 ore to get can be frustrating, especially when I essentially have to start over collecting the ore.

There is a sense of irony to his fate though, the heavy weight on his shoulders with the task ahead as well as the literal weight given to him by the Gigasword.

I got to talk to Jack Breen, the sole developer of GIGASWORD at PAX East 2025 where I got to preview the game. We chatted a bit about his inspiration for the game. A big inspiration was Zelda and I could definitely see the inspiration when playing the game. The puzzles he has made are smart and well thought out. I have definitely been stuck on a few for a while before having an eureka moment, harkening back to being stuck in the water temple in Ocarina of Time. Jack did an awesome job with the music of GIGASWORD as well. The “chiptune” like music definitely gave me some Castlevania vibes that blended well with the ancient tower setting.

Grade A-

GIGASWORD is an amalgamation of many games that have come before, but allows itself to be its own thing in new and creative ways. Albeit some frustrating areas that caused me to have to circle back a few times to get to where I need to be or allow myself to upgrade my sword. These frustrations were small and can’t overshadow the complexity and attention to detail when it comes to creating a successful puzzle action game like GIGASWORD.

Review key provided by Akupara Games