Giants: Citizen Kabuto Demo

If dictionaries and experts in the field are to be trusted, video games are a combination of code, artwork, and a bit of scribbling to act as a placeholder for the story. Sure, there may be exceptions to the rule, but they are rare and no one really holds the industry to very high standards as a whole. Some developers choose to dismiss such concerns entirely and just focus on creating something fun, which is exactly the recipe everyone should follow from time to time.

Giants: Citizen Kabuto is a one-of-a-kind project developed by Planet Moon Studios, tailored after no one’s definition of what a video game should be like. Genre-wise, the game is a third/first-person shooter, real-time strategy, racing, platformer, action-adventure, albeit not all of them at once. If you decide to play the campaign, however, all of these make an appearance at some point and the gameplay fluctuates wildly between them.

Speaking of the campaign, the main story is split into three chapters and each one of it allows you to play as one of the three races involved in the conflict: the Meccaryns, the Sea Reapers, and the giant himself, Kabuto. Whether you run around blasting everything with futuristic rifles, or crush your enemies under your giant feet, fun is always part of the deal.

The world hosting all the action is actually some sort of alien planet, called simply ‘The Island’. Since it is a fictional world somewhere far away from anything resembling Earth, the designers basically had a free pass when it comes to the environment and the creatures inhabiting it. Tall mountains, glittering oceans, and improbable fauna all work together to provide you with quite the unique experience, thanks to the beautiful graphics and the rich color palette.

A lot of work went into the voice acting and the characters that are part of the action, which makes for some memorable cutscenes. However, the fun can be extended thanks to the multiplayer mode, which is about as innovative and unique as the rest of the gameplay. The players get the chance to play as either of the three races, which usually results in epic wars and entertaining battles.

Giants: Citizen Kabuto remains one of the most original releases in the video game industry, with very few other titles coming close to it when it comes to gameplay and the general experience. Hence, if you do not mind the outdated graphics at this point in time, the game is definitely worthy of a shot, with regret being the only thing missing from the list of possible outcomes.