libraryofbabel

GIGASWORD takes the prize for least satisfying, least comfortable pogoing I've ever experienced in a game. Each time I had to bounce off something, I felt like the distance I got from the pogo was entirely out of my control. I guess that's on me because why did I expect more when the central gimmick is a large sword that's awkward to use, but man. Also, why does a 2025 game feature *multiple* rooms whose platforming focus is just jumping from one length of ladder to another differently-sized ladder over and over? Are we that beholden to retro games that we have to recreate something that uninteresting and frustrating just because it's how games used to be?

I'm convinced the high marks this game has received are based solely on the art style (which is admittedly super cute). The aesthetics are lovely, but the gameplay doesn't live up to the looks. What you're getting is a clunky, substandard Zeldalike with a smattering of mini-games (ranging from okay to frustrating, though you at least have the option to skip them) and some very light puzzle solving. The most frustrating aspects for me were the linearity (no exploration at all, just go here, then go there) and the incessant text boxes. You get maybe two minutes of gameplay in between text and cut scenes, so there's no opportunity to really get into sort of rhythm. Yeah, it's trying to tell a story, but I eventually got to a point where I was mashing buttons to get through conversations as quickly as possible because I was tired of not actually playing a game. There was potential here with the whole storybook and 2D/3D thing, but nah.