The PlayStation 5 edition of GIGASWORD stakes its claim on a single mechanical conceit that intrigues: the sword is not just for combat, it is the game. That conceit gives Ezra’s climb of the Nestrium an immediate identity, because the blade’s mass is woven into exploration, puzzle solving and fight rhythm. The opening premise – humans desperate for the God Crystal Gnosis, a tower raid gone wrong, and an awakening that threatens reality – provides a suitably operatic backdrop without ever overwhelming the core loop; the narrative provides motive and occasional sombre texture while the sword remains the game’s central language.
Mechanically, the title wears its influences openly but twists them in welcome ways. Carrying the GIGASWORD trades mobility for brute utility: it opens doors, weighs down plates and becomes a platform in its own right, while dropping it grants Ezra freer movement and new platforming options. That give-and-take creates clever setpieces where combat and traversal bleed into one another, and several of the tower’s puzzles feel smartly designed around that balance. At the same time, the very thing that makes the game memorable can also slow its tempo – some sections demand precise timing when the blade’s inertia is at play, and those moments can feel punitive rather than rewarding if patience runs thin.
On a systems level the game mostly delivers, but it is not immune to friction. Controls are serviceable and generally intuitive: swings, stabs, and the heavier telegraphed moves register in ways that make you consider each exchange. The save and checkpoint flow, however, leans toward conservative design; respawn and menu interactions sometimes require extra confirmation and that interrupts momentum at inconvenient moments. A few technical wrinkles – like a few small map misflags and missing items – have the practical effect of fragmenting runs rather than breaking them, but they do subtract from the overall polish.
Visually the game does a lot with pixel work and layered backgrounds, making the Nestrium feel vast and atmospherically laden. The sprite work gives monsters distinct silhouettes and the environments communicate danger and history without needing pages of exposition. The soundtrack supports the action capably, pairing energetic beats with more brooding tracks when exploration tilts to dread. Still, the UI and mapping tools are leaner than they should be for a game that rewards careful exploration; the lack of a robust fast-travel solution amplifies backtracking in a way that will test patience for completionists.
The writing and pacing aim for weight and consequence: famine, divine temptation, and a creeping menace color the proceedings, and the dialogue and beats are stronger when they let the world breathe instead of rushing toward spectacle. That said, the introductory sequences spend time setting stakes and atmosphere before the tower’s full momentum lands, which means players eager for nonstop action might feel the tempo dips early on. Where the narrative succeeds is in giving the climb purpose – every door opened and secret uncovered feels invested in the stakes rather than being an arbitrary collectible.
In sum, GIGASWORD on PlayStation 5 is a distinctive indie metroidvania that earns its place by turning an ostentatious weapon into a versatile gameplay axis. Its strengths lie in design cohesion, atmospheric presentation and the satisfying intellectual exercise of balancing weight and motion. Its shortcomings – occasional technical blemishes, sometimes punitive precision demands, and a sparse mapping/fast-travel system – keep it from being wholly frictionless. For players who enjoy deliberate puzzles, environmental thinking and a game that asks them to modulate force as much as finesse, Studio Hybrid’s tower is well worth the climb; those seeking a relentlessly fluid, combat-first run may find the blade’s gravity more limiting than liberating.
Score: 7.2/10
Press Play Media 