Spirit Mancer
Spirit Mancer
Game
Game2025
GIGASWORD
Developer Studio Hybrid
Balance the weight of the GIGASWORD, battling between brain and brawn. Solve intricate puzzles, discover covert chambers, and slash through foes as Ezra fights to reach the top of the Nestrium and recover the God Crystal within. Can he restore the world's coherency before it's too late? From the Steam store page
179 reactions from 4 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky, Mastodon, Lemmy) · newest Nov 4, 2026 · last updated Nov 5, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
77
LovedLoved
92 positive · 27 negative
95% range 69–84%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 92 | 27 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 17 | 1 | 34 |
| Mastodon * | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| Lemmy * | 0 | 0 | 1 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
Steam's own rating
Mostly Positive
96 of 124 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What players are saying
79% recommend · 92 yes, 24 no
Counted from the reviewers’ own thumbs up/down on the 116 English Steam reviews we collected, not by the AI. Valve’s all-language rating: Mostly Positive (126 of 161 positive).
Players praise the game's art, music, and core mechanic of a weighty sword. [1][2][3] Some reviewers find the progression tedious due to backtracking and lack of fast travel. [4][5][6] A few players report bugs that affected their experience. [7][8][6]
Liked
Representative posts
- [16]
I really want to like this game. I really, really do. The 8-bit music and the pixel art lured me in. But it's so, so, SO boring. It's criminal how boring this game is. You see how slow and terrible your character moves and attacks, thinking "ok, we're gonna get some movement and combat upgrades, so he's gonna start handling great, get a double jump, dash, faster attacks, cool combos, or something, right? …
- [3]
GIGASWORD is both a great metroidvania and a great homage to classic action games. My favorite thing about this game is how it makes the weight of the titular sword feel legitimate - so many action games have their characters swing around giant swords with reckless abandon. In GIGASWORD, carrying the sword lowers your jump height. It prevents you from being able to swim. It feels WEIGHTY, in a way that is very, very …
- [7]
Fun little indie game. It's more a Zeldavania than a Metroidvania seeing as you will be solving room-sized puzzles and collecting small keys more than you'll be finding new upgrades. Most of the progression-blocking "upgrades" are kind of lame anyway (with the exception of the grapple hook). The good - combat, graphics, and music. Very Shovel Knight-esque. The bad - lots of bugs. During my playthrough in Dec 2025, I …
- [4]
While I have overall enjoyed the experience of playing the game, there is certainly some merit to the criticisms that I have seen raised about it. I'm going to start with some of my grievences for this review. The things I don't like: Backtracking through maps with very sluggish mobility is not entirely enjoyable, and has resulted in my needing to take breaks, come back when I have the energy to go secret and …
- [1]
I don't think some of the negative reviews on here are completely fair. I'm an avid metroidvania enjoyer, and I have been having a lot of fun with this one. I'll try to keep it brief. Pros: Solo dev that managed to make an incredibly charming game with both great music and solid pixel art style. The music and some of the design choices are very reminiscent of older Megaman titles. Lots of things to explore and …
Summarised from 34 of the 177 public posts collected about this game; every point cites the posts behind it ([n] opens the post) and the split is counted from the posts’ own ratings. Updated Oct 13, 2026. How summaries are made
RottenBot@rottenbot · automated account
79% of the 116 Steam reviewers we collected recommend GIGASWORD. The complaint that keeps coming up: tedious backtracking without fast travel. Deal-breaker or nitpick?
Reactions
60 of 179 · most liked firstAt the moment, I cannot recommend this game to others even though I am, for the most part, enjoying myself and think this game has some good things going for it. There are a lot of aspects of the game that feel far more polished than others, and unfortunately the structure of the game feels amateurish at this point in the game. After beating the first boss, I can say that so far it's been little more than getting keys to unlock doors that themselves contain more keys and locked doors. Beat a…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Happy #Silksong Day everybody!! If you're craving even more metroidvania goodness, my game GIGASWORD, which I've spent the last 6 years making, comes out October 2nd! I hope you guys are excited!!❤️ #gamedev #indiedev #pixelart
positive · AI labelView post →⚔️GIGASWORD IS OUT TODAY⚔️ 7 years. That's how long I've been making this game. I can't thank you guys enough for all the support you've shown me over the years.❤️ CHECK IT OUT HERE! store.steampowered.com/app/1885930/... #gamedev #indiedev #pixelart @akuparagames.bsky.social
positive · AI labelView post →Today was the Secret Sauce Showcase with a copious amount of new & creative indies. Alabaster Dawn continues to look incredible. Neon Inferno, Gigasword, Demon Bluff, Worship, Angeline Era, Deskop Explorer, Gemporium and Lost Twins all caught my attention. Watch it and see what you like!
neutral · AI labelView post →Gigasword is 10/10 game, no notes.
positive · AI labelView post →Pixel-art metroidvania game 'GIGASWORD' is now set to launch on PC, Switch, PS5, PS4 and Xbox on November 13. Steam page: store.steampowered.com/app/1885930 #steam #indiegame #pixelart #metroidvania #indiegames
neutral · AI labelView post →I really want to like this game. I really, really do. The 8-bit music and the pixel art lured me in. But it's so, so, SO boring. It's criminal how boring this game is. You see how slow and terrible your character moves and attacks, thinking "ok, we're gonna get some movement and combat upgrades, so he's gonna start handling great, get a double jump, dash, faster attacks, cool combos, or something, right? .......right????" Nope! What you see is what you get. It never changes. None of your…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →There's a possible good game in here, but it's frustrating more often than not. In the grand scheme of things, there's certainly worse Metroidvanias than GIGASWORD. Some of them I've even given a thumbs up, with the necessary warnings. But ultimately as many things as this game does right, it does many more just badly enough to tarnish the entire experience. The game is at its strongest when it's being a puzzle platformer. None of the puzzles are particularly hard, but when done well they do…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Solve intricate puzzles, discover covert chambers, and slash through foes as Ezra fights to reach the top of the Nestrium and recover the God Crystal within. Learn more in our full review of GIGASWORD: somanygames.co.uk/review/gigas... @akuparagames.bsky.social
neutral · AI labelView post →GIGASWORD is a game where you can straight up bounce on it #gamedev #indiedev #pixelart #metroidvania
positive · AI labelView post →The Trails remake is my last big game of 2025, so after that, I'll be focusing on indies for the rest of the year (and in January). Here's an updated list of what I'll be playing: Windswept Possessor(s) Ender Lilies Ender Magnolia Gigasword Hades II Marvel Cosmic Invasion Terminator 2D: No Fate
neutral · AI labelView post →PAX East has come & gone so it’s time for the team the award our games of the show! @djstormageddon.com pick for PAX East 2025 Game of Show is GIGASWORD by @studiohybrid.bsky.social. This game is such a fresh take on a metroidvania with unique puzzles, fun combat & platforming & one big damn sword.
neutral · AI labelView post →I love the idea, I love the animations, and I love the art. But I can't recommend the game. The environmental puzzles are long and boring, and the reward system is nonexistent. You do puzzles and are rewarded with more puzzles, then you have to backtrack across large swaths of the game with no direction only to do more puzzles. Upgrades are few and far between, and most are handled by purchasing them with gold. Gold that is quite grindy to obtain. My last session ended with a softlock that…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I don't think i've ever played a metroidvania with worse progression than gigasword, and i've played over a hundred metroidvania's. For starters your main way of upgrading is by investing in a skill tree where every node costs multiple hundreds of currency. But enemies drop less than 10 each and are both obnoxiously tanky and incredibly annoying to fight. Add to that the fact that healing is only unlocked at the VERY END of the skilltree and you're set up with a game that's just not satisfying.…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I woke up this morning and felt burnt out on playing four Metroidvanias in a row, but I played a bit of Gigasword again this afternoon and... I'm just not feeling it. I may come back to the game in the future, but I need something else to play, the only game left to cross off on 2025... Hades 2 👀
negative · AI labelView post →I don't think some of the negative reviews on here are completely fair. I'm an avid metroidvania enjoyer, and I have been having a lot of fun with this one. I'll try to keep it brief. Pros: Solo dev that managed to make an incredibly charming game with both great music and solid pixel art style. The music and some of the design choices are very reminiscent of older Megaman titles. Lots of things to explore and discover, including new powers, shortcuts, and secret money stashes. Cons: There's…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →#PAXEast2025 led us to discover #Gigasword by Jack Breen of @studiohybrid.bsky.social - a weight mechanic focused puzzle centric metroidvania game. One of the best demo experiences of the show, hands down! youtu.be/4-hcHT91sr4?...
neutral · AI labelView post →Matt & Geoff are joined by Jack Breen, solo dev behind @studiohybrid.bsky.social's first title, GIGASWORD, to discuss bringing influences & old ideas into new projects, the pitfalls of genre pigeonholing, & the importance of how a game feels. funandgames.libsyn.com/episode-204-...
neutral · AI labelView post →Now starting Gigasword, created by a solo indie dev! Can't wait to see what I think of this. I'll be sharing first impressions today ✌️ Also, this is the 4th Metroidvania game I'll be playing in a row, but the last I'll be playing for a while because I'll need a break from the genre 😂 #Gigasword
neutral · AI labelView post →GIGASWORD, a pixel-art action-puzzle metroidvania in which you wield a huge sword that weighs you down, is out now on PC (console support in the works). Solid reivews… >Balance the weight of the GIGASWORD, battling between brain and brawn. Solve intricate puzzles, discover covert chambers, and slash through foes as Ezra fights to reach the top of the Nestrium and recover the God Crystal within. Can he restore the world's coherency before it's too late? 🎮 -…
neutral · AI labelView post →I want to leave this as a thumbs up but I just can't. It's so close to being great but it simply feels a bit undercooked. The game starts good and feels good but quickly becomes repetitive due to lack of meaningful changes to the gameplay loop. You have a basic 3 hit combo, a jump attack/downthrust and dodge roll (you can unlock magic spells at a snails pace); there's no block or parry. Enemy AI is fairy basic with only a 1-2 attacks/abilities per enemy. The other, primary, mechanic for…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Joseph (@th3hoopman.bsky.social) awarded his Game of the Show at PAX East 2025 to GIGASWORD by @studiohybrid.bsky.social and @akuparagames.bsky.social! Here's the crew presenting the award to Jack Breen!
neutral · AI labelView post →I'm sorry to say I cannot recommend this game after having so much fun with the demo. 1: The music for the intro area is amazing, but everything else aside from a few boss themes is an unbelievable downgrade. Why couldn't all the music be like in the Outskirts? It doesn't even make good use of the sound chip, which already may be the most overrated despite being genuinely good in good hands. 2: It's infuriating enough that there's little enough to spend money on, and each thing costs enough,…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Every aspect of this is super well made. The opening alone is such a jam. The lore is way deeper than I was expecting and the music and art are awesome. I don't think I've seen this many custom pixel art cut scenes since owl boy. The level design interweaves really nicely with the story and mechanics too. If you are interested but on the fence just pick it up. It definitely delivers the feeling of an epic adventure. It's clear a ton of hard work was put into this for a long time.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I spy a small-I mean GIGA game, GIGASWORD!!! 🗡️🗡️🗡️
positive · AI labelView post →It looks and sounds fantastic, but it's also punishingly, unfairly difficult. It was unclear how to even damage the 2nd boss, and the runback is actual hell with multiple difficult jumps and enemies between spawn and the boss room. Maybe make the gem recovery chest spawn outside the boss room instead of inside to allow grinding.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →DO NOT PLAY THIS GAME. This game is such a poorly made metroidvania missing key features for QOL that even PS1 games put in their games. The animations on the character lock you for way to long and you never experience any power increase. The map gives no info on missing or locked/unlocked doors so you can walk back and forth to doors that are unlocked with no understanding of where you should go next. Death runs back to your corpse because of save points being spread out. Save points…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Check out my preview of #GIGASWORD by @studiohybrid.bsky.social This game oozes charm! And maybe some monster bits.
neutral · AI labelView post →GIGASWORD has a good core but bad game design. + Good core mechanics + Progression with new abilities and route (shortcut) unlocks + Varied enemies + Good variance between sword play and having to leave the sword behind for alternate movement and environment/level puzzles (climbing, jumping higher, swimming) * Kinda slow movement, especially for backtracking and searching - Bad level design; you can miss save checkpoints, dead-end backtracking, free roam but single progression route even…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →While this game has quite a few good things running for it, it is cumbersome and tedious. And it gets worse close to the end. It never felt as if one could get full control of the fights. And it is basically backtracking the game. While you constantly open up shortcuts, the distances to cross to collect everything are far too long. I guess it would have been quite easy to implement fast-travelling from savepoint to savepoint, but they did not. While I understand that the name giving…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The one question you have to ask yourself before playing this game is his one: how much are you willing to resist half baked fights against enemies to have good enigmas about platforming, secret areas and boss fights? Because really for a game that ask you to be precise the enemies are basically trash that either hit you because yes or are extremely easy to deal with in non-intended manners, and the charged attack is the weakest, most imprecise and unsatisfying attack I've ever seen in any Rpg…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →GIGASWORD did really well in blending puzzle solving with action platforming, the story is well written, that keep me fire up to continue playing this game. Wish there was more skill to upgrade or item that help along the way, as you play further in to mid to late game, there nothing to spend on money (at one point collected about 10k?) Part 1 YouTube Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zswZdDz-4pI Gameplay: Good Graphics: Good Music: Good Story: Great PC Requirements: Normal
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →GIGASWORD is both a great metroidvania and a great homage to classic action games. My favorite thing about this game is how it makes the weight of the titular sword feel legitimate - so many action games have their characters swing around giant swords with reckless abandon. In GIGASWORD, carrying the sword lowers your jump height. It prevents you from being able to swim. It feels WEIGHTY, in a way that is very, very satisfying, and it results in gameplay where you don't just get to swing around…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →GIGASWORD releases tomorrow, I'm not nervous or excited at all! YOU BETTER PLAY THE BEST FREAKIN GAME EVER TOMORROW...pls :)
positive · AI labelView post →Fun little indie game. It's more a Zeldavania than a Metroidvania seeing as you will be solving room-sized puzzles and collecting small keys more than you'll be finding new upgrades. Most of the progression-blocking "upgrades" are kind of lame anyway (with the exception of the grapple hook). The good - combat, graphics, and music. Very Shovel Knight-esque. The bad - lots of bugs. During my playthrough in Dec 2025, I encountered at least 4 major bugs, 2 of which caused me to lose more than 1…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I actually loved this game. It scratched an itch that I didn't know was really there. This is a very simple Metroidvania by modern standards, but in many ways a love letter to the game design of 80s platform games. It's got a lot of the polish of modern puzzle platformers combined with that retro design that really had me hooked from start to finish. I'm even more impressed that it's the creative vision of just one person. The backgrounds and pixel art is gorgeous and the music fits well.…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Excellent metroidvania action. Gigasword delivers on its core gimmick (you have big sword, you can put down the big sword for more mobility) really well, slowly building on top of it by mixing in additional mechanics. Combat is OK, the move set is nice enough with a combo attack, drop attack, and magical ranged attacks, but there's a lack of variety in how to deal with enemies. The best solution 99% of the time is always just to walk up to them and hit them until they die. This isn't the end…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Today's podcast we talk the best indies from the past week: 😈 Possessor(s) ⏱️ Rue Valley 🗡️ Gigasword 🐢 As I Began to Dream ♟️ Yes, My Queen 🐨 Shard Squad 🤖 Greedland and more! HEY LISTEN on your fav app or at bit.ly/IGApodcast #indiegames #indiegamearcade #gamingcommunity
neutral · AI labelView post →This is such a good game, and it's got such a quality main mechanic. I've been waiting for this game since 2020, and it's definitely lived up to the hype so far. It's got great music and art, and solid gameplay both in the form of methodical combat and puzzles relying on spacial awareness. When I say giga, you say sword! GIGA!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I've been waiting for this one for a long time. It's kind of like if a modern roguelike had come out for the Gameboy. Love the controls. Love the puzzles. Especially love the fights. Can't wait to finish!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Introducing the: 🗡️GIGA SPEEDRUNNING CHALLENGE! 🏃 Can you speedrun the NEW DEMO of upcoming metroidvania 🗡️GIGASWORD? Submit your time in the 🐢Akupara Discord, win some prizes, and see if you can 🏃OUTRACE developer @studiohybrid.bsky.social at his own game!!
neutral · AI labelView post →We got to check out #GIGASword at #PAXEast! Check out our preview! www.gamerheadspodcast.com/post/gigaswo... @clobbinson.bsky.social
neutral · AI labelView post →A passion project that you'd never believe was made by a single developer. Very expressive pixel graphics, amazingly expressive chiptune soundtrack, and the gameplay is a unique take on the MetroidVania genre. The heft of the titular Gigasword forces you to be deliberate with all of your attacks and jumps. You have to leave your weapon behind for several puzzles, which requires you to plan and to avoid enemies. Only minor complaints from me. There are a small number of puzzles that occupy…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Gigasword is like a mash up of Zelda II, Dark Souls, and Shovel Knight. But It feels like you're playing either a rock solid NES game. There will be times you will feel like you're overpowered. To deal with any frustrations playing the game, take your time, think what you could do without getting too close to the enemies.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Gigasword (PS5, 24 hours): It's janky, it's buggy, it's a little too unforgiving, but this game has a singular quality. The top of the tower called to me. The plodding progression, the searching and puzzling, the heavy swing of the sword: I had to see it to the end. Particularly enjoyed the bosses.
neutral · AI labelView post →This game has so much potential. It is in desperate need of some polish and a lot more play testing and bug fixes. I understand that it has one developer that created it but that only grants so much allowance.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Overall I can't recommend this due to the stiff, bland nature of the gameplay. If I could do neutral I would since it's got some unique positives. The negatives: The game is very stiff, and frustrating. Many of the jumps require you to start falling off the platform to reach the next, particularly in areas where your landing platform will quickly disappear. This makes the sword jump almost useless. Some of the enemies that require a charge attack have almost zero tolerance, you either time…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →**EDIT** It appears that some of my gripes with bugs and things like a lack of fast travel and map pins have been (or will be) addressed, so a lot of what I said here will probably be outdated very quickly. The number of bugs was borderline unacceptable to me (I'll list them at the bottom of this review). Despite this, I enjoyed the game and I don't regret my time with it at all. Decent narrative and excellent audio/visuals make this game immediately captivating. ..captivating in the same…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →My game has glitched and I think I can't beat it. I beat the first boss and got the big key. I run downstairs and try to open what I assume is the right door (only thing still locked and it's HUGE) and I can't open it. This game is a whole lot of running in circles with no clear direction until you remember that you can do a little trick jump with the sword.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I have been excited and a supporter for this game for awhile now, since Sep 6, 2022, when I first discovered it, wishlisted on Steam, shared the games original trailer, upload game-play of the first demo, and patiently waited for its full release. Now it is here and I love everything about it, the sound effects, music, art/graphics, game-play, controls, story. This game gives me the old feelings I miss from games back in the day, very captivating. GigaSword is a great example of what a true…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →love the story line so far and the music is very nostalgic
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →since the next couple of new indie games aren't past embargo yet, tomorrow's stream will be a combination of demo playing and showing a bit of my work process (recording game footage and recording script). as far as demos, looking at Play Rough, Under the Island, Operation Zero, Glaciered, Gigasword
neutral · AI labelView post →GIGASWORD RELEASES OCT 2ND!!! PLS PLS PLS PLS PLS PLS PLS PLS WISHLIST THIS GAME 😭 store.steampowered.com/app/1885930/...
positive · AI labelView post →-FAST TRAVEL HAS BEEN ADDED TO GIGASWORD- Also, the game is now 20% off during the Winter Sale! This is probably the cheapest the game will be for a while, so don't miss out! Thank you so much to everyone who's played so far. You're helping to make my dream a reality.
positive · AI labelView post →I obviously want to like this game since I payed for it, but it has a lot of problems, some small and some bigger, that really frustrate me. -First off, the backtracking is really awful. There aren't enough short-cuts. I've just beaten the Corrupted Angelroot after slogging through the Flooded Gardens. It's a big area which is nice, but there are no vertical short-cuts linking rooms back to the ones above them, which means you'll have to travel through many rooms, perhaps multiple times if you…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →2025's been packed with terrific games. So, if you're not careful, you might miss the occasional gem. GigaSword, developed by Hybrid Games and published by @akuparagames.bsky.social, is one such game. Learn why this heartfelt metroidvania shouldn't be missed. punishedbacklog.com/gigasword-re...
neutral · AI labelView post →While I have overall enjoyed the experience of playing the game, there is certainly some merit to the criticisms that I have seen raised about it. I'm going to start with some of my grievences for this review. The things I don't like: Backtracking through maps with very sluggish mobility is not entirely enjoyable, and has resulted in my needing to take breaks, come back when I have the energy to go secret and completion hunting again, and rinse and repeat. The game did not release with any…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Good afternoon! It's Tuesday so that means I try to find an indie game hot off the release line to cover. Tonight's game is Gigasword from @akuparagames.bsky.social ! See y'all at 7pm Eastern and get ready for some fun metroidvania action!
neutral · AI labelView post →Not fancy, but fun. The negative reviews here are pretty rough. The game seems well paced and not unfairly difficult so far. Show a tiny dev studio some love
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →What a fun little find of a 20-25hr puzzle focused metroidvania, pleasantly surprised with this one. Check it out!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
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