Review Details
Description
Before man climbed down from the trees to shop in megastores and drink cappuccino, before the Earth wadded itself into a cool blue ball, before the Moon even existed, there was the Island. The Island, a massive fragment of a long-lost planet, hurtling blindly through space. Upon the surface of this paradise wanders the giant, Kabuto. Little does Kabuto know that the Island was home to others before him. In the oceans, there dwells a matriarchal race called the Sea Reapers. In their pride, they created Kabuto, as a defense against intruders. But Kabuto became conscious of himself, his loneliness, his pain - and he went berserk. Space castaways, the Meccs piloted their ship through space, looking for their missing friends. If you haven’t guessed already, they ended up on the Island. Faced with yet another unscheduled layover while on their way to Planet Majorca, the Meccs decide to make the best of their temporary home. Just their luck - the natives are already embroiled in their own little war, and the Mecc visitors are most unwelcome! Meccaryns... Sea Reapers... Kabuto... One island isn’t big enough for the three of them.
Review
Giants: Citizen Kabuto, released in 2000 by Planet Moon Studios, is a singularly ambitious entry in the action-strategy genre. The game defies easy classification, blending third-person shooter mechanics with real-time strategy and even platforming elements. Set on a bizarre alien planet, it follows the stories of three distinct species — the tech-savvy Meccaryns, the mystical Sea Reapers, and the titular giant, Kabuto. Each offers a unique style of play and narrative arc, ensuring that the gameplay experience constantly evolves as you progress.
At its core, Giants is an exercise in controlled chaos, balancing bombastic action with strategic resource management. The early missions as the Meccaryns introduce players to gunplay and base-building, requiring quick reflexes and clever planning. The Sea Reapers add a magical dimension, wielding powerful spells and introducing new traversal mechanics. By the time you assume command of Kabuto, the gameplay shifts dramatically, letting you wreak havoc as a towering monster capable of tossing foes like rag dolls or gulping them whole.
Graphically, Giants: Citizen Kabuto was a technical marvel in its day and still retains a certain avant-garde charm. The lush, cartoonish environments are vibrant and highly detailed, creating a truly alien landscape. Character animations are smooth and brimming with personality. While some textures and effects show their age, the game's stylistic choices prevent it from feeling entirely obsolete. The peculiar creature designs and wild environmental features add to a sense of otherworldliness that perfectly fits the game's offbeat tone.
Humor is an essential ingredient in the Giants formula. The script, loaded with British wit and irreverence, doesn't always land with subtlety, but the charm is undeniable. Banter between characters, slapstick cutscenes, and quirky objectives keep the campaign entertaining and occasionally laugh-out-loud funny. While not every joke is a winner, the overall lightheartedness sets Giants apart from the grim seriousness of many contemporaries. This tongue-in-cheek attitude pervades the entire production, right down to the eccentric mission briefings and quirky voice acting.
Despite its innovation, Giants does show some rough edges, especially when it comes to pacing and difficulty balancing. Mission objectives can feel repetitive or confusing, particularly in the later chapters. The AI is sometimes inconsistent, leading to moments of frustration — allies might get stuck, and enemies can either be pushovers or inexplicably tough. Additionally, controls that work well for gunfights can feel clunky during resource management or when piloting the massive Kabuto.
Multiplayer, while a compelling footnote, struggled to compete with the more refined offerings of its era. Nonetheless, the diverse character classes and abilities made for some memorable, if chaotic, skirmishes. Long-term appeal was hampered, though, by a lack of content and lingering technical issues. Still, ingenious mechanics and an imaginative world kept a cult following around the player-versus-player mode.
In conclusion, Giants: Citizen Kabuto is a creative tour de force that dares to mash together genres in ways both exhilarating and messy. Its vibrant world, sharp humor, and gameplay variety remain impressive two decades on, even if the technical and design hiccups are more glaring by today’s standards. It's not perfect, but its ambition and eccentricity have kept it beloved among fans, making it one of the more memorable oddball gems of its era. Anyone seeking a gaming experience that marches to the beat of its own drum should consider revisiting this alien odyssey.