When you think of developer Game Freak, what is the first game series that comes to mind? That’s right, Pokémon. Yet, we here at Honey’s Anime know that developer Game Freak can and has made other titles outside the beloved Pokémon franchise. One of these titles called Giga Wrecker Alt. proves they can do other genres as players will enjoy an action-platformer with an emphasis on using debris and smashing the living heck out of environments and baddies. Is Giga Wrecker Alt. a fun game or should Game Freak stick to their cute monster raising/catching series? You can find out for yourself by scrolling on down to read our entire Giga Wrecker Alt. review and see what we thought of this ambitious title.

Giga Wrecker Alt. is a 2D platformer where you will wreck enemies down, use their debris to help you solve platforming puzzles and take down an army to save the future. Players will assume the role of a high schooler who has been given a new cybernetic arm that can break down material and absorb it. You’ll need to face down various robot baddies to survive in this hellish machine world you’ve been brought to but with your arm…you might just be able to pull off the impossible!

Reika Rekkeiji was a normal girl until the sudden invasion of a robotic army called the Ajeet. When Reika’s world was attacked by the soulless creations, Reika went on the run trying to hide from the machines but eventually found herself captured and facing a life of enslavement. When all hope was lost, a savior seemed to appear in the form of a young woman. Reika’s savior turned out to be tasked with killing her and while she almost accomplished her task, the unknown girl was taken by the Ajeet and left Reika for dead. A scientist appears before Reika making a proclamation to save her life in order to test a new way of gathering data. Reika awakes with a new machine-like arm and realizes that her new goal in life is to find the strange woman…and destroy the Ajeet!

Game Freak—famed creators of Pokémon—are known to occasionally make other games besides the RPG franchise they have ruled over for some time now. Giga Wrecker is one of these titles which originally released around 2017 on the PC. Two years later, console gamers get their chance at diving into Giga Wrecker Alt. which is basically just an updated version with new content—a hard mode and some new levels—but ultimately is the same experience. For those who haven’t played the original though, is Giga Wrecker Alt. worth your $25 bucks? We plan on giving you that answer in our review of Giga Wrecker Alt. for the Xbox one.

Giga Wrecker Alt. isn’t a hard game to explain. Players assume the role of Reika who has been kidnapped by the Ajeet—a robot army—and was nearly killed by a mysterious woman. Saved by a doctor named Koutaro Kouzuki, Reika now has a new cybernetic arm capable of performing some pretty amazing abilities. Reika—aka the player—can absorb debris from the world around her and use it as a weapon or even create blocks to help her reach various locations. She’ll need these powers as she transverses the machine complex she has been brought to. Players will need to smash enemies, solve various puzzles and even explore numerous locations in order to find the mystery girl and bring the Ajeet down!

First, let’s discuss the platforming element to Giga Wrecker Alt. Due to its machine set up, players will explore areas that scream sci-fi as they jump on metallic platforms and avoid giant spinning blades. Reika will need to rely on her new powers to not only break walls to make makeshift platforms but also to reach areas usually unreachable by her standard jump or movement. These puzzle-like sections are forgiving as players can use a purple beam of energy that allows them to rewind time which in turn resets the area if they maybe break too much of a platform or miss a timed jump. Similar to games like Metroid or Castlevania, Giga Wrecker Alt. has a Metroidvania design that means you might see two routes to go, but one can only truly be explored as you get new powers/skills or find a specific item to progress. Giga Wrecker Alt. as a platformer works almost flawlessly and only suffers from being too easy more often than not.

While Reika will do most of her time running around on her 2D plane, that won’t mean her adventure will be just about timing jumps and making ledges. Players will also encounter the Ajeet, machine baddies that want nothing more than to kill Reika since she’s proven herself a threat. Here’s where we get a bit divided while playing Giga Wrecker Alt. On one hand, combat works adequately during regular enemy fights and some boss encounters. You’ll use your cyborg arm to absorb the environment—just like you do to make platforms—and create balls of wreckage that can either be shot at the enemy like a yoyo or allow for various weapons to be temporarily crafted by Reika. This element works well in Giga Wrecker Alt. until you face some enemies that are either too fast or just heavily dodgy. Giga Wrecker Alt. usually triumphs when combat is slower, but when things speed up, you’ll notice that controls feel a bit too slow to respond to your quick movement and often means you’ll get hit as you try to defeat enemies. It’s not game breaking, but it does make some fights feel unfair and overly annoying.

When you look at both elements of Giga Wrecker Alt. the overall gameplay itself seems really exciting and enjoyable. As you progress in Giga Wrecker Alt., you’ll gain new skills, be able to power up your health and other abilities and gain access to areas that you couldn’t earlier reach. However, Giga Wrecker Alt. can suffer from what all Metroidvania-like games suffer from…repetitiveness. This is especially noticeable when you see the various backdrops or same enemies over and over again. Bosses all have cool anime-like designs that show the greatness of Game Freak’s design department, but the setting itself—due to its machine nature—just feels like it switches color pallets. One minute you’re in a red robotic room and then you’re in an orange one. While the music might change to another great tune—the OST in Giga Wrecker Alt. is amazing—you’ll begin to feel bored as you keep doing the same thing for hours on end. You’ll have fun blowing up machines left and right as well as taking down some really cool bosses, but you’ll also wish that Game Freak threw in a few different locations and some other abilities to keep things from becoming a rinse and repeat cycle for ten or more hours.

Giga Wrecker Alt. is an ambitious action/platformer, but it falters slightly due to some gameplay designs. While the platforming is tight, exciting and often infused with some puzzle elements, the action can be a mixed bag. Often, Giga Wrecker Alt. will have you face enemies that can either be overly fast for you or mindlessly easy and when that occurs, you’ll find the combat dull and not that enjoyable. Thankfully, combat doesn’t ruin the overall experience and you’ll still enjoying making giant balls of trash to shove at your enemies or slash them with giant debris swords. Game Freak might be known for Pokémon games, but this developer clearly knows how to make other games that are fun. Giga Wrecker Alt. isn’t perfect but it’s a fun title.

Giga Wrecker Alt. might not become the next big franchise, but that doesn't mean it fails to deliver a fun experience. The anime art, smashing focused combat and simple set up makes Giga Wrecker Alt. an overall solid game. Are you thinking of trying out Giga Wrecker Alt.? Comment below and let us know! Remember to keep stuck to our hive here at Honey's Anime for even more game reviews and other awesome articles!