Gigabuster

GIGABUSTER is a fiery 2D action platformer heavily inspired by the Mega Man X series, focusing on fast and fluid movement and combat. Players control Liz, a protagonist who must jump, dash, shoot, and swing her way through nine corporate facilities to stop mergers with the GEC, a powerful monopoly funding the mysterious ‘Happiness Project.’ Set in a sci-fi cyberpunk fantasy world, the game features nonlinear progression, allowing players to tackle most stages in any order.

Gigabuster: Review

Introduction

In the vast and ever-expanding pantheon of indie action-platformers, a new challenger emerges not with a whisper, but with the roaring ignition of a plasma buster. Gigabuster, released in October 2022 by the enigmatic developer WALLER, is a title that wears its inspirations on its sleeve—a sleeve adorned with a heroic scarf, no less. It is a game that explicitly aims to channel the spirit of Capcom’s legendary Mega Man X series, promising a symphony of high-velocity combat, intricate movement, and a satirical bite against corporate avarice. Yet, for every dash-jump executed with precision, there appears to be a misstep in its landing. This review posits that Gigabuster is a fascinating, ambitious, and deeply flawed artifact—a game of immense potential that shines brightly in its mechanics but is often dimmed by technical inconsistencies and a divisive control scheme. It is a love letter to a classic genre that sometimes forgets to sign its name.

Development History & Context

Gigabuster is the product of WALLER, a studio that, based on the game’s extensive credits, appears to be a largely solo or small-team endeavor backed by a massive crowd of supporters. The credits list a staggering 469 people, with only 2 listed as developers and the remaining 467 thanked as backers, suggesting a successful crowdfunding campaign or a deeply involved community beta-testing phase. This community-driven origin story is a hallmark of the modern indie scene, where passion projects can find life through direct player support.

The game entered a market saturated with retro-inspired platformers, yet one perpetually hungry for titles that successfully emulate the specific, flow-state-inducing gameplay of the Mega Man Zero and Gunvolt series. WALLER’s vision was clear from the outset: to create a “fiery action platformer heavily inspired by the Mega Man X series, focused on fast and fluid movement and combat.” Developed for PC and later confirmed for Linux and Steam Deck compatibility via post-launch patches, Gigabuster was built with a specific, knowledgeable audience in mind—players who understand the nuanced difference between a dash-jump and a jump-dash.

Technologically, the game is a 2D side-scroller utilizing hand-drawn assets, placing it in a comfortable niche that prioritizes style and performance over bleeding-edge graphics. Its modest system requirements (a minimum of 4MB RAM and 200MB storage space) are a throwback to an earlier era, ensuring accessibility but also setting certain expectations for its scope and complexity.

Narrative & Thematic Deep Dive

The narrative of Gigabuster is a straightforward yet potent piece of cyberpunk satire. You play as Liz, a protagonist tasked with a singular mission: to “stop corporate mergers with the GEC, a monopoly funding the mysterious ‘Happiness Project.’” This is not a story of nuanced moral ambiguity; the GEC is a blatant stand-in for unchecked corporate power, and its “Happiness Project” carries the sinister, dystopian connotations of forced conformity and psychological control.

The plot structure is classic Mega Man: nine corporate stages, divided into sets of three, can be tackled in a non-linear order. Each stage represents a company being absorbed by the GEC, and each culminates in a boss battle against a “colorful cast of very normal well-adjusted everyday CEO’s.” The dialogue promises to be a series of “arguments” with these bosses, suggesting a thematic throughline that critiques the absurdity and ego of corporate leadership. While the provided sources offer no extensive story excerpts, the premise itself is a powerful driver, framing Liz not just as a hero, but as a revolutionary dismantling a system of economic oppression piece by piece. The narrative is a vehicle for the action, but its thematic weight—a resistance against a sanitized, corporatized future—provides a compelling reason to keep dashing forward.

Gameplay Mechanics & Systems

This is the heart of Gigabuster, and where the game’s ambition and its reception collide most dramatically. WALLER promised a vast arsenal of movement and combat options, and on paper, it delivered in spades.

The Core Loop & Movement: The game is built on a foundation of exhilarating mobility. Liz begins with an impressive suite of abilities: air-dashing, double jumping, and auto-charging her buster shot. This is further expanded through upgrades and exploration to include a grappling hook, free climbing, ceiling grabs, dive kicks, and rail grinding. The intent is to create a sense of unparalleled freedom and speed, encouraging players to chain moves together in a seamless flow. The inclusion of a combo meter that unlocks more powerful abilities (like “big lasers”) incentivizes stylish and continuous play.

Combat & Progression: Combat is a blend of ranged and melee options. The standard buster shot is complemented by a variety of melee weapons—spears, axes, bats, and sabers—each with their own properties and mechanics. For instance, the bat can reflect projectiles, while the saber allows for a pogo-bounce attack, a clear nod to games like Shovel Knight. Progression is tied to a shop system where players can purchase upgrades and find armor pieces that are visually displayed on Liz, a satisfying touch that allows for customization.

The Flaws in the Circuitry: Despite this robust framework, player feedback points to significant issues in execution. The controls, often described as “stiff,” are the most frequent criticism. The spear’s attack animation has long recovery frames that leave players vulnerable. The utility of the grappling hook is questioned due to an unclear targeting reticle. The hitboxes for certain abilities, like the defensive scarf, are reported as unreliable.

Post-launch support from WALLER has been active and responsive, directly addressing community concerns in detailed patches. Updates have added crucial features like coyote time (allowing a grace period for jumps after leaving a ledge), reworked boss mechanics, improved the loot system, introduced a new map system, and even rebalanced core mechanics—such as making double-jumping an upgrade instead of a default ability. This demonstrates a developer committed to refining their vision based on player experience, but the fact that such fundamental changes were needed post-release speaks to a game that launched in a somewhat unpolished state. The Mixed rating on Steam (61% positive from 21 reviews) largely stems from these initial mechanical growing pains.

World-Building, Art & Sound

Gigabuster presents a world of corporate dystopia through a vibrant, hand-drawn aesthetic. The art style is described as “anime”-influenced, with a color palette that likely contrasts the grim corporate settings with the fiery energy of its protagonist. The visual design of the armor upgrades—”heroic scarves and very nice jackets”—suggests a game with a strong sense of style and character identity.

The enemy design revolves around robots and corporate security forces, fitting neatly into the sci-fi cyberpunk setting. Stages are set within the nine different companies, offering potential for visual variety, from sterile office environments to industrial zones. The sound design, while not detailed in the sources, is integral to a game inspired by Mega Man; one expects crunchy sound effects for impacts and a energetic, synth-driven soundtrack to accompany the high-speed action. The overall atmosphere aims for a blend of retro-futurism and anti-corporate rebellion, a theme that is effectively carried by its visual direction.

Reception & Legacy

Upon its release in October 2022, Gigabuster entered the world to a quiet, niche reception. With no critic reviews logged on aggregators like MobyGames or Metacritic, its story has been written almost exclusively by its player base. The Steam user reviews sit at a “Mixed” status, a testament to the divisive nature of its initial control feel and technical performance.

However, its legacy is still being written. The developer’s dedicated post-launch support has been a significant factor in shaping the game’s ongoing reputation. Patches have not only fixed bugs but have actively reworked and refined core gameplay systems based on community dialogue, as seen in detailed Steam discussions where the developer directly engages with criticism about weapon feel and movement.

Its influence is currently limited to its dedicated community, but it stands as a case study in indie development: a project fueled by passion and crowdfunding, launched with ambitious ideas that needed time to mature, and supported by a developer in constant dialogue with its players. It may not have reshaped the genre, but it serves as a solid, if imperfect, addition to the library of any fan of demanding, movement-focused action platformers.

Conclusion

Gigabuster is a game of dualities. It is a title bursting with ambitious ideas and a clear, reverent love for the classics that inspired it. Its movement system, once mastered and after numerous patches, offers a thrilling degree of freedom. Its satirical world and upgrade-based progression are compelling hooks. Yet, it is also a game that stumbled at the starting gate, its potential initially hampered by a lack of polish in its most crucial area: feel.

The final verdict is that Gigabuster is a commendable and evolving effort. It is not the flawless execution of its concept, but it is a project that reflects a genuine and ongoing commitment to achieving that goal. For players patient enough to engage with its post-launch evolution and who crave a new world to dash and jump through, it offers a rewarding experience. For others, its initial inconsistencies may be too great a barrier. In the annals of indie platformers, Gigabuster will be remembered not as a revolution, but as a passionate, community-driven skirmish—one fought with a plasma buster and a very nice jacket.