Shadow of the Colossus' solitary world and epic battles against towering enemies make it a nearly unrepeatable experience, so a new standalone game gives that formula an action-strategy twist where you're in command of a vast beast throughout the world, instead of killing. him, while building a fortified tower at the back.
Burggeist quietly hit Steam earlier this month on October 14, but its central premise probably should have made a lot more noise than it did at launch. Like the influential PS2 classic, Burggeist has you searching for a way to wake up a cursed, sleeping loved one in a sparse, mysterious, and sometimes eerily quite open world.
BURGGEIST – Launch Trailer – YouTube
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The difference here is that you're not simply fighting massive beasts: you're commanding the titular Burggeist, a large white creature that's hunched over by the weight of an ever-growing tower, from a third-person perspective. Think Brutal Legend, but there's also a tower defense angle, as over time you'll beef up the beast with new turrets and other gadgets, turning the friendly giant into the ultimate walking weapon.
Surprisingly, the game doesn't skimp on its sickly magical ninja move either. You have a ton of magical abilities that will help you gain higher ground, so you can give Burggeist instructions more efficiently or rain fire from above. Some of the ways you can chain together aerial abilities even reminded me of Forspoken's underrated traversal, as it has you darting around the battlefield with dashes, double jumps, and even a witch's broom. It looks fast and frenetic, and you can continue to increase your arsenal by exploring the world.
Burggeist hasn't attracted a huge crowd, but the reviews it has on Steam are basically universally positive. “A throwback to the late PS2/early PS3 era,” one gamer wrote. “Wonderful movement technology in a tower defense hybrid action RPG based on height difference to determine damage. Definitely influenced by things like Nier/Drakengard and Shadow of the Colossus. It's crazy that there isn't much more people talking about it.”
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