''Ghost Giant'' is a

virtual reality Virtual reality (VR) is a simulated experience that employs pose tracking and 3D near-eye displays to give the user an immersive feel of a virtual world. Applications of virtual reality include entertainment (particularly video games), educ ...

puzzle game A puzzle is a game, problem, or toy that tests a person's ingenuity or knowledge. In a puzzle, the solver is expected to put pieces together ( or take them apart) in a logical way, in order to arrive at the correct or fun solution of the puzzle ...

developed and published by

Zoink Zoink AB was a Swedish video game developer based in Gothenburg. The company was founded by Klaus Lyngeled in 2001 and formed the Thunderful group with Image & Form in 2017. In 2020, Zoink was integrated into Thunderful Development. History ...

for

PlayStation VR The PlayStation VR (PS VR, known by its code name Project Morpheus during development) is a virtual reality headset developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, which was released in October 2016. It is fully functional with the PlayStation 4 an ...

and

Oculus Quest The Oculus Quest is a virtual reality (VR) headset developed by Oculus, a division of Meta, Inc., released on May 21, 2019. Similar to its predecessor, Oculus Go, it is a standalone device that can run games and software wirelessly under an ...

. It was released for PlayStation VR in April 2019 and Oculus Quest in February 2020.

Gameplay

In the game, the player assumes control of the titular Ghost Giant. The Giant is tasked to assist a young boy named Louis by manipulating the game's world, lifting items and solving puzzles. Players can also explore the world of Sancourt and interact with various

non-playable character A non-player character (NPC), or non-playable character, is any character in a game that is not controlled by a player. The term originated in traditional tabletop role-playing games where it applies to characters controlled by the gamemaster ...

s living in the city. For instance, players can use the

PlayStation Move is a motion game controller developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Initially released in 2010 for use with the PlayStation 3 home video game console, its compatibility was later expanded to its successor, the PlayStation 4 in 2013, its Pla ...

controller to rotate houses and discover what can be found inside.

Development

The studio worked with Swedish writer

Sara Bergmark Elfgren Sara Bergmark Elfgren (born 1980) is a Swedish writer and screenwriter. Her first novel, ''Cirkeln'' (''The Circle)'', and the sequels '' Eld'' (''Fire'') and '' Nyckeln'' (The Key) (known collectively as the Engelsfors trilogy), were written to ...

to create the story. The main theme is friendship, as the player needs to become a "supporting friend" for Louis as they helped him solve various problems and puzzles in the game. The game took 18 months to develop, and the team drew inspirations from homemade toys, such as miniature cardboard towns, when they were creating the game. Announced during Sony's

E3 2018 The Electronic Entertainment Expo 2018 (E3 2018) was the 24th E3, during which hardware manufacturers, software developers, and publishers from the video game industry presented new and upcoming products to the attendees, primarily retailers a ...

press conference, the game was released digitally on April 19, 2019 for the

headset, while the retail release, handled by Perp Games, was released on May 7. In November 2019, Zoink announced that it would be coming to

in December the same year, though it was subsequently delayed to February 20, 2020.

Reception

The game received generally positive reviews upon releases, according to

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. Mike Epstein from ''

IGN ''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...

'' described the story as "charming", though he felt that some of the puzzles were too simple. Rich Meister of ''

Destructoid ''Destructoid'' is a website that was founded as a video game-focused blog in March 2006 by Yanier Gonzalez, a Cuban-American cartoonist and author. Enthusiast Gaming acquired the website in 2017, and sold it to Gamurs Group in 2022. History ' ...

'' stated that ''Ghost Giant'' "feels like a VR advancement of a classic PC point-and-click adventure game, albeit one with a great look, phenomenal sound design". He also enjoyed the story, though he noted its short length. ''

UploadVR UVR Media, LLC (formerly UploadVR, Inc. and Upload, Inc.) is an American media company that operates ''UploadVR'', a virtual reality-focused trade publication website. The company was founded as UploadVR in 2014 by Taylor Freeman, Will Mason, ...

'' praised the game's handling of depression and neglect, writing "Louis may be an animal, but the developer’s sensitive handling of these subjects gives him remarkable humanity". Liam Croft of ''

Push Square Gamer Network Limited (formerly Eurogamer Network Limited) is a British mass media company based in Brighton. Founded in 1999 by Rupert and Nick Loman, it owns brands—primarily editorial websites—relating to video game journalism and other ...

'' noted that the game "belong din the conversation for the very best PSVR game", writing, "Its utterly phenomenal series of scenes will live long in the memory, complemented by a narrative that demands immediate investment...Outstanding presentation that rewards exploration is the cherry on top of a title we won’t be forgetting about any time soon." Pascal Tekaia of ''

Adventure Gamers ''Adventure Gamers'' is a computer game website created by Marek Bronstring in March 1998 dedicated to the genre of adventure games. It publishes reviews and previews of adventure games, as well as opinion articles and interviews with game des ...

'' gave the game 4 stars out of 5, stating, "The game doesn’t revolutionize the virtual reality medium, but it throws players into a well-realized, charming world with simple yet satisfying gameplay and a surprisingly emotional tale."

References

External links

* {{Official website, https://ghostgiant.zoinkgames.com/ 2019 video games Adventure games Meta Quest games PlayStation 4 games PlayStation VR games Puzzle video games Single-player video games Video games about ghosts Video games developed in Sweden Zoink games