Shoulders of Giants: Ultimate

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Shoulders of Giants: Ultimate is a single player and multiplayer role playing shooter game. It was developed by Moving Pieces Interactive and was released on January 26, 2023. It received positive reviews from players.

Simultaneously control a sword-wielding robot and a gunslinging space frog in Shoulders of Giants, an explosively colorful sci-fi roguelike. Play alone, with a friend, or as part of a four-person team, cutting through waves of enemies on a quest to rescue the galaxy! The forces of Entropy are spreading chaos through the stars, corrupting living planets and urging on the heat death of the univer…

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86%

Audience ScoreBased on 90 reviews

gameplay15 positive mentions

story3 negative mentions

Unique dual-character control system keeps combat fresh and engaging.
Exciting co-op modes, especially the 'Best Friend Mode', enhance the gameplay experience with friends.
Vibrant visuals and a variety of weapons and abilities provide a fun and chaotic atmosphere.

Gameplay can become repetitive after a few hours, with limited enemy and mission variety.
Combat feels clunky at times, particularly with melee attacks and certain abilities.
The narrative is minimal and lacks depth, which may disappoint players looking for a rich story.

gameplay
31 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
48%
42%
10%
The gameplay of "Shoulders of Giants: Ultimate" is characterized by its vibrant and chaotic blend of roguelike elements, twin-stick shooting, and real-time hack-and-slash mechanics, set in a whimsical sci-fi universe. Players navigate procedurally generated planets filled with diverse enemies and biomes, with a core loop that encourages adaptability through random modifiers and timed events, although some weapons feel underwhelming. While the game excels in co-op play and offers engaging mechanics, it suffers from a repetitive gameplay loop and some awkward combat mechanics, making it best enjoyed with friends.
- “Shoulders of Giants: Ultimate is a vibrant and chaotic blend of roguelike progression, twin-stick shooting, and real-time hack-and-slash action, set within an otherworldly sci-fi universe that doesn’t take itself too seriously—yet manages to deliver mechanically satisfying gameplay.”
- “The core gameplay loop revolves around blasting through procedurally generated planets, each teeming with corrupted creatures and colorful biomes.”
- “Overall, Shoulders of Giants is a fresh and fun take on the roguelike genre, with its unique dual-character control system, satisfying combat, and engaging co-op gameplay.”
- “The gameplay loop gets kind of stale as well since the looting in the game sucks.”
- “The melee and shooting mechanics really drag the game down.”
- “The gameplay loop also feels rather repetitive, even for a roguelite type of game.”
story
17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
12%
70%
18%
The story is minimal and serves primarily as a backdrop for gameplay, focusing on cleansing corrupted planets and featuring quirky characters like a psychic owl guide. While the narrative adds some charm, it lacks depth and variety, with repetitive missions and limited lore, leading to a sense of stagnation after the initial enjoyment. Overall, the game prioritizes gameplay mechanics over a compelling story, resulting in a fun but ultimately shallow narrative experience.
- “The story centers around cleansing corrupted planets and restoring light to the galaxy.”
- “Plus you will also get side quests along with the main story.”
- “Additionally, while the humor and tone are fun, the narrative is light, with only minimal story beats or lore to anchor the universe.”
- “While the plot is minimal and more of a backdrop for the action, the narrative’s charm comes from its quirky characters, including a psychic owl guide who adds flavor to the lore.”
- “It’s a simple yet serviceable setup that gives the gameplay some context, though it lacks the depth seen in more story-driven games.”
graphics
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
56%
19%
The game's graphics feature a bold, comic-book aesthetic that aligns with its irreverent tone, though this style may not appeal to everyone. While some players appreciate the vibrant visuals and striking landscapes, others find the art divisive and less refined. Overall, the graphics contribute positively to the gameplay experience, despite some performance issues on certain platforms.
- “It’s not aiming for realism; instead, it embraces a comic-book aesthetic that matches the game’s irreverent tone.”
- “The visuals are really striking and the battles intense at times.”
- “Super fun so far and looks awesome, great art style and effects.”
- “Overall, the game’s art style won’t be for everyone—it’s bold and cartoonish, which may not appeal to those looking for a more refined aesthetic.”
- “My other, slightly less fair complaint is the Steam Deck performance. The developer notes had me optimistic, but this game just does not run very well on Deck. It both looks like garbage and has notable performance issues. While not shocking, given the 3D graphics and long draw distances, it is a bit disappointing.”
- “Art style and environment design may not appeal to everyone.”
optimization
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
14%
43%
Overall, the game's optimization is generally solid, running smoothly during intense action on higher-end systems, though players with lower-end hardware may need to adjust visual settings for better performance. Some users noted minor frame drops during specific moves and expressed disappointment with performance on the Steam Deck, while others found it acceptable with UI scaling options. While a bit more polish could enhance the experience, it does not significantly detract from gameplay.
- “Performance-wise, the game runs smoothly even when the action reaches peak intensity, though players on lower-end hardware may need to tweak some visual settings for optimal frame rates.”
- “Really glad to see that this runs smoothly on the deck (and has a UI scaling option too!).”
- “Gameplay is actually really good, and feels great to control; performance is pretty good but could maybe use just a tiny bit more optimization.”
- “Needs a bit of performance polish overall but not enough to justify a complaint.”
- “A bit of performance polish is needed; some moves cause frame drops, such as the melee sand.”
- “My other, slightly less fair complaint is the Steam Deck performance. The developer notes had me optimistic, but this game just does not run very well on the Deck. It both looks poor and has notable performance issues. While not shocking, given the 3D graphics and long draw distances, it is a bit disappointing.”
music
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
60%
The music in the game features a synth-heavy, upbeat soundtrack that complements its fast-paced gameplay, enhancing the overall energy without being overpowering. Players appreciate the energetic score, noting its contribution to the game's fun atmosphere and replay value. Overall, the soundtrack is well-received, with many highlighting its quality and impact on the gaming experience.
- “Great visuals, great sound design, fun music, fluid movement/gameplay, tons of replay value, diverse enemies, diverse power-ups, progression feels impactful, risk vs reward is well implemented, and the game feels complete.”
- “The soundtrack follows suit with a synth-heavy, upbeat score that drives the energy without overwhelming it.”
- “The soundtrack is energetic and matches the game’s fast pace.”
- “Also, the music is banging.”
character development
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
34%
33%
Character development in the game is characterized by a dual-character design that requires players to switch between a long-range frog and a close-quarters mech, showcasing unique gameplay mechanics. However, while the character designs are charming, the overall world-building and character development may feel superficial to those seeking deeper narratives.
- “The dual-character design demands attention and coordination—you’re switching from long-range precision shooting as the frog to close-quarters slashes with the mech, often in the same breath.”
- “The character designs are charming, especially the frog-mech duo, but the environments sometimes lack depth and detail.”
replayability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
34%
33%
The game's replayability is mixed; while some players find it lacking after the initial story due to limited variety in enemies, worlds, and weapons, others appreciate the randomized levels, diverse upgrades, and strong co-op features that enhance replay value. Overall, the potential for replayability is hindered by a dwindling multiplayer community.
- “Thanks to randomized levels, a large array of upgrades, and strong co-op play, the game has significant replay value.”
- “No replay value and hard to stay entertained doing the same thing over and over.”
humor
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is described as fun and engaging, with amusing characters that enhance the overall experience. However, the narrative is light and lacks depth, featuring minimal story elements to support the gameplay. Despite this, the humor contributes to the game's replayability.
- “The characters are funny, and it all ties together into a great game with a ton of replayability.”
- “Additionally, while the humor and tone are fun, the narrative is light, with only minimal story beats or lore to anchor the universe.”

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13h Median play time

12h Average play time

8-15h Spent by most gamers

*Based on 2 analyzed playthroughs

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Frequently Asked Questions

Shoulders of Giants: Ultimate is a role playing shooter game.

Shoulders of Giants: Ultimate is available on Xbox Series X|S, PC, Xbox One, Windows and others.

On average players spend around 12 hours playing Shoulders of Giants: Ultimate.

Shoulders of Giants: Ultimate was released on January 26, 2023.

Shoulders of Giants: Ultimate was developed by Moving Pieces Interactive.

Shoulders of Giants: Ultimate has received positive reviews from players. Most players liked this game for its gameplay but disliked it for its story.

Shoulders of Giants: Ultimate is a single player game with multiplayer and local co-op support.

Similar games include Deadzone: Rogue, Roboquest, Atomic Picnic, Gatekeeper, Gunfire Reborn and others.

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