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You guys knew this would be coming sooner or later. I finally beat Gravity Rush and now I get to do a Gravity Rush review for the (paid link) PS Vita. Before we go, I want to just say that I’ve purposely tried to avoid any major story spoilers as I feel the reveal is best left to see yourself.
Anyway, I’m quite excited to hop into it, so let’s begin!
Story
Gravity Rush tells the story of Kat, a young lady who wakes up in Hekseville. Not long after she wakes, she gets roped into helping a man’s son who is trapped in his house and is being pulled in by a gravity storm. That’s when Kat meets a cat, who she names Dusty, and learns she can manipulate gravity.
For the first 10 or so chapters, Gravity Rush seems lighthearted and you aren’t entirely sure what to make of it. Government is present, a key villan is done away with and Kat is left at odds with Raven, another shifter who dislikes her for reasons she doesn’t understand.
In the last 7 or so chapters, we learn that Kat and Raven were both fighting for something they cared for. Kat learns a little of her past and we are left with a lot of questions, setting us up for (paid link) Gravity Rush 2.
Gameplay
The gameplay for Gravity Rush consists of either doing challenges, missions or running around the city. All of which is very fun, made so by controlling and manipulating gravity, allowing Kat to fly around the area. Personally, I found it all pretty fun and relaxing at the same time.
The challenges had scores in which you would try to aim for the highest. These were a mixture of gravity slide races, normal races, defeating as many enemies as possible and so forth. You have a bronze, silver and gold ranking, each one giving you a set amount of gems which were used to level Kat’s abilities. Whether it being her gravity gauge, health, power of her kick, specials and more. These challenges could be revisited at any time to attempt for a better score.
Gravity Rush delivers a fun mixture of gameplay and only ever sometimes felt like a drag. There were some missions I got annoyed with, because they lasted slightly longer than necessary but they also gave insight into Kat’s life and the people’s lives as well. Overall, it’s very solid.
Graphics
For this to be a PS Vita game that released in 2012, a year after the Vita was released, I think the graphics are pretty great. The character models are well done and charming. The faces aren’t fully structured though, evident if you bring the camera closer in on Kat, but I believe that to be more a design choice, less of a Vita issue.
Soundtrack
This game has a very nice soundtrack, one that can be catchy and relaxing at the same time. Nothing felt out of place and it all is memorable, in my opinion. Each new section of the city has its own music to go along with the new atmosphere and they did well with it. Go check out it out for yourself if curious.
Controls
The controls for this game are such a wild ride. You control Kat with the left analog stick, the camera with the right, throw kicks with the square and then jump with X. Oh but that’s not all of course, you have specials. Then there is the biggest aspect of this game, gravity.
You can control Kat’s movements by the analog sticks but also by using gyro controls on the Vita. This is something I found very helpful in boss fights. I could turn my Vita a little without having to remove my thumb from the action buttons, giving me a little bit of strategy.
Now the downfall, and my only real complaint, comes from the gravity slide controls. You have to put both thumbs on the bottom corners of the Vita to activate it. Then you must keep them there, turning the Vita left or right to turn Kat. This is a bit of a pain and then you add jumping, which you do by lifting the system up. It was a neat idea but was executed in a way that left me rarely using the mechanic at all.
Replayability
Gravity Rush is not a long game but it offers replay value in terms of aiming for higher scores in the challenges, aiming to max all of your stats out, exploring all of the city and mysteries to find, like the ghosts. It’s also certainly a game to revisit every few years ago just to experience it all over again.
Scores
Story: 8/10
Gameplay: 8/10
Graphics: 8/10
Soundtrack: 8/10
Controls: 7/10
Replayability: 7/10
Overall:
Conclusion
Gravity Rush is one of those Vita titles that you can revisit every few years and appreciate all the work that went into it. While there’s definitely room for improvement, it had a whole lot of soul that shown through. I’m eager to see where the second game takes Kat and Raven for their next adventure. Also, there is a (paid link) PS4 version of Gravity Rush as well. I’ll be playing sometime in the future.
If you enjoyed reading my Gravity Rush review, perhaps consider checking out this article I wrote about the language of the game. Also, this one, discussing the first two Vita games I bought back.
Until next time, happy gaming!
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