I am not a big fan of heavy localization in games. When I read that Gravity Daze would come out in the United States as Gravity Rush, I was confused. I am no longer confused. While I agree that Gravity Daze is fitting for the games story, Gravity Rush embodies the game much better. Shifting gravity and hurling yourself in a new direction is just what the title claims, a rush. It’s fluid, and you have a great sense of speed and place. This makes the game quite the experience to play.
Gravity Tale
Gravity rush introduces us to the newest superhero from Sony, (They are getting good at this!) Kat. She is not sure who she is or where she came from, but with some help from her cat Dusty, she can do something amazing. The game starts with a hold-your-hand tutorial that leads to a really cool moment that has you chasing a house. A house that is being pulled into the sky. Just how cool is that? All the way cool! As the story moves forward you are tasked with putting the city back together. It has been swallowed up by a massive swirling gravity storm. How you find the missing pieces of the city is very unique and has the fun to match. There is a ton of side content to take on in Gravity Rush. From sliding around the city in time trials to unraveling the mystery of a scientist and his failed experiment. There is always something to do that is not in the main story line. And, let’s not forget the mass amounts of crystals to search high and low for.
Gravity Daze
Before I played Gravity Rush, I did read some reviews. Much of my hope was pinned on the game being awesome. It was something new that could energize the Vita and propel it to “Must Have” status. After playing it for a bit, I find that most critics are wrong. Gravity Rush is not built in the Western style that most gamers have grown accustom too. It follows many Japaneese RPG molds. I saw complaints about the combat. Those complaints are easily dismissed with a few hours spent collecting gems and powering up your skills. If you plan on speed running the game, it might not live up to what you expect. Should Studio Japan have changed their game to suit those not willing to upgrade the skills? Nope. Gravity Rush has rewards for those who put their time into it. The rest of you may be doing it wrong.
Gravity Art
One of the most stand out things of Gravity Rush is the comic book style cut scenes. They are bold and beautiful, and since you read at your speed, they never outstay their welcome. I honestly believe that fully animated cut scenes would have held the game back and taken away from it’s Origin story feel. Plus, they are just so fun to look at.
Gravity Friends
Through her adventure, Kat meets two other off the way characters. One is similar to her, but she has a raven as a companion instead of a cat. Her name is (wait for it) Raven. At first I thought she was a pain to deal with, but the game does an excellent job of fleshing out their relationship. There is more to it than what you would think. The second crazy character tries to mimic what Kat and Raven can do with man made technology. These two led to a frustration I had with the game. There is no sort of Co-Op or Competitive play. It would have been a blast flying through the city on some mission with a friend or people on NEAR. But, there is not. It didn’t even need to be main story mission. Just something! It was a very missed opportunity.
Gravity Thumbs
I could see Gravity Rush’s controls being a problem for some players. If you are good at quickly reacting and altering what you are doing, you will have no problem. Not to toot my own horn (toot toot), I had no problem with this. But I could see if you are not used to “twitch gaming” how Gravity Rush could be unforgiving. It lacks a lock on feature so it is left up to you to make sure a long flying gravity kick lands on target. You can get around this if you have the patience to wait for the Gravity Spiral recharge. If you do not, these fights could draw out quite a bit.
Gravity Kills
A lot could be said about a game that gives me the one thing that I love, boss fights. Gravity Rush in no way shies away from these. It wholeheartedly embraces it. Gravity rush has some great boss battles. They often take place on a scale that gives you a good sense of how big the city is. A lot could be said about the last battle. It was stunning, grand, and near the end, white knuckle edge-of-your-seat exciting.
Gravity Score
With it’s great sound and graphics, Gravity Rush is well worth your attention. Gravity Rush is packed full of incredible content. The kind that will keep me coming back to Hekseville to keep my gravity shifting ability sharp. I wouldn’t want to be out of practice for the very set up sequel!
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Did you love Gravity Rush too? Or do you disagree with me? Leave a comment below, or hit me up on twitter and tell me about it. Don’t forget to join the Did Not Finish Facebook page (who knows when I will give something away on that bad boy.) Also, feel free to mock me via Email. Did I mention that I wrote this entire review on my Vita? I love this thing!
