Underappreciated: Gravity Rush

With the video game industry throwing new games at us left and right, adding to our already massive “Piles of Shame”; great games are inevitably going to be left behind and forgotten about. Games that fall under this category are often overlooked as they may be niche, lack a massive marketing campaign or may even just be buried under the new big AAA games releasing that week. I have made it my new mission to seek these games out and put them in the spotlight; today we will be looking at the underappreciated Gravity Rush series.

The original Gravity Rush was first released in 2012 on the PlayStation Vita and was almost destined to fail right at launch due to not only it’s release platform, but also due to being a niche title with a very small fan base. This is true, even though Gravity Rush is probably one of the most unique games I have ever played. Gravity Rush is a truly special game due to its combat, gorgeous animation, beautiful music, as well as an interesting story. Gravity Rush’s story is filled with lovable, quirky characters and a unique language that blends together Japanese and French to create a wholly one of a kind experience that can only be obtained in Gravity Rush.

Gravity Rush is an action-adventure title that focuses on an amnesiac girl named Kat; who wakes up in a park and finds out she can control gravity with help from her cat Dusty. Kat’s main goal is to find out who she is and protect the citizens of Hekseville from the Nevi as she hunts down her memories and find out who she truly is.

The story of both Gravity Rush and Gravity Rush 2 are presented in comic book panel cutscenes. These story sequences are filled with charm and smart writing with plenty of humor that keeps the player engaged and wanting more.

To fight the Nevi Kat will use her gravity powers to break every law of physics ever created and spin the world upside down. Kat can also pick up and throw enemies to destroy every last Nevi. She can fight on the ground without her gravity powers by using a flurry of kicks but she is much more of an adversary while she is in the air and able to fly at top speeds. Kat’s power even evolves in *Gravity Rush 2* with the Lunar and Jupiter gravity styles.

The Lunar style will make Kat faster, more lightweight, and gives Kat more projectile-based attacks. The downside is that these attacks will deal lower amounts of damage; but thanks to the speed boost the Lunar style is a great way to traverse the detailed and gorgeous world. It is almost as addicting as swinging around New York in Marvel’s Spider-Man.

The Jupiter gravity style, on the other hand, is a stark contrast to the Lunar style. In Jupiter style, Kat is heavier and deals twice as much damage, but she is also slower and more susceptible to taking damage as her dodges turn into blocks.

Combat in both Gravity Rush games can be a little hard to control at times; especially with the motion-controlled camera in the Vita version of the first game. In the PlayStation 4 remaster this control scheme is optional and can be switched to manual stick controls.

Along with the story, there are also challenges to complete in the world. These challenges consist of time trials, combat challenges, and races. All of these activities will reward you with gems that you can use to purchase new powers for Kat. These powers in turn will help her race through the world faster, hit harder, and unlock new attacks to take down the Nevi.

Gravity Rush and Gravity Rush 2 are worth any PlayStation gamers’ time as it presents a wholly unique take on the superhero genre and spins it on its head. Both games have fantastic stories, fun, engaging gameplay, gorgeous visuals, and charming characters. Gravity Rush is available on the PlayStation Vita for $29.99 and on PlayStation 4 $39.99 Gravity Rush 2 is a PlayStation 4 exclusive and is available for $29.99.

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