Uniquely Ennasueating.

The last ones not an English word, but it describes Gravity

Rush perfectly.
It's astounding how this game was venerated as one of the PS Vitas best. It's not.
It's not even among the bronze caliber of gaming. In fact, Gravity Rush tries hard
to be unique and innovative; to be deep and dynamic. It sells itself as a game with a
soul yet it falls short with what it tries to accomplish.

Gravity Rushs story starts out, to its credit, intriguingly: a mysterious girl falls from
the sky and upon waking up she doesnt remember anything. She is accompanied
by an epic-looking cat (think stars, planets, universe) and strangely she decides to
name it Dusty. After taking several steps, she is implored by a man to save his
son, and despite being fresh with amnesia she reluctantly agrees. They arrive at a
bridge where a whole building is collapsing, and the mans son is still inside. It is
then revealed that Dusty can actually bestow the mysterious girl with a power to
shift gravity, and using said power, the mysterious girl saves the day.

And it's all downhill from there. Besides the intriguing backstory of the mysterious
girl and the true purpose of the epic cat, the overall plot is draggy and convoluted.
It tries to be so many things at once. The plot introduces characters and story
elements so profusely it forgot when to stop. There's no problem with having
multiple characters and intertwining stories, if they are then properly developed.
Thats not the case here: the game barrages the player with characters and story
elements to the point of obscurity; to the point that the player no longer realizes
what's going on; to the point that even the game forgets these elements only to
batter the player again with more half-baked story ideas.

Soul: it is synonymous with life and it is what makes an object feel alive. Does
Gravity Rush have it? Absolutely not. The mysterious girl, whose name is Kat, is the
players typical heroine who cant seem to decide for herself. Despite having the
power to shift and control gravity to her will she allows herself to be pestered and
bullied by other characters. She runs around the city solving petty problems and
doing the actual jobs of others, allowing herself to be freely manipulated. She puts
others first before herself in pure acts of selflessness and while such a trait is
admirable, somehow, it feels forced, stale, and dead. The characters never feel
alive. They dont grow and develop, and in the rare chance that they do their
reasons are as plastic as the game cartridge itself.

The City of Hekseville, the setting of Gravity Rush, is vast and huge and multilayered, filled with steampunk technology, Victorian architecture, floating airbuses,
and pedestrians going about their daily lives. And while I do admire and appreciate
the open setting of the game, the City of Hekseville is just as dead as the

characters. Despite the various settings of Hekseville, there's really no point in

exploring because there's nothing to explore in the first place. There are no venues
of particular interest nor are their any interesting NPCs to talk or interact with.
Ninety percent of the time the player would be flying over the rooftops and skylines
of the city. In fact, the game even encourages the player to fly around instead of
actually reconnoitering the city districts because most of the precious gems, the
games currency, are only accessible when Kat flies. The citizens of Hekseville are
no different. They're like walking dummies who have no lives: they just walk, and
walk, and walk. Sometimes they talk with other NPCs and then they walk again.
There are NPCs posing as vendors behind stalls and kiosks, but Kat can neither talk
nor buy anything from them. In short, the citizens of Hekseville are just there for
show. I do find it amusing though how Kat can catapult citizens from the ground to a
thousand feet in the air. And strangely, no one would mind. The few guards
present just blow their whistle. They dont even reprimand Kat, another indication of
how simple the NPCs are, and how they're merely lifeless ragdolls.

Gameplay-wise, I applaud Gravity Rush for trying to be different. I appreciate

Gravity Rushs effort. But this is not primary school. Effort is not enough. Tangible
results must be achieved. And while the effort is clearly there, the results are very
lackluster.

What separates Gravity Rush from any other third-person action adventure game is
the Gravity Shift System. By pressing the R button, Kat will suspend in zerogravity. By pressing the R button again, Kat will fall towards the direction she's
facing as if the pull of gravity is coming from that particular direction. By pressing
the L button while shifting gravity, Kat will stop shifting and will naturally plummet
towards the earth. Normally, the pull of gravity is downwards. But with the power to
shift the direction of gravity, Kat is able to hover, fly, and plunge at devastating
speeds. And it's pure, simple fun. I'll give it that much. There's no thrill like flying
over the city tops of Hekseville hundreds of miles per hour, and there's no greater
satisfaction than landing on top of ragdoll people in a burst of dust, concrete, and
debris. But while the Gravity Shift System is entertaining in its own right, it has one
glaring problem: the camera sucks. The camera doesnt stay in one place. It
wobbles and shakes and disorients the players perspective. It makes the player
lose track of his spatial position in the game. The fact that the motion sensor in
front of the PS Vita changes the viewpoint of the camera based on the players
position doesnt help. In short, the camera is hopelessly unhelpful. And at times
when the player would really need its help, it will fail him. Not once. But many
times. Especially during combat.

The combat in Gravity Rush is standard fare when the player is not shifting gravity.
Kat can jump over obstacles, perform kick combos against enemies, and dodge
enemy blows and projectiles by either tumbling or somersaulting. Jumping and

kicking can be done by the mere press of a button while dodging is done by swiping
a finger across the screen. The combat becomes really interesting when Kat shifts
gravity. In such a state, Kat can perform the gravity kick, a powerful homing kick
that can defeat enemies in one to two blows. And as the game progresses Kat
unlocks more powers such as the Gravity Slide, and three other secret powers.
While such abilities are powerful, combat does not become any less challenging. All
enemies are formidable, and care is actually needed in combat. The reckless will
find no solace here.

With due care, combat is not hard in Gravity Rush. But it is frustrating. Again,
camera issues are the problem here. In ground combat it's not much of a concern
but in aerial combat, situations where Kat has to shift gravity, it becomes tedious
and excruciating. The enemies are fast and sagacious. Big or small, they charge at
Kat with fervent abandon. In aerial combat, because of the useless camera, the
player would frequently find himself adjusting Kats direction to hone in a gravity
kick. But in the few moments the player adjusts the camera, an enemy will strike
Kat out of nowhere and send her flying several feet away, ruining the players
perspective, and the player has to adjust the camera again. In the midst of a heated
aerial battle where Kat is outnumbered ten to one, any stationary moment is deadly.
The player must constantly move Kat if he doesnt want her to get hit, but if the
player is constantly on the move, how can he get a gravity kick in? And if the player
tries to adjust the camera to perform a gravity kick, how can he dodge the enemies
endless attacks?

The gravity kick, as I've said in a preceding paragraph, is a powerful homing kick.
And while it is powerful, and while it is homing, it is nonetheless unreliable. In
performing a gravity kick, Kat usually plunges herself towards an enemy at
exhilarating speeds. However, the gravity kick constantly misses its mark,
especially if the enemy moves the slightest. And whenever Kat misses, shed kick
on to infinity unless the player halts her manually. Then, the player would have to
adjust the camera again. It's a dreary, exasperating process. In the end, the player
would rather use a superpower and wipe out several enemies, fall back, wait for the
superpower to charge again, and repeat. Such process takes the away the
excitement of combat. Such repetitiveness kills the game.

Other things of note:

The gravity slide: by sliding two fingers simultaneously on the left and right side of
the PS Vitas screen, Kat will slide on the ground and across slanted walls and
surfaces. By tilting the PS Vita, Kats direction changes (ala Temple Run). By shaking
the PS Vita, Kat will jump. By removing one finger from the screen, Kat will slow
down. The controls are non-responsive and gimmicky. What's wrong with having a

separate button to execute gravity slide and steer Kats direction using the left
analog stick? The speed in gravity slide is too fast, and if the player slows down Kat
halts to a snails pace. The concept is interesting but nonetheless poorly executed.

The stasis field: by pressing the circle button, Kat will conjure a small gravitational
field around her, and objects and NPCs can be grabbed and suspended in zero
gravity. By pressing the circle button again, Kat will throw the object towards the
directions she's facing. Unfortunately, NPCs cannot be thrown, which would have
been fun. Another interesting concept but one rarely used in the game. In fact, its
usage is very situational.

Precious gems: used for upgrades and unlocking challenges. Using precious gems,
the player can improve Kats health, gravitational abilities, and combat abilities.
Throughout the city are various challenge points that need to be unlocked using
gems. These challenges test the players ability and reward him with, you guessed
it, more gems. These features give the player prerogatives to search for these
precious gems.

Rift Planes: A welcome change in atmosphere. In Rift Planes, the game encourages
the player to utilize specific gameplay features. In these parts of the game, the
player must navigate through a thematic level. It's pure, platforming fun. I really
wish the game had more levels like these as they break the modicum of
tediousness.
Costumes: the already sexy Kat becomes sexier in a school-girl, maid, military, and
provocative spy outfit. The last three are available only as DLC.

In conclusion, Gravity Rush is not a bad game but it's not a good one, either. It's at
best an average action-adventure game. The plot is unnecessarily intricate, the
characters are sub-par, and combat is tedious and frustrating. The constant camera
issues hinder the player from a smooth and enjoyable experience, and can even
cause lightheadedness and nausea. Gameplay features are interesting but not
implemented properly, which is a big shame. However, I still commend the Gravity
Shift System. In a sea of generic video game products that remain oblivious to
change, Gravity Rush is a gem. Albeit, an average gem. And despite the frustrating,
imperfect experience I've had it with it, it was still fun and worthwhile.