Gravity Rush

Part I: Introduction & Overview

Gravity Rush introduced a new superheroine into the PlayStation fold, gave the Vita another interesting exclusive, and was largely ignored. Those who paid attention, however, were treated to an interesting narrative, a great new character in the gravity shifting Kat (and her cat), and one of the most ambitious superhero games to come around. While Gravity Rush is not without its flaws, both narrative and technical, it is ambitious and very charming. Taking influence most obviously from inFamous but with some other surprising cues as well, Gravity Rush is rather unique and deserving of a reappraisal.

Part II: Gameplay, Narrative, Setting & Design

Gameplay

Kat's powers are the core of the game. Everything you do (traversal; combat; exploration; puzzles) is tied to her ability to shift gravity. "Gravity shifting" is a fairly broad term, but it basically derives from Kat's sort-of native ability to manipulate gravity around her. Really what this means is that you can fly! (technically falling) and stand on any surface from any direction. The game's biggest strength is how much freedom this grants you. Kat can zip around the city of Hekseville's various floating islands as long as her gravity gauge permits (and not to worry: once fully upgraded fly and recharge time are extremely powerful). In addition to this Kat has a sliding ability that is kind of like surfing on the ground. While very fun when going straight and on a level surface, the motion-controlled steering and general bumpiness of Hekseville (and the subsequent camera spasms) do not make traversing this way all that easy. This can become an issue during some of the races and time trials where using the sliding technique is either required or just the best option, but with practice it is manageable (it also has a cool auto-kick where Kat will smack down on any enemies that happen to be next to her while she's sliding).

The other big aspect of the game is combat: tentacle monsters (it's not nearly as sexual or exploitative as you might imagine) called "Nevi" have begun invading from an alternate(?) realm (or something; the game is a bit light on the details of this, although it is brought up repeatedly). Kat uses kicks, various super powers, and an inclination for the destruction of public property to throw makeshift projectiles as a means to dispatch various tentacle monsters (almost all of which are reminiscent of various sea creatures of some sort or another, making them fairly creepy). It would have been nice if Kat's abilities were expanded a bit considering how much fighting you do, but (once you get the hang of adjusting the camera and situational awareness) it becomes a fun and efficient process. Kat's special attacks (minus the somewhat useless but cool-looking crowd control black hole one) are a nice boost and a way to get ahead in some of the massive battles. Much of the fighting occurs high in the air far above the city (or below; or in an alternate dimension) with very little to land on. This forces you to use your powers, but also to think outside the box tactically.

Boss battles are generally extensions of regular combat with many of them being merely larger versions of the Nevi monsters you face (and are dispatched in the same glowing-weak-spot fashion). There are a couple times when the game breaks formula, but the fights are always fun regardless. My favourite battles however were the two against Raven, especially the first one. Although your powers are slightly different you feel fairly evenly matched, and it's always nice in games when you face off against an equal who is maximising their potential. It allows you to compare your own playing with Raven's, and see where you can improve (especially in terms of reaction time).

Narrative

Gravity Rush tells the story of a young homeless amnesiac without pants who lives in an abandoned sewer pipe (after being rejected by other homeless people) who moonlights as a superhero and fights tentacle monsters. She kicks ass, takes names, occasionally bathes, fails to find a boyfriend (but gets a stalker), becomes town waifu, and rips holes in the space-time continuum. Unlike other recent superhero games (such as the inFamous series) Kat is a protagonist oozing with personality. She's smart and capable, but also sometimes timid (although she always rises to the occasion), and not immune to flattery or deception. The game's cutscenes are told in a comic-book style and Kat's dialogue is peppered with insightful thought-bubbles. Kat is as new to the world of Hekseville as you are, so you both learn as you go. This does mean that narrative events come with merciless speed: coupled with the fact that most of the major plot points go unresolved (as well as many of the tangential ones) this can make the narrative seem rather haphazard. Despite this, it was wise of the writers to avoid restraint. Part of the game's charm is the total randomness and generally insane narrative progression. A more restrained game would have been significantly more dull.

The supporting characters are generally quirky and memorable, although there are some phoned in roles (particularly in the villain and rival department). The entire military seemed to be out of nowhere (why does Hekseville even have a military? It's not like there are other groups to go to war with), and Yunica in particular grates against me. I don't even know what she is; robot? cyborg? android? It's never clear. Likewise, her character motivations make no sense, and her cloak serves no narrative purpose (other than to look mysterious for a very brief period of time) and reveals inconsistency in her character design. Alias is also puzzling: he steals one or both gems (this is never clear) and nothing is made of it. It is implied that he has been operating in Hekseville for quite some time, yet when we actually meet him he goes full supervillain and is really not the random criminal he was described as being. There's also the lack of a proper antagonist, although various individuals fill this role for brief periods of time. First it is Raven, although it is sort-of established that she is working for an Alderman named D'nelica (whose existence is completely ignored until the final section of the game when he turns out to be a full-on fascist dictator with many unclear motivations). Alias shares this space until he is humorously crushed in a garbage disposal machine. His ability to control the Nevi and reach from beyond the dead (maybe?) is indicative of greater narrative import, although this is another area that goes without elaboration. The Nevi themselves are the primary antagonist, although this is contested and challenged by the game's narrative. Are they really evil or being controlled by exterior forces? What are they, and why are they so bent on attacking things? They are not given enough structure (ie a hive mind with top-down control from larger to smaller creatures) or even speculated motivation to be a strong antagonist. At best they are like wild animals: they do not think, they merely do.

Setting & Design

Gravity Rush takes place on the floating multi-island city of Hekseville, a city-state (comprising of four separate districts) circling a giant pillar-thing (it most recalls Yggdrasil from Norse mythology). There are other locations, including some in alternate dimensions. These latter locales are particularly stunning, and do a lot to take away the drab-sameyness of Hekseville. Which isn't to say that the separate districts don't have individual style (they do), but rather that this is an aspect of the game where the Vita's hardware limitations really come to the fore. What this means is that the game's draw distance makes it so that each district has its own particular colour (and this applies to the sky as well). As you get closer buildings emerge from outlines to become fully textured. The draw distance is impressive (especially for a Vita game) but you do still get an overdose of a single colour. Some areas, particularly the factory district of Endestria actually work out fairly well. The colour of the sky is quite bright and the buildings are all close enough together that drawing isn't a huge issue. However in the nightlife district Pleajune's perpetual midnight of dark purple and black you will probably need to max out the Vita's brightness in order to adjust comfortably. My biggest problem with design is the city's centre and commercial district, Vendecentre, which is lit with an ugly puke-green that really grates my corneas.

It's easy to reduce the severity of these complaints (colour palette of Vendecentre aside) and chalk it up to a hardware limitation. Kat is a small girl in a very large open world (even excluding the many alternate locations), and the game's technical scope is as ambitious as the narrative.

Part III: Summary & Conclusion

While not a perfect game by any means, Gravity Rush is a very ambitious title that does what a lot of its peers don't bother even attempting. The flaws are hard to miss, but the game's ambition and charm make much of them easy to forgive (a promised sequel also helps to lessen the blow, although narratives should be self-contained without relying on sequel hooks). Kat is a delightful protagonist who is treated fairly and given room to shine, and it is her story alone that draws greatest interest in the game. Gravity Rush stands as one of the Vita's best games, and a strong entry into the superhero genre.