With little “you must play this or you must die a horrible death” games on the PS Vita I would forgive you to think Gravity rush, which is a gravity (go figure) focused action adventure game, would be a game to miss. However, there is far more to this game that gave me a different, yet wonderful experience on the Vita.
You start this game as a women (wearing very revealing Japanese style clothing) called Kat who has lost her memory and seems to be in a floating town called Hekseville. She bumps into a weird black cat who gives her the ability to shift gravity, which is the main mechanic in the game, and the two of you go world saving by trying to find out why there is a gravity storm in the sky. Along with the gravity storm in the sky a species has appeared, called the Nevi, and they are hell bent on taking you out. The story sounds interesting and could have a lot of mystery to it but the execution of the story is poorly down. The developers went for a subtitle driven story which works at times and has this level of charm but severely fails when you are in combat. There were times when I couldn’t read the subtitles because I was too busy doing something else. Another issue with subtitles is it does drag the game out. There are times where reading can become a chore when all you want to do is play the game. I know I sound like a child being told to put down his Lego and do the washing up but I did just want to skip the subtitles and move on to the next mission. The major concern with the story is they have clearly gone with a Lost direction and decided to leave more questions unanswered than ones they have answered. The game clearly sets up for future instalments but you do feel a little cheated and confused when it gets to the end.
The story isn’t all that bad though. The characters are well designed and actually show so likable side to them. What really works well though is the story has an adorable feel to it despite it having darker themes. This is really achieved by clever directing and the cel-shaded visuals. The cel-shaded visuals really fit with the style of the story. It’s not a bad looking game either. The cut scenes have a very graphic novel feeling which works well with subtitle storytelling. Despite limiting acting and dialogue, they are also very engaging and it adds to the games charm. Here the characters’ personalities really shine. Each character feels vastly different from the next and they all seem to have an interesting backstory to support their personality.
The game’s score is superb. The score really compliments the tense parts and the more charming parts of the game. It isn’t one of those soundtracks that is totally in your face but it is quietly in the background giving each location a different vibe. The attack move sounds are less impressive but still do the job adequately.
The main mechanic of this game is gravity shifting. The way it works is it creates an invisible bubble around you and you just fall in certain direction. It works very well and really fits well on the Vita because you can twist and turn with Vita in your hands. It’s just a joy to zip around the immensely detailed world. Despite this mechanic working well the camera seems to work against you. At times it feels clunky and at first you will get a little bit disorientated but after awhile you get used to. Gravity shifting isn’t the only arsenal at your disposal. There is the ability to throw item, fall at a much faster rate, sliding, special attack abilities and much more stuff that can be upgraded with purple diamonds which are scattered around the world. Upgrading becomes a must later on in the game but you soon realise that to finish the game only a few abilities really need upgrading. It’s a poor design choice as you get most of the abilities quite early on in the game, so you end up using a set routine of moves for a large portion of the game.
There is no competitive online mode as such and the online mode is limited to side mission leaderboards. These side missions are not varied but still fun to play. These consist of brawls, gravity related tasks, races…..that really aren’t that challenging to complete but are challenging to get a good score.
All in all this game has its problems (story issues and camera related issues) but I really enjoyed this game. The score is just sublime, the characters are interesting and the art direction really fits with the, dare I say it, cute storytelling. I have played a number of games on the PS Vita and I have only recommended one game (LBP Vita) that “you must play this or you must die a horrible death”. I can now add another game. Yes it has its problems but it was just a wonderful experience that I couldn’t put down
Sammy: "It’s sad that PlayStation has moved on from some of these iconic brands, but it would be worse watching them rot. At least with this licensing strategy, there’s a legitimate opportunity for more great franchises to get a second chance. And if they sell really well, there’s always the chance Sony may decide to bring them back."
Love this idea. Let other companies release reboots of these classics to a wider audience. Everyone wins.
Remaster Puppeteer. It looked great on PS3 but it would be nice to have on PS5 with fast loading and some sort of 4k
No place for Puppeteer, Gravity Rush
Man I'd love to see GR3. Unfortunately Somy didn't do well to advertise these games and AAA gaming is what most gamers preferred.
This gen has been different, indies and smaller games are what people absolutely love now so I wonder how these games would do if they were to release now. These games would also need a PC release.
GR2 was nice but i don’t think it’s made for a home console. It played like a dream on vita. Same for tearaway. Ps4 version was boring but vita was glorious.
Japan studio made amazing titles for everyone. Call them AA if you like but they can work on jrpg reboots and sequel of bloodborne. Maybe even let them remake old gems even from other developers. I don’t think a partnership with SNK to develop Koudelka remake will be unnoticed. But bad management is where it’s at. AA disappeared but let’s invest everything in gaas
GR2 was never on Vita, oddly, but yes, the fist game was best on Vita and the gyro controls really suited the game and worked well too. Vita had a ton of tech built into it.
I platted GR1 on Vita and PS4.
I couldn't play GR2 more than a couple of hours. Bought it day 1. Still have it. Tried twice but just couldn't get into it.
I mean can you really say it closed when 90% of the staff is at Asobi Games which was originally a team in Japan Studio?
I mean he has a point.
I get it the studio is gone but what makes the studio, the people who works there.
For example people say BioWare is not BioWare no more because the people who made BioWare left.
Team Asobi may not be named studio Japan no more but if 90% of the workers is from studio Japan then it’s damn near the same and they still in Japan.
Not trying to spin it, that's literally the facts, Asobi absorbed Japan studio, and a small portion left but most of the Japan studio staff are still there 🤨. They're certainly taking a different direction that Japan studio but it's still the same people in the same office working for the same publisher 🤷♂️
Hell even the DNA is the same. Astrobot shares a lot in common with how it feels and controls with games like puppeteer and knack
Saying that is like saying they gonna be making gravity rush 3 which is a no. The studio itself is gone the workers that went to asobi isnt gonna be making the same games
Wtf are you going on about, no one said any of that, why you makin sh!t up just to argue? 🤣
that's a bit of poor argument. i mean look at naughty dog. they don't make crash, jak & daxter , or uncharted games anymore either.
Replies(1)Bring Puppeteer to PS5 please! Love that game. Gravity Rush collection would be ice as well.
I've been shouting that games underrated nature for so long. I honestly think it has more unique charm and heart than astrobot, and if people rediscovered it they would really see Japan studio has always been a special studio
All the different heads and abilities were awesome. The aesthetic was awesome. The level design was so much fun. It is the true meaning of underrated, sadly.
Understandable. Adult gamers, while still having interest in AA gaming, have so little time that they choose to play AAA instead. Indie too, being fun and cheap, who could resist? they are too, time-consuming.
I think your on to something but for me it feels different. For one, even AAA games can get too time consuming. Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is gigantic. Some would say obsessively so. It's quite an achievement simply due to the amount t of content. I definitely have less time for games now and the problem is that there is so much to play. I don't even get to half of the AAA games I want to play.
In a career spanning interview, I speak to the creator of the Silent Hill, Siren, and Gravity Rush franchises about his 30 year time within the industry, what his thoughts are in making the transition from working for a AAA publisher to essentially becoming an independent, whether he’d be open to working on new iterations of the franchises that he’s renowned for, whether he’d be open to collaborating with any of the horror greats in the games industry, and what his long-term goals are for the next 30 years… Enjoy!
Interesting read, although the questions should have been more focused, and I think Gravity Rush, at least the first one, is fairly dark. Never got into the sequel.
I loved both games. There are pervasive themes of darkness worked in, but they're very vibrant games and Kat (history withstanding) is a very light-hearted character in a world that has its dark moments, but it's very generally upbeat, especially in comparison to Siren and Silent Hill.
Wait, dude made all 3? Wtf? Dude has a knack for cult classics like damn
"So most of the games that I’ve worked on have been new IPs, even though I’ve made different franchises and stuff. But I want to note that every time I make a new IP, my resources are pretty limited, and they’re limited by the company that I’ve worked for. So in that sense, Silent Hill, Siren, and the first Gravity Rush game, I think that we were striving to achieve something new, as opposed to making a big budget videogame. So I feel the need to do that every 3, 4, or 5 years. And I keep making new games, so going individual, like going indie right now, for me, I don’t really feel limited, I feel that it suits me more. So it feels like I’ve got an advantage, because I know how to work with limited resources."
That's encouraging. I really hope Sony would approach Toyama-san for a Gravity Rush sequel.
Good review. This was my 2012 GOTY for the Vita.
I loved the art direction; Hekseville is a beautifully rendered floating version of fin de siècle Paris. Just wandering around it soaking up the sights and sounds was worth the price of admission.