Gravity Rush (PS Vita) Review

I bought a PlayStation Vita because of this game. I honestly have no idea what drew me into buying the handheld console for this game. Was it because Kat was a DLC character on PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale? Was it because I’m a fan of open world games and leveling up abilities? I don’t know, but after beating the game and getting the Platinum trophy, I knew I made the right choice in buying it.

The story revolves around a young woman named Kat who wakes up in a park in Hekseville with no memory of what happened to her. She encounters this cat-like creature (I don't get the cat motif, to be honest) who gives her the power to control gravity. She then uses these powers to help others, restore all parts of Hekseville, and defeat the main of the game, the Nevi.

There are a lot of twists and turns in the story and for the most part, I really like the characters, especially Kat. She is really selfless and caring for people. Plus, she's really cute. I'd put her up there with Jade from Beyond Good & Evil and Elizabeth from BioShock Infinite as one of my favorite female characters in gaming.

One thing that really drew me into this game was the visual style. The game uses cel-shaded graphics to resemble those French comics that director Keiichiro Toyama read in his youth. It reminds me of other cel-shaded games like the Sly Cooper series and Okami as both those games were made to resemble a cartoon and a Japanese water color painting, respectively. Certain scenes and even the pause menu are all presented in a comic book format.

I really love the comic book-style cutscenes.

The score by Kohei Tanaka is some of the best I have ever heard in a video game. The music can sound peaceful, upbeat, or epic and they match perfectly in certain locations or events. Some tracks like "Downtown" and "Discovery of Gravitation" even remind me of Studio Ghibli films. If you want to know what some of my favorite tracks are, they are "Old Town," "Resistance and Extermination," and the main menu theme "Gravity Daze." When you hear the latter track, you know you are in for a big adventure.

In short, Gravity Rush is an open-world game with RPG elements. Playing as Kat, you can explore Hekseville to  repair parts of towns, complete challenges and side quests, and search for gems. You are not allowed to harm citizens, however, due to Kat's heroic nature. The only exception is to run them over with the Gravity Slide or such launching them in the air.

Thanks to Dusty, Kat can manipulate gravity. It is a really cool way to travel from place to place. You're not really flying, but "falling." Pressing the R button will make her float, and pressing it again will make her "fall." She can even walk against walls. However, there is a Gravity Gauge on the top left side of the HUD that indicates how long she can use her powers before they wear out for two seconds.

Anyone think of the song "Free Fallin'" by Tom Petty while doing this?

Gravity Rush is also an action game, and Kat has a wide variety of attacks including kicking, gravity kicking, and... well, they all consist of kicking. I guess she needs lessons from Chop Chop Master Onion. Using the Vita's gyroscope, Kat can target where you want to go while floating. I'm not too big on using the gyroscope, but thankfully you can also aim with the right analog stick. I don't like having to turn my Vita to go to a different direction.

During certain parts of the game's story, Kat will have to navigate herself through Rift Planes to restore parts of Hekseville. As she progresses, she will also learn new powers. They can be upgraded by collecting Precious Gems scattered throughout the game. They can even be won by breaking records in challenges, adding a bit of replay value.

"Kick, punch, it's all in the mind.." Wait, she can only kick.

The Nevi serve as the main enemy of the game, and they all come in different shapes and sizes. Some of them even resemble animals like swordfish and sharks. They can be defeated by hitting their obvious weak spots. Some have only one, while others have more than that. Some have criticized the combat for being tedious and monotonous, and I partially agree. Yeah, they can drag, but to me, I never really got bored of them. Though, if Kat's abilities are not leveled up often, then yes, it's a huge problem.

Kat can also take part in challenges after repairing certain parts of the town, like elevators or other contraptions. Some challenges consist of earning points by defeating a lot of Nevi or getting from Point A to B, all under a time limit. I thought those would be a big problem for me since I am not a fan of "gold medal challenges" in games, but they actually worked. If you can't achieve a high score, that's because upgrading Kat's abilities are recommended. These beat the Gold Orb challenged from Jak II and Jak 3 by a whole lot (those racing missions - ugh!).

If I had any gripes with Gravity Rush, I wish there was more to do in the game. Some more side quests would be nice and the DLC packs just weren't enough. Other than that, there's not that much to complain about.

I am glad that I bought a Vita thanks to this game. It's one of the best games that I have ever played, and it's on a handheld! This is all thanks to a great female protagonist, solid gameplay, gorgeous visuals, and an amazing score.

I, among many fans, am eagerly awaiting a sequel to be released because while the ending is a bit satisfying, it did not resolve everything, but I think that was intentional. I would love to see more of the universe of Gravity Rush explored. If you never played a Vita, it is the handheld's killer app, a reason to buy one.