Gravity Rush Remastered
Score: 94% ESRB: Teen Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment America Developer: SCE Japan Studio Media: Download/1 Players: 1 Genre: Adventure/ Action
Graphics & Sound: Oh, hey there! No, I’m up here! Sorry, did I startle you? I’d be a bit thrown off guard too if I saw someone standing sideways on a building, but you’ll get used to it pretty quickly. We’ll be doing a lot more than just that while exploring the world of Gravity Rush Remastered. As the name suggests, Gravity Rush Remastered is an updated release of the game Gravity Rush, which was released back in 2012. I’ll start off by saying this game really caught me off guard. I was not expecting to enter such a beautiful world, but that’s exactly what happened and you’ll realize this as soon as you start the game. This game looks amazing and the use of cel-shaded graphics really gives the game a more vibrant feel. The only complaint some gamers may have is the use of comic strip panels to tell the story of the game, but I feel this makes the storytelling narrative easier to follow and allows players more time to delve into actual gameplay rather than being held up by a cutscene. The soundtrack of Gravity Rush Remastered is very interesting to listen to. More often than not, the tracks will be vibrant and colorful, a nice reflection of the graphics in game. Other times, the tracks will take on a more mysterious feel and even this matches with many of the areas in game. I very much enjoyed the soundtrack in game and it added much in terms of atmosphere to the town of Hekseville, the main area of the game. There isn’t much in the way of voiceover and the little bit that is present is in Japanese, but there are subtitles for the player to follow along. The absence of voiceovers didn’t bother me much honestly. While I do feel voiceovers would’ve helped flesh out the personality of characters more, it’s still fairly easy to follow along and get a feel for the characters based on their reactions and what they say. The lack of voice acting also allows players to project their own desired personality on many of the characters. Visually and audibly, Gravity Rush Remastered is a pleasure to experience.
Gameplay: With a name like Gravity Rush Remastered, you can expect some interesting gameplay. Players take control of Kat, a young woman who falls into the town of Hekseville from nowhere. Soon after arriving, players meet their companion, a black cat that Kat affectionately calls Dusty. Much of the game revolves around exploring Hekseville and defeating monsters known as Nevi that pop up randomly to give the townspeople a hard time. Players will progress through the game by going to red markers which signify a new story mission. There’s also plenty of challenge missions and side missions for the player to partake in if you want a break from the story. Challenge missions are an excellent way to quickly farm up some Precious Gems if there’s a certain upgrade you would like. Challenge missions are pretty easy in the beginning, but they get more difficult as you unlock new areas to explore. On the bright side, they really help you master the basics of the game, so I’d recommend spending a fair amount of time trying to do them. Kat’s gonna be a pretty busy girl between saving the town and doing side stuff. The controls are pretty standard, so just about anyone can pick up the controller and jump right in. The Left Stick controls Kat, while the Right Stick controls the camera. The (X) button allows Kat to jump, but despite her name, her jump height isn’t much to write home about. Players should also take note of the various gauges present on the screen. To the top left is Kat’s health bar. Should this be depleted, Kat will die… Or be knocked out, whichever you prefer. Either way, you’ll be sent back to the last Auto-Save. Right next to the health bar is the gravity gauge, which shows how long Kat can shift gravity. In the middle of the gravity gauge is the special attack gauge, which allows Kat to unleash a devastating move. The special attack gauge refills quickly so don’t worry about holding back. Kat’s no slouch when it comes to combat. By pressing the (Square) button, players can unleash a combo of kicks to defeat enemies that attempt to hinder your progress, but staying on the offensive won’t also mean your victory. Kat’s pretty agile as well and can easily evade enemy attacks by holding the (R2) button and using the Left Stick. If you press (Square) while evading, Kat will perform a follow-up kick. This is a very useful trick for clearing out bigger enemies that are on the ground since Kat will target their weak spot every time. You can also evade while in midair to avoid those pesky enemies trying to knock you out of the sky.
Difficulty: Gravity Rush Remastered thrusts players right into the game as soon as you fire it up, so there isn’t much you can do in terms of playing around with difficulty. The game isn’t too difficult, but it does punish mistakes. If you’re not dodging or fighting strategically, you’ll find yourself pressing (X) to continue quite often. Kat is a lot of things, but she’s very durable. You can increase her health bar so she isn’t as squishy and this allows you a few more mistakes, but don’t be too reliant on Kat’s health bar as it does deplete pretty quickly. As you progress through the game, enemy groups become larger and more diverse, so it’s pretty easy to find yourself quickly overwhelmed if you’re not assessing a situation properly. Be as cunning and clever as Kat to make your Nevi extermination easier.
Game Mechanics: The most important mechanic players must master is the use of gravity. Thanks to Dusty, Kat is granted the ability to shift gravity. This gives her a general control over gravity, ranging from floating in the air to activating a stasis field. To shift gravity, the player only has to press the (R1) button. This allows Kat to begin floating and pressing the button again allows Kat to basically fall through the sky in whatever direction the player is aiming. Kat shouldn’t be underestimated in the air, either. While floating, she can press the (Square) button to fly towards an enemy and kick them. The farther she flies, the more damage she does. Oh, and let’s not forget the special attacks. Kat can access one of three specials by tilting the Left Stick up or down or leaving it neutral and pressing the (Triangle) button. Each of these specials are incredibly strong, but one may be better in a certain situation. Always analyze the situation and react accordingly to keep Kat ahead of the game. Kat doesn’t start off too strong, but you can change that. Shortly after beginning the game, players are introduced to a resource known as Precious Gems. If you collect enough, you can upgrade any of Kat’s stats, like her combat prowess and core powers. The higher level the stat is, the higher the cost to upgrade it. You’ll also be gated on how far you can upgrade a stat, but you’ll be able to unlock the higher levels by increasing Kat’s reputation through helpful deeds or by completing story missions. Kat will need to be as strong as she can if she hopes to help the town of Hekseville. For those who never played the original Gravity Rush or those just looking for something new to play, Gravity Rush Remastered is a must have. Every aspect of the game blends together well for a very fun experience that is sure to catch many players off guard when they first try it. I highly recommend picking up this game if you haven’t and I’m sure it won’t disappoint you.
-SS-54, GameVortex Communications AKA Ren Plummer
Related Links: Grab Gravity Rush Remastered from Amazon Check Out More Gravity Rush Remastered from the PlayStation Website
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