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| Written by The Curmudgeon |
Does anyone remember the PlayStation Vita?
…
…
No?
Yeah, me neither. But, regardless of the console’s
undeniable forgettability, in some way I have it to thank for a little game
called Gravity Rush.
In 2012, the slightly-upgraded PSP that is the PS Vita was a
receptacle for Gravity Rush, known as Gravity Daze in its native
country of Japan. Over the course of 2015-2016, Gravity Rush deservedly
received a remastering for the PS4 – you know, a console people actually owned
and used – and a stellar sequel in 2017. As it stands, they’re two of my
favourite games of all time. And I’m going to tell you why.
Now, you might be thinking – if you belong to my currently minuscule list of readers – why are you writing about one of those videographic games,
Mr. Curmudgeon? Aren’t you supposed to be a FILM fellow, Mr. Curmudgeon?
Doesn’t it say “Curmudgeon FILM Talk” on the banner above?
Good questions, disembodied voice in my head. To answer all
those queries…uh…umm…don’t think about it.
Anyway, onto the matter at hand…
Gravity Rush - Overview
Gravity Rush is more-or-less a superhero game,
revolving around an amnesiac, Kat, with a magical cat, Dusty. Dusty
gives Kat the miraculous ability to control gravity, effectively rendering her
superhuman. As it turns out, being able to manipulate gravity is a fairly
useful ability when navigating a city in the sky. Indeed, the world of Gravity
Rush is appropriately situated amongst the clouds, a varied expanse of
towns and skylines populating peak altitudes.
With her new found abilities and an adorable (yet ethereal)
friend by her side, Kat sets about skimming from misadventure to misadventure.
From the mysterious, other-worldly beasts known as Nevi that terrorise
the denizens, to the malice of local politicians lusting for power. She takes
it all in her stride, trying her darnedest to better some lives along the way.
The mechanics of the game are hinged on this manipulation of
gravity – lifting and launching stray objects, launching yourself into foes at
breakneck speed, and most importantly, levitation. Well, I say levitation,
but you’re actually just changing the direction that gravity takes you. To take
a page out of Buzz Lightyear’s book, you’re falling with style.
And what a whimsical mechanic flight is upon which to
build a game. It’s liberating, fast-paced, and makes traversing the open-world
of Gravity Rush feel easy and nonrestrictive. The whole gravity
aspect is a unique angle with which to approach such a popular concept –
anything you launch yourself at is your new floor, and environments are
a hell of a lot more fun to explore when you’re clambering the underside of a
skyscraper, upside-down.
There are various add-on powers and abilities which you
unlock and enhance over the course of Gravity Rush which expand on the
reaches and limitations of Kat’s powers. For example, you can shift the gravity
around you so as to slide across any surface like a steep slope, or generate
boulders of pure gravitational energy to launch like projectiles. Since you
access these abilities bit by bit throughout the game, it adds a nice
level-curve, and helps to keep the gameplay varied and interesting.
Friendly neighbourhood Kat-woman
One of the most charming aspects of the Gravity Rush
games is that they boast a kind of friendly-neighbourhood superhero
vibe. They’ve got an adorably low-concept feeling about them. And, although the
stakes rise towards the end of both games, this relaxing, quotidian tone is
something they wear on their sleeves for most of the playing time. The apex of
this is that there is a heavy focus on side missions and challenge missions
extraneous to the overall plot.
The real question is, why does that matter, or why does it
make the game good?
I’ll elaborate. In the first game, the only way to increase
the capacity of Kat’s powers, and level up, is by improving her
popularity amongst the citizenry. And the only way to do that is by interacting
with them! Doing them favours, helping them with various errands, stuff like
that, all through the side missions. On one hand, this kind of design keeps the
gameplay from getting stale; through these missions, your vast set of gravity
powers are utilised to their maximum, while also honing your own grasp of the
mechanics. On top of that, you’re often rewarded with gems which serve
as a sort of in-game currency to spend on upgrading abilities.
But above all, it helps to make the world of Gravity Rush
feel like it’s alive. There are all these tiny micro-narratives which expand
outside the demands of the central plot. For example, in Gravity Rush 2,
you’re enlisted to catch a thief stealing plumbing supplies from a local port. After
you catch him and turn him in, the thief works off his debt – but gets a job at
the end of it. You’re helping the common man, and everyone is better off for
it! Contrary to my painfully cynical nature, I have to admit…this kind
of optimism is infectious…
The most important thing about this is that it makes the
world feel like a place worth saving. This kind of game design encourages
engagement with the surrounding environment, and the people which bring it to
life.
Speaking of encouraging engagement with your surroundings…
Exploring the world of Gravity Rush
Side missions and challenge missions aren’t the only way to
obtain the precious gems in Gravity Rush. In fact, if there’s
anything you’ll notice pretty much straight away, it’s that there are
fucking gems everywhere.
On the rooftops, under the floating islands, inside pipes
sticking out of the walls. EVERYWHERE.
On one hand, this creates a strangely addictive collect-athon
situation, and you’ll find yourself obsessively hovering after every single one
of those purple little fuckers, no matter how small the value – something which
is mindlessly addictive in itself. More importantly, however, it creates a
familiarity with the surrounding environments – every nook and cranny is ripe
to be explored, lest you miss out on another little pocket of gems. And, if you
want to play the game in the most fruitful way possible, you’ll be scouring
every single alley and skyscraper for whatever you can get.
You might be thinking that showering the over-world with gems
might invalidate the side missions I talked about earlier. But in reality, a
solid balance is struck – the gems in the over-world are of a valuable-enough
quantity to be rewarding, without infringing on the effectiveness of the side
missions which yield more. Likewise, the sheer immediacy of the gems around you
– and that obsessive little gremlin in every one of us that can’t just leave
them be – keeps this mechanic from becoming obsolete.
The icing on the cake is that the world of Gravity Rush
is so beautifully and meticulously designed. The game channels some serious Studio
Ghibli vibes, and through more than just the magical girl with a black cat.
Or I guess it’s just a regular girl with a magical black cat…eh, you see
the connection.
In either case, the strong European architecture iconic of
movies like Howl’s Moving Castle (2004) or Kiki’s Delivery Service
(1989) feature prominently. It’s beautiful and atmospheric, and littered with
tiny details in the form of posters and signs and other little
idiosyncrasies that help to make it feel absorbing.
The second game introduces
a new city which completely overhauls the environmental tone altogether – it
delves in to a more Eastern vibe, with just as much detail and care injected
into it. Each environment is coupled with a unique musical theme which helps to
elaborate a sense of place and atmosphere. If you want to hear more about the
music, I’d highly recommend this little promotional gig from 2016 (click here
for that).
Ultimately, Gravity Rush presents a world which is
rich, detailed, and you’ll want to explore. You also won’t want to leave.
The Gravity Queen
One of the biggest selling points for these games is the
protagonist herself.
Affectionately coined the “Gravity Queen” by locals, Kat possesses
a unique charm that makes her difficult to dislike. While she’s resourceful and
forward-thinking, she’s not especially bright, and she doesn’t always think
things through as thoroughly as she could. On top of that, her tendency to seek
out the good in others can make her easy to fool. But it results in a kind of
blind optimism which is nothing if not infectious. In the beginning, the world
she inhabits feels cold and cruel at times. But with every person she saves, there’s
a tangible warmth which spreads from person to person. It’s because of
her tendency to seek out the good in others that she finds a way to pull it out
of them.
There’s even an occasion, for example, when the police
enlist Kat to infiltrate a gang and bring them to justice. Instead, she ends up
charming them into submission, and setting them about path of self-betterment. Is
it cheesy? Yes. Does it warm the dry, empty husk that is my soul? YES.
She’s a simple character; she thinks with her stomach, she’s
brash, and she’s perhaps a little romantic. Consequently, however, there is a
purity to Kat – the sort of purity which makes her altruism impossible to
waver. She’s a true-blue paragon.
To conclude...
I’m not going to make the claim that Gravity Rush is
an infallible series of games. The combat can be a little repetitive – an issue
which was certainly remedied a little in the second game, with the introduction
of new types of enemy – and at worst, it can be a little too easy. The flight
mechanics go hand in hand with a camera which moves with you, making the
perspective disorientating, especially when you’re shifting from surface to surface.
Additionally, it’s hard not to notice the occasional plot convenience – Dusty goes
missing for no reason just to add a little tension while Kat is powerless, then
reappears just as inexplicably as it went.
But there is nonetheless a pervasive charm to these games. They’re
cute, rich with atmosphere, and the unique gameplay mechanics make it a welcome
change of pace from the endless sea of shooters which have dominated the
market. If you’re just as tired as I am of yet another gruff manly man running
around with pecs larger than his entire body and a machine gun to match, this game
might just restore your optimism.
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