I got Gravity Rush when it was free on PS+, and it was one of the first games I played on my Vita when I got it for Christmas in 2013. However, with the mass of games I got with the system, and the more complicated nature of the game, it got left behind.
And then last year, on returning to work, I decided to play it again. I completed a few more chapters, but was utterly lost and couldn't work out the controls to feel like I knew what I was doing.
So, obviously, the best thing to do is to leave it a couple of years and try again. And this time it's stuck.
When I left the game back in 2015, I couldn't work out where I needed to go to progress. I must have missed the legend on the map, and the bright red marker. I flew around for a bit, and then jumped on a train to go to a new area - and as I stood on top of the train, the colour palette shifting in the background, something clicked about what I was trying to do. The story didn't pull me in before, but the fact that parts of the town are missing and people's loved ones have disappeared can't be ignored. I'll get them all back.
I just wish it was a little easier. The controls feel quite clunky - but that may be by design, since the idea of gravity shifting is that you are just falling in a different direction. Not much finesse there. After a bit of experimentation I found the upgrades menu, which allowed me to extend the amount of time Kat can fly for, and improved the power of her kicks. This, combined with learning the gravity kicks and other special moves, has turned this from a game I was struggling with to one I'm enjoying.
It's still a little cringeworthy in places; the fact that the entire town seems to be trying to hit on Kat is constantly annoying. There are a lot of elements to the story which seem disjointed - a couple who seem to be travelling in time, a creator who sends Kat to the rift plains to bring back the town, the nevi who appear from nowhere, another gravity shifter called Raven who seems to be rather antagonistic, the police force and a detective called Sid who seem to be a bit incompetent.
And someone or something called Alias, who wants to steal power gems and has some sort of control over the nevi.
The fight with Alias was a bit of an anticlimax, actually. He was built up as the main enemy, very mysterious behind a mask, but the game didn't end with his defeat. A good thing, probably, because otherwise that would have been a very short game with many things unresolved - and with probably the worst end-game boss battle ever.
Alias throws red blobs at you, and they're difficult to evade. It's best to hide behind a building, and then pop out and use a special move that lobs rocks at enemies. But that recharges really slowly, so the majority of the boss fight is spent standing still and hiding.
And hearing him say that, over and over again.
I could have taken more risks, with more direct attacks and getting closer, but it didn't seem worth it.
Anyway, Alias defeated, and with the big tall tower in place, I explored some more. The draw distance is cleverly disguised with the art style - you have to go to some extremes to get all the building faded out though.
My exploration found a lady looking over the edge of the city, saying she had dropped the last letter from her boyfriend down there. I went down to pick it up ... and went down and down and down. Half way down I met Raven again, who tried to stop me - but failed.
Now I'm in some sort of little village, in a cage. No sign of a letter. Hmm.
And then last year, on returning to work, I decided to play it again. I completed a few more chapters, but was utterly lost and couldn't work out the controls to feel like I knew what I was doing.
So, obviously, the best thing to do is to leave it a couple of years and try again. And this time it's stuck.
When I left the game back in 2015, I couldn't work out where I needed to go to progress. I must have missed the legend on the map, and the bright red marker. I flew around for a bit, and then jumped on a train to go to a new area - and as I stood on top of the train, the colour palette shifting in the background, something clicked about what I was trying to do. The story didn't pull me in before, but the fact that parts of the town are missing and people's loved ones have disappeared can't be ignored. I'll get them all back.
I just wish it was a little easier. The controls feel quite clunky - but that may be by design, since the idea of gravity shifting is that you are just falling in a different direction. Not much finesse there. After a bit of experimentation I found the upgrades menu, which allowed me to extend the amount of time Kat can fly for, and improved the power of her kicks. This, combined with learning the gravity kicks and other special moves, has turned this from a game I was struggling with to one I'm enjoying.
It's still a little cringeworthy in places; the fact that the entire town seems to be trying to hit on Kat is constantly annoying. There are a lot of elements to the story which seem disjointed - a couple who seem to be travelling in time, a creator who sends Kat to the rift plains to bring back the town, the nevi who appear from nowhere, another gravity shifter called Raven who seems to be rather antagonistic, the police force and a detective called Sid who seem to be a bit incompetent.
And someone or something called Alias, who wants to steal power gems and has some sort of control over the nevi.
The fight with Alias was a bit of an anticlimax, actually. He was built up as the main enemy, very mysterious behind a mask, but the game didn't end with his defeat. A good thing, probably, because otherwise that would have been a very short game with many things unresolved - and with probably the worst end-game boss battle ever.
Alias throws red blobs at you, and they're difficult to evade. It's best to hide behind a building, and then pop out and use a special move that lobs rocks at enemies. But that recharges really slowly, so the majority of the boss fight is spent standing still and hiding.
And hearing him say that, over and over again.
I could have taken more risks, with more direct attacks and getting closer, but it didn't seem worth it.
Anyway, Alias defeated, and with the big tall tower in place, I explored some more. The draw distance is cleverly disguised with the art style - you have to go to some extremes to get all the building faded out though.
My exploration found a lady looking over the edge of the city, saying she had dropped the last letter from her boyfriend down there. I went down to pick it up ... and went down and down and down. Half way down I met Raven again, who tried to stop me - but failed.
Now I'm in some sort of little village, in a cage. No sign of a letter. Hmm.
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