Gravity Rush Review: What a Rush!

Gravity Rush is a liberating sort of open-world game because you don’t have to worry about jacking cars to get around, or finding your way through convoluted maps. It gives you true freedom, even from the basic law of the universe: The Law of Gravity.

The game starts with that most overused cliché: Waking up with amnesia. But our blonde heroine named Kat doesn’t let that get her down, because she has the power to manipulate gravity. The controls for this power are handled well, with one tap of the R button setting you to neutral gravity (you just float) and hitting it again sets gravity to pull in whatever direction you’re facing. You can even direct which way you face with the sixaxis controls for great precision. Shifting gravity also makes any walls or ceilings in that direction your floor, so you can run around and fight on them. You can also use this to fly (technically fall) high above anywhere in the city.

Since everyone has use for a super gravity girl, you immediately start accepting missions from other characters, mostly centered on taking out the strange Nevi that occasionally tear up the town. Combat is where things get a little dicey. Kat has several attacks, including throwing objects and creating black holes, but the flying Gravity Kick is your bread and butter, especially against flyers. I used it so much, combat felt repetitive. You can also lose your bearings and forget which way is up after a few passes.

But like jumping off the Eiffel Tower, GR is an exhilarating ride, but one that’s over quickly and abruptly, even if you hunt down every side mission and achievement. Downloadable content doesn’t add much either, with only 4 measly missions in each $3.99 DLC pack. I think this is a real shame, because I actually felt like Gravity Rush could have been a flagship title for the console.

This is my best attempt at recreating the box art of the game.

If you can get this game on PlayStation Plus or bundled in with your PS Vita system purchase, I highly recommend grabbing it. Otherwise, I just don’t feel there’s enough game packed in there to warrant purchasing it at full price.

RATING: