Codex Gamicus
Don't have an account?
Register
Register
Codex Gamicus
Fandom's centric source of video game knowledge
42,423
pages
in: Video Games, Released video games, Articles with unlisted genres,
and 15 more

Changes: Gravity Rush

Back to page
Edit
(→‎Legacy: clean up, typos fixed: upcomming → upcoming)
(→‎Legacy: clean up, typos fixed: upcomming → upcoming)
(No difference)

Revision as of 16:48, 2 April 2013


Gravity Rush, known in Japan as Gravity Daze (グラヴィティデイズ/重力的眩暈:上層への帰還において彼女の内宇宙に生じた摂動?) is an action-adventure / action role-playing platformer video game developed for the PlayStation Vita.[5] Directed by Keiichiro Toyama and written by Naoko Sato (previously known for the Siren series and the first Silent Hill), the core mechanics of the game is the player's ability to manipulate gravity, allowing unique movements and navigation.[6] The graphics are cel-shaded,[Note 1] which in Toyama's opinion stand out from the western photorealistic trend.[7]

The game started off back in 2008 as a PlayStation 3 project called Gravité,[8][9][10][Note 2] before being eventually transferred to PS Vita. AI and visuals were slightly simplified during the process.[7] However, Gravity Rush director thinks overall Vita suits the game better, because of "its handy and accessible nature" and "the impression of a different world existing beyond the screen" the player gets by tilting the device.[7]

Plot

The game is set in the fictitious, floating town of Hekseville. The story begins showing the player character, a girl called Kat, who has lost her memory. She then runs into a mysterious black cat that gives her the power to control gravity. Kat will use this ability in order to protect people from the threat of a gravity storm and the Nevi monsters that have appeared along with it.[11]

Gameplay

The gravity-controlling mechanics can be used to fly through the air (by controlling which direction gravity comes from), walk on walls, and thrust devastating gravity kick attacks towards enemies. The player first presses the R button to make the character float, then aims somewhere by tilting the console or moving the right analog stick, and finally presses the R button again to "fall" in that direction until landing on something—be it a wall, a moving ship, the underside of a ledge, or the ground. The tilting movement works thanks to the Vita's gyroscope. Gravity Rush also boasts role-playing game elements, such as leveling up, side quests, optional villains to fight, and a large open world to explore. Throughout the game, Kat acquires new abilities, such as a gravity strike, and the power to move objects around.[12]

Toyama commented on the influence the game Crackdown had on this evolution-styled gameplay, as he "really liked the aspect of unlocking skills and becoming more powerful, and achieving a higher level of freedom as you become more powerful".[13]

Concept

The game was directed by Keiichiro Toyama, previously known for creating survival horror games such as Silent Hill and Siren. He stated in an interview that he conceptualized the idea for Gravity Rush more than ten years before its eventual release, describing it as the first game he wanted to create, pre-dating his work on Silent Hill.[14] He cited Moebius's French comics he read in his youth as an inspiration for the Gravity Rush world,[12][14] referring to one of his comic books that had "images of people floating in space" as an influence.[14] Anime and American comics were both an influence for the characters.[7][12] However, Toyama avoided them to be "completely Japanese" for a better acceptance outside the land of rising sun.[13]

Distribution

The game is available through both physical and digital distribution in the U.S.[2] and Japan.[1] It was originally thought that Gravity Rush would be download only in Europe, however both physical and digital distribution options were offered at release.[15]

Reception

 Reception
Review scores
Publication Score
Giant Bomb 3/5 starsStar fullStar fullStar emptyStar empty[16]
Digital Spy 5/5 starsStar fullStar fullStar fullStar full[17]
Gameblog.fr 5/5 starsStar fullStar fullStar fullStar full[18]
Gamereactor 10/10[19]
Destructoid 6.5/10[20]
Awards
Entity Award
Japan Game Award (Tokyo Game Show Award)[33] Game of the Year (Grand Prize)
Japan Media Arts Festival Excellence Prize (Game of the Year)
Spike Video Game Awards Best Handheld Game (Nomination)

The game has been received with generally positive reviews, with average aggregate scores of 81.87% at GameRankings based on 46 reviews and 83 out of 100 on Metacritic based on 72 reviews. The Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu gave the game 10, 9, 9 and 10, adding up to a total of 38 out of 40, making it the magazine's highest-rated PS Vita game.[34] Toyama, when asked what the team reaction was about this, said "We had mixed feelings, actually. We achieved something that's unique and brand new, and we feel that should get good reviews. But at the same time, this game a little niche… so we thought it was interesting that we got such high scores."[13] Eurogamer's Christian Donlan wrote that if "you're drawn to games by the satisfaction offered by their simplest mechanics, Gravity Daze is a total delight."[24] Lee West of Gamereactor commented that "he loves when games surprise him like this - in a positive way". The French site Gameblog.fr stated that a game "as exceptional as this one" is "so rare" that "when one comes, it's impossible not to grab it really tight and press it against our chest."[22][18] The UK's PSM3 Magazine gave it a 9.3/10, concluding that it "Perfectly balances free-roaming exploration, focused story missions and RPG-style leveling, with sublime handheld controls in Vita's first killer app."[32] Game Revolution called it "The Vita's first must-buy game" due to its innovation, creativity, and art.[35]

On the less positive side, DestructoidTemplate:'s Jim Sterling gave the game 6.5/10, saying that "Gravity Rush has everything it needs to be something great, but it takes all the wrong forks in the road and ends up rather unfulfilling. It's a real shame, too, because you it's so clear how brilliant it truly could have been".[20] Carolyn Petit from Gamespot also gave the game a 6.5/10, praising its unusual and beautiful visuals and innovation in the use of gravity, yet felt the tedious combat kept it from being the success that it could have been.[36]

Gravity Rush won the Game of the Year award, the Grand Prize, at the 16th annual Japan Game Awards, held at the 2012 Tokyo Game Show.[1] It also won the Excellence Prize at the 16th annual (2012) Japan Media Arts Festival, awarded by the Japanese government's Ministry of Cultural Affairs. Out of the 108 video games in competition, it beat other nominees such as Dark Souls and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim for the award.[2] According to the festival, Gravity Rush "has invented a new form of entertainment: the manipulation of gravity. Not only that, but it's also paired with creative polish that rivals, if not surpasses other titles. The title deftly uses the sensor in the PlayStation Vita, and has been created as a game, not a product. This is a work that has proven that there is still much that can be done in games."[3][4] Gravity Rush was also also nominated for the "Best Handheld Game" award at Spike's 10th Annual Video Game Awards.

Sequel

In a July 2012 interview with Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu game director Keichiro Toyama expressed interest in developing a sequel to Gravity Rush.[37] After receiving the Tokyo Game Show 2012 Game of the Year award, and receiving congratulations from fans Toyama said, "I'll do my best on the sequel".[37] A sequel has yet to officially be announced by Sony Computer Entertainment.

Legacy

Prior to the game's release Kat's costume was given out as a promotion for visitors of the Tokyo Game Show 2011 theatre in PlayStation Home.[38] After the release Kat was added to the Hot Shots Golf: World Invitational roster as downloadable content.[39] Kat, Raven, Alias, and Yunica were added as a costume pack for LittleBigPlanet 2, LittleBigPlanet PS Vita, and LittleBigPlanet Karting.[40] Kat will also be a playable character in upcoming downloadable content for PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale scheduled for release in 2013.[41] She also appeared as a DLC character for Hot Shots Golf 6.

Notes

  1. ↑ Also known as cartoon shaded.
  2. ↑ French word for gravity.

External links

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Gravity Daze Official PlayStation JP Website. Sony Computer Entertainment Japan. Retrieved on January 31, 2012
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Gravity Rush Floats to PS Vita on June 12 Official PlayStation US Website. Sony Computer Entertainment America. Retrieved on February 29, 2012
  3. ↑ Gravity Rush Official PlayStation UK Website. Sony Computer Entertainment Europe. Retrieved on January 31, 2012
  4. ↑ SCEK, release ravity Rush on June 20. Ruliweb (May 31, 2012). Retrieved on June 9, 2012
  5. ↑ Keogh, Siobhan (May 25, 2012). Review: Gravity Rush. PCWorld. Retrieved on May 30, 2012
  6. ↑ Toyad, Jonathan. E3 2011: Gravity Daze Hands-On Preview. Gamespot.com. Retrieved on July 2, 2011
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 Interview: Gravity Rush's Keiichiro Toyama. Gematsu.com.
  8. ↑ 【電撃PlayStation】重力的SCEツアーをレポート！ 期待のA・AVG『GRAVITY DAZE』の制作風景を探る!! 読者プレゼントも要チェック！. Dengeki Online.
  9. ↑ Gravité (Gravity Daze) [PS3 - Prototype]. Unseen64.net.
  10. ↑ Gravity Rush/Daze 2008 Concept Movie. Andriasang.com.
  11. ↑ Gravity Rush on PlayStation®Vita. --A talk with Keiichiro Toyama. Sony Computer Entertainment Asia.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 Keiichiro Toyama on his innovative third-person action game. Future Publishing Limited.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 The Surprising Origins of Gravity Rush for PS Vita. Sony Computer Entertainment America.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 Gravity Rush Was Ten Years In The Making. Siliconera.com.
  15. ↑ Maschke, Rebecca. Gravity Rush Coming To PS Vita As Both Download And Game Card On 13th June. Official EU PlayStation Blog. Retrieved on February 29, 2012
  16. ↑ Navarro, Alex (2012-06-11). Gravity Rush Review. Giant Bomb. Retrieved on 2012-06-11
  17. ↑ Mark Langshaw (May 28, 2012). Gravity Rush Review - Digital Spy. Retrieved on May 28, 2012
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 Gravity Rush, le test sur PS Vita. Gameblog.fr (May 26, 2012). Archived from the original on June 13, 2012 Retrieved on June 13, 2012
  19. ↑ West, Lee (2012-05-24). Gravity Rush. Gamereactor. Archived from the original on 13 June 2012 Retrieved on 13 June 2012
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 Review: Gravity Rush -Destructoid (May 24, 2012). Retrieved on May 24, 2012
  21. ↑ Gravity Rush. GameRankings. Retrieved on June 13, 2012
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 Gravity Rush (PlayStation Vita). Metacritic. Retrieved on June 13, 2012
  23. ↑ Gravity Rush review: Exactly the kind of original game that a fresh-faced system such as Vita needs. Edge (magazine) (June 11, 2012). Retrieved on June 13, 2012
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 Donlan, Christian (February 20, 2012). Gravity Daze Review. Eurogamer. Retrieved on February 20, 2012
  25. ↑ Recension: Gravity Rush • Sida • Recensioner • PlayStation Vita • Eurogamer.se (Swedish) (2012-05-24). Retrieved on 2012-06-13
  26. ↑ Gravity Rush - review • Recensioni • PlayStation Vita • Eurogamer.it (Itallian) (2012-05-24). Retrieved on 2012-06-13
  27. ↑ Rubens, Alex (2012-06-12). Gravity Rush Review for PSV. G4. Retrieved on 2012-06-12
  28. ↑ www.ign.com/articles/2012/05/24/gravity-rush-review
  29. ↑ Grtavity Rush PS Vita Review | Official PlayStation Magazine (May 24, 2012). Retrieved on May 24, 2012
  30. ↑ "Gravity Rush". Official PlayStation Magazine (Australia) (69): 77. June 2012. 
  31. ↑ "Gravity Rush review". Play (219): 74. June 2012. 
  32. ↑ 32.0 32.1 "Gravity Rush: Why Vita's killer app will turn your world upside down". PSM3 (May 2012): 112. May 2012. 
  33. ↑ 'Gravity Rush' wins Tokyo Game Show award, director hints at sequel , Retrieved on September 30, 2012,
  34. ↑ Gravity Daze Gets High Marks in Famitsu. Andriasang.com - Japanese Game Database (February 1, 2012).
  35. ↑ Vita Gets Its First Must-Buy Game In June. Game Revolution. Retrieved on May 26, 2012
  36. ↑ http://www.gamespot.com/gravity-rush/reviews/gravity-rush-review-6382346/
  37. ↑ 37.0 37.1 Japan's Top Creators Discuss the Future of Games (July 24, 2012). Retrieved on November 19, 2012 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "Sequel" defined multiple times with different content
  38. ↑ PlayStation Home Item Database. Retrieved on November 19, 2012
  39. ↑ Kat From Gravity Rush Has Cameo In Hot Shots Golf (August 28, 2012). Retrieved on November 19, 2012
  40. ↑ Sack it to Me: Gravity Rush Comes to LittleBigPlanet (November 19, 2012). Retrieved on November 19, 2012
  41. ↑ First PlayStation All-Stars DLC: Kat and Emmett Join the Battle Royale (For Free!) (November 15, 2012). Retrieved on November 19, 2012


Community content is available under CC BY-SA 3.0 unless otherwise noted.