Gravity Rush is different. That should be enough to make you pay attention. In an industry marred by copies, homages, “based ons” and “inspired bys,” Gravity Rush is decidedly different. It plays around with the most basic force by which we humans are ruled. It gives us a level of control of its aspects like no other game has ever achieved. It is a masterpiece in many ways. However, in others, it falls so short of greatness that, as a player, I felt both frustrated and sad. True gaming innovation brought down by mundane and unimaginative “extras.”

Gravity Rush tells the story of Kat, a young, amnesiac blond who comes into contact with a mysterious black cat with cosmos-like fur. The feline grants Kat the ability to control gravity, and so she goes on a quest to find out who she is and what happened to her. Kat soon meets Raven, another shifter who is not very impressed by Kat’s existence. The other people call them shifters because they can shift the perspective in which gravity will pull at them. In fact, Kat meets many other people. This is not a small cast. Some have minor roles, while others are more persistent. Some villains are quick to show and quick to leave. The story, 20 chapters of “main” storyline, is very dynamic, shifting directions just as seemingly as Kat can shift gravity. However, at some points, the story becomes confusing, and overtly cryptic for no reason at all. Much like in manga, you’ll see scenes where someone “surprising” will talk to Kat, but you can’t really make out who it is, and you are left to deal with your curiosity in the dark.

In fact, my biggest gripes with the game were things I consider weak in Japanese storytelling and gaming. I mean, for all its innovation in gameplay, instead of extending what is a superb game with poignant content, side-missions are nothing more than challenge modes. Beat so many enemies in such and such time. Go through all the rings within the time limit. Race to some part of town as fast a possible. Challenge after challenge after challenge. That’s it! What is the obsession with leader-boards and challenge modes? Yes, great, you can get to the top of the charts, but why don’t I have all the answers I want when the game ends? Why is a huge, beautiful and densely populated world not better developed? Honestly, I hate challenge modes. In any game really, I hate them. However, one thing I did not do was buy Gravity Rush expecting challenge modes, and the fact that they have been made so pervasive in the gameplay really bothers me. You have this gem of a game in your hands, beautiful, articulate, unfathomable until now, but littered with trite content.

The graphics are gorgeous. Hekseville, the city being attacked by weird creatures called Nevi, which Kat finds herself helping in search for her memory, is enormous and detailed. Each section of the game also has a very distinct soundtrack, which makes all the aimless gravity shifting the player is bound to do that much more enjoyable. For all intents and purposes, Gravity Rush should have been deemed a piece of pop art. Taking many cues from staple Japanese storytelling forms like anime and manga, Gravity Rush wove a beautiful, contemporary tale of responsibility, sacrifice and resilience. And while the developers could have chosen to expand that tale, to answer some of the questions left unanswered and maybe focus on the complete story instead of hoping to tie up loose ends in a sequel, they chose the absurdity of the challenge runs, effectively bringing this game down from genius to above average.

I had a blast playing through the story of Gravity Rush, or even just roaming aimlessly through the different parts of Hekseville. For the 12-hour story (the time it took me to finish), I fell in love with Kat, yearned for some closure with Raven, and invested myself in many of the other characters who were so very human in their portrayals. An experience I cherish, and yet was marred by commonplace gameplay mechanics, an effort to extent gameplay, perhaps, that bored and annoyed more than fulfilling its job.

Gravity Rush has potential as a franchise. It had massive potential as a first game, yet wasn’t handled with the deference it should have been for how innovative it was. Would I buy a second game? Absolutely! However, if that does happen, and I think it should, I hope that the developers step back from lazy side-missions, and give the game the open world treatment it deserves.

All in all, Gravity Rush is amazing. It’s just not perfect.

87/100

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