Gravity Rush on the PS Vita is the game you didn't know you needed

Gravity Rush on the PS Vita is the game you didn’t know you needed

Gravity Rush may be flying under the radar of most gamers, but after a short …

Ben Kuchera – Jan 13, 2012 12:32 pm | 35

The Vita is shaping up to have a strong launch lineup. At CES, I was able to play another game that should be ready for the system’s US launch, or at least near it. Gravity Rush is a title that has been on the radar of the press for a little while now, and I was finally able to give it a shot at CES. Even with a very limited amount of time put into the game, I was immediately impressed with the game’s graphics and play.

The main hook? You can control gravity at will, allowing you to “fall” towards almost anything you can see. In practice this is a thrilling way to explore the scenery.

You play Kat, a woman who meets… well, a magic cat, and finds out she has the ability to reorient gravity. The game features an art style that’s an attractive mixture of cartoon-like graphics with an almost gothic setting. The game’s world is a surreal place, and not just because you’re floating around the air minutes after meeting the aforementioned magical cat.

I’m also going to go on record and say that more games need magical cats.

Gravity Rush

By hitting a button, you can suspend gravity in the game, and Kat begins to flail for control. You then aim yourself at other buildings and hit another button to “fall” in that direction. This allows you to run up the sides of buildings, explore everything you can see, or even add weight to your attacks by falling into the enemy you’re attacking. As you play more, you’ll uncover the mystery of that cat, and explore some very odd-looking environments. The game is a blast to play, with a wonderful sense of exploration and freedom. At the same time, the gravity manipulation feels almost scary, as if Kat can barely control what she’s doing. It’s a fine line to walk, but I walked away from the demo hungry to play more. I can’t give it any higher praise.

The game comes from the mind of Keiichiro Toyama, who directed the original Silent Hill and later worked on the Siren series. This is a game we’ll be watching as we get closer to the Vita’s launch.