GRAVITY RUSH 2
This ambitious sequel doesn’t fly, it falls… with style
Nobody could accuse Kat’s second outing of being half-hearted. It fizzes with energy – just like its gravityshifting hero. From up in its sprawling cities and colourful clouds, right back down to the charming lumps and bumps of its cast and their shenanigans, gravity girl and her sequel are a bath bomb soaked in pink lemonade and giggles. In short? Effervescent. Given time, however, the bubbles inevitably lose their buzz. Kat and Katventure are one and the same: easy to love, but clumsy as hell. When in full flow, there’s nothing more unabashedly gorgeous; when it trips over its own feet, you want to look away in embarrassment. This is a pretty way of saying that, while peerless in terms of atmosphere, much of Gravity Rush 2 stumbles at the most basic hurdle: being a consistent and well-designed videogaming experience.
Sadly, this is nothing new for the physics- manipulating series. That’s not to say that it isn’t a remarkable bit of fantasy craftsmanship, mind. Despite an ultimately frustrating combat system, the obtuse narrative, and some hellaciously dull mission templates, original PS Vita offering Gravity Rush was a marvel. The act of hurling Kat around the steampunk glow of floating metropolis Hekseville made for handheld delight. But blown up on the big screen via a PS4 remaster, the cracks in the foundations were made all too obvious. Surely a sequel, tailor-made for the console, would finally fix and strengthen the shaky framework of the supernaturally lovely creation? As it turns out, Shirley’s just a name for your aunt and Gravity Rush 2 is determined to shatter every bone in its beautiful body.
PLANET WISELY
And holy God on a hoverbike, is Kat’s latest escapade beautiful. With the added oomph
of PS4 powering proceedings, the quasi-open world stretches as far as the eye can see (no, really – impressive draw distances mean you can spy the next city you’re zooming to this time). Airborne archipelagos twinkle with life. Both Kat and lilting background music wind through the bustling, tropical markets of Lei Colmosna; the dusk of Lei Elgona mutes tentative footsteps.
But the real magic lies in sweeping Kat off her feet. Yes, the most inventive movement system on PlayStation returns – and it’s more elegant than ever. Tap u and our hero floats in mid-air, having temporarily disabled gravity’s influence on her. Moving the reticule toward your desired destination and then pressing u again sends her whizzing over to the new “downwards”. It’s genius, and the thrill never wears off. Even better, the sequel adds two new types of gravity: light and nippy Lunar style, and heavy but hard-hitting Jupiter style. (Newton’d be rolling in his grave.)
Both have their own distinct feel and use. Bounding, balletic, through the air with Lunar style’s Rocket Jumps is pure poetry, and throwing Debris Balls using Jupiter style’s what omnipotent dreams are made of… until you’re in trouble with a gang of Nevi. Switching gravity types via the touchpad is a fumble at best, impossible at worst: if there’s one thing Gravity Rush 2 loves more than scripted, impossible-to-win boss fights, it’s robbing Kat of her powers in an attempt to create false tension. There’s no doubt that, for better and worse, combat’s evolved. When it works, it’s a breathless, varied volley of stylish Wormhole Kicks and mid-air dodges. When it doesn’t, it’s more frustrating than it’s ever been.
FATAL ATTRACTION
Old problems return. Carefully aimed, slow-moving attacks miss slightly shifting enemies. Narrow side streets and massive Nevi nasties have a habit of basically swallowing the camera whole. Unpredictable off-screen attacks smack Kat upside (or downside, depending) the head. The awe inspired by the planetsized Lost City boss fight is quickly replaced by dread as you struggle against the wobbly controls… followed by derision as you realise beating it simply requires the same brand of cookie-cutter, ticky-boxy, Evil Eye-stomping as everything else in the game.
While combat makes an admirable attempt to change up the “mash r to win” grind of the first Gravity Rush, almost the exact same meagre mission ideas feature – only now they’re stretched thinly over an outing nearly three times longer. Kill X number of enemies; collect X number of crystals; carry X number of objects from here to here; rinse, roll eyes and repeat. But tedium is preferable to outright outrage. I’ve got three words for you: insta-fail stealth missions. Sprinkled in for colour (if that colour
“STEALTH MISSIONS ADD COLOUR. THAT COLOUR IS A VIOLENT, APOPLECTIC PUCE.”
is a violent, apoplectic puce), you’re forced to sneak past hyper-aware foes – despite zero indication of lines of sight or opportunities for cover – in a title chiefly concerned with tumbling haphazardly through the air like a winged refrigerator. It’s nothing short of madness. Thank goodness they’re as infrequent as they are infuriating.
But reprieves, via moments of whimsical invention, abound. A clever opening sets the precedent for a sequel that’s found its feet tonally. By the time quests involve queuing for crepes and performing impromptu QTE concerts, you’re falling for the world so hard that other foibles seem to melt away. The reappearance of sultry shifter-in-crime Raven adds an enjoyable extra veneer of magical girl anime sparkle to showdowns – she pulls off finishing moves by Kat’s side, the duo’s dynamism carrying a fairly fractured three-act narrative. And just when I find myself longing to re-experience the flawed, but fresh, frisson of the first Gravity Rush, the three-act story buffets me back to a dramatically more detailed Hekseville… and Kat’s humble home-in-a-pipe.
It’s a lovely nod to fans, but ultimately, sheer verve and past momentum isn’t enough to support an ambitious followup. There’s still sparkle and buoyancy to be found, but its flattened under the weight of a fundamentally shonky combat system, copy-pasted mission design and simple mechanical oversights. Hold the champagne celebration, but grab your trustiest bubble wand – at least this lovable klutz is a trip.
VERDICT
Although endlessly exuberant, and often truly original, the sequel fails to fix the first game’s issues while introducing new stumbling blocks. Hardly smooth shifting. Jen Simpkins