I will fight anyone who tells me that there were no good games for the PlayStation Vita. It’s the best handheld that never got what it really deserved and along its short lifetime, a few absolute crackers were released for the system. With the promise that Gravity Rush 2 is on its way for PlayStation 4, it’s only right that the original has been remastered for the PlayStation 4 and it’s still a floating masterpiece.
Developed by Bluepoint Games and Sony Japan Studio, and out now on PlayStation 4, Gravity Rush Remastered is all about floating through a town with no absolute right way up when flying. It’s disorientating in the best possible way. You play as Kat, a witch with the ability to defy gravity and move through every direction she deems fit.
This happens when a gravity rift tears the city of Hekseville apart and Kat awakes from the event with amnesia and the power to almost fly. It’s pretty easy to get up and float and push towards something. It’s rather simple at first in terms of what Kat can do, but as you become accustomed to the mechanics, you’ll start to move around with ease and then it becomes a real joy. For the visual tech nerds, you’ll be happy to hear that the remaster features post-process anti-aliasing and anisotropic filtering. All this means is that the game looks much clearer and sharper than its PlayStation Vita counterpart. The game also runs at 1080p and 60 frames a second if you care with improved textures and geometry.
Playing this unique little gem on PlayStation 4 is so satisfying because it was overlooked when it was released in 2012. We know that a sequel is coming on PlayStation 4 so it only made sense to bring it over. Unfortunately, some of the design and combat stays largely intact and this was easily the weakest part of Gravity Rush.
Most missions require you to just go from point A to point B. There is nothing spectacular or ground-breaking about any mission. They’re not dull but they also don’t change up the core gameplay formula. Similarly, the combat in Gravity Rush Remastered is simple. There are a few different types of goo-like enemies and although they vary in size, the strategy to defeating them simply stays the same. Every enemy either has a single glowing red point or multiple glowing red points on them and guess what? You attack their weak point for massive damage!
Kat can fight either on the ground or in the air and quickly you’ll realise that she is much more of a threat in the air. In order for her to be a real threat though you must upgrade her and this is where Gravity Rush Remastered becomes excellent. You upgrade Kat by collecting gems throughout the world but it’s through exploration that yields the greatest rewards. Just floating around and looking through every nook and cranny makes Gravity Rush Remastered a true joy to behold.
It’s an open world game that is at its best when you are just moving around, looking for things and enjoying the scenery. There aren’t a ton of missions and although the gameplay within them isn’t great, the story interwoven is surprisingly full of personality and enjoyable characters. Gravity Rush 2 is coming this year and Gravity Rush Remastered is the perfect appetiser.
I fell hard for Gravity Rush Remastered 4/5.
★★★★☆
Jason Redmond
Gravity Rush Remastered at CeX
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