Despite not lighting the sales charts on fire, Gravity Rush made quite the impression on PlayStation Vita owners who picked up the quirky action game. With a unique premise around manipulating gravity, and an awesome floating open world to explore, there’s no question as to why the game is considered a cult classic. Now Sony is giving gamers another chance to reacquaint themselves with the shapeshifter Kat by releasing Gravity Rush Remastered on PlayStation 4.
The good news is that whether or not it’s your first time in the city of Hekseville, this is the best way to experience it. While Gravity Rush ended up being one of the PlayStation Vita’s big first-party exclusives, it began development as a PlayStation 3 game. It was always meant to be played on a console, with a controller, and the gameplay is enhanced purely due to that.
Combat, which felt clunky in the original release, feels tighter this time around. It’s easier to bend gravity, to collect precious gems while you’re falling through the air, and the game feels more precise when battling the evil Nevi. That said, combat is still the weakest part of the experience. The best moments in Gravity Rush Remastered are when you’re exploring the awesome world, not when you’re battling enemies.
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“Few games have made exploring an open world this much fun, and the last time I enjoyed searching areas for collectibles this much was in Infamous: Second Son.”
Thankfully, there’s plenty to do in Hekseville that isn’t battling enemies. There are people to meet throughout the town, and each of them have their own stories to tell. This makes it feel more like a living, breathing city than just a playground for the player. Thousands of precious gems, which can be used to unlock new parts of the city and upgrade Kat’s abilities, are placed around the area, too. Collecting these gems are actually more fun than the game’s story missions, mainly due to the lack of Nevi getting in the way.
The world seems small at first, but grows considerably larger over the course of the game. Few games have made exploring an open world this much fun, and the last time I enjoyed searching areas for collectibles this much was in Infamous: Second Son. There’s a certain joy to just moving around in Gravity Rush that hasn’t been replicated in any game since its 2012 release.
The Remastered version of Gravity Rush also comes with the three downloadable content packs that were released for the game. Completing these optional objectives with gain Kat a new costume, and it’s just nice to see more stories told in the world that she inhabits. Hekseville is such an interesting place, and any chance to learn more about how its residents live is something worth checking out. Plus, considering how short the main game is, nobody is going to complain about more missions.
While the gameplay plays better than ever, the graphics are a bit of a mixed bag on the remaster. The art style has held up amazingly, with Gravity Rush still being able to amaze player’s eyes in 2016. That said, when character models are shown up-close they can look pretty rough at times. This is especially noticeable for random inhabitants of the town, but it never really subtracts from the overall experience. You’ll still be wowed by the game’s style, just not so much its technical prowess this time around.
If you’re looking for new content, then you’ll probably be pretty disappointed in Gravity Rush Remastered. You can check out a bunch of artwork, and design documents in the game’s gallery mode, but there really isn’t anything new for returning players (especially if they bought all of the DLC). A teaser for the upcoming sequel after you completed the game would’ve been nice, especially considering how the story doesn’t really wrap up, would’ve been a welcomed addition.
While it may not be the most convincing package to get players to return to Hekseville, Gravity Rush Remastered is by far the best way to enjoy Sony’s underappreciated action game. The combat, while still a weak link, feels much better using a controller, and the game’s art style has kept this Vita stunner looking impressive. If you haven’t played the Vita original, then I fullheartedly recommend checking out Gravity Rush Remastered.
***A PS4 code was provided by the publisher***
The Good
- Art style has held up well
- Controls better than ever
- Exploration is still pure joy
The Bad
- Combat is still a weak point
- Something new would’ve been nice
- It’s short
