Gravity Rush Remastered

Gravity Rush was one of the first games that I got on PS Vita. While playing it, I kept saying, "Man this thing is gonna have a great library of games as the years go on." Well, we all saw how that went. Even if the PlayStation Vita is pretty much an afterthought at this point, it doesn't change the fact that Gravity Rush is an amazing game. Now in 2016, a remastered version of the game has been released for the PlayStation 4, and people who missed out on it now get a chance to try out this fun and innovative game. 

Gravity Rush stars a young girl named Kat who has lost her memories. Soon, she meets up with a friendly cat named Dusty, and Kat discovers that she can control gravity. With the press of a button Kat floats in the air; after pressing the button again, Kat falls and can land on anything, whether it's the walls or the ceiling. This can also be used to travel from one end of the map to the other quickly. The system works extremely well, and flying all over the world in every way possible never gets old.

This can be disorientating at times--you can lose track of where the floor actually is. This is important because you only have a limited amount of time to use your anti-gravity abilities before you fall towards whatever "down" happens to be. There is one way to tell which way you are facing and that is to pay attention to which direction Kat's hair and clothing flows. If you run on a ceiling and the ground is below you, her hair points upwards, and so on. 

Since this is a port of a Vita game, you still experience the story as you did when it was first released. A large majority of the story plays out on comic book panels with little in the way of voice acting or cut scenes. That isn't a bad thing, however, as it does give the game its own charm. I will say that things start off pretty slow. Most of the early missions are all tutorial based, but the story is integrated into these missions well enough that you feel a proper sense of story progression.

The good news is that everything from the Vita version has translated extremely well to the PS4. The game looks and sounds fantastic. The game also runs at a beautiful 1080p with a silky-smooth 60 frames per second. I noticed hardly any frame rate drops. I did notice hits to the frame rate when a bunch of enemies are on screen, but this is rare. This is one of those games where I would honestly just stand in place and admire the world that I am in. I get lost in it, I just chill out and listen to the music, and I travel around just because I want to see as much of the world as possible. Just when I think I've seen everything, I fly around and discover a new area above or below the city. 

This is also one of those games that, even though there is the main story, of course, most of your time will probably spent with various side activities. Then there are the collectible gems. Like Saints Row IV and Crackdown, hundreds of gems are scattered throughout the city. These gems are used to upgrade your gravity abilities, health, and attacks.

I spent a good couple of hours just flying around, trying to collect as many gems as I could find. A lot of them are hidden in some pretty cool areas, requiring you to shift gravity in just about every direction to obtain them. Then there, of course, other side missions to complete as well. Most of them, though, are races or high-score events. That doesn't mean they aren't fun; they do provide some variety. Some of them involve defeating as many enemies as you can before the timer runs out. Or you might have to defeat enemies while only using your stasis ability to launch projectiles. The races are usually checkpoint races utilizing your gravity abilities in various ways. 

Speaking of combat, it is also very enjoyable. The shadow-like enemies, known as the Navi, all have a bright spot on their body. This is their weak spot which you will want to focus on with your attacks. Some enemies are small and crawl around, which you can use your normal attacks on. Some of them, though, fly or have multiple weak spots that force you to utilize gravity attacks, such as the gravity kick. You can also use your stasis power to lift things in the air and throw them as projectiles.

Like I mentioned, the side activities are addictive and fun, and the great thing about combat is that it's just as much fun. For me, this is one of those rare games where I actually go looking for fights because of how fun they are. Boss fights are also fun, as they make you think about your attacks and force you to mix up your tactics. The remastered version includes all of the DLC originally available for the Vita version, including new missions, costumes, and challenges.

Gravity Rush Remastered is an amazing package that absolutely gives you some bang for your buck. It's an incredibly fun and addicting game with plenty to see, plenty to do, and plenty of reason to keep coming back after you finish it. I have no regrets in originally buying my Vita, and games like Gravity Rush are the reasons why. The game is even better on the PS4. I will be playing as I anxiously await Gravity Rush 2.