Gravity Rush is a charming game and despite some issues with the camera and combat it remains a fun ride to the end.
I know what your thinking, "This sounds so dumb I can't even describe it." Well if I told you the writing is from Naoko Sato of Silent Hill and Siren fame? While it doesn't have the unsettling and dark themes of his previous games, Gravity Rush is more focused on Kat being the local superhero and putting the people of Hekesville first before anything else. It's a surprising change but all the writing from Kat's sarcastic compliments, to the not-so-honest cop Syd's pleating for Kat's help in a case. It's well done and I kinda wished it was voiced in the game's awesome made-up language (which I think is a mixture of Korean and Japanese).
Writing 9/10; Story 7.5/10
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The gameplay in Gravity Rush consists of manipulating gravity to collect Precious Gems which you can spend on upgrading Kat's abilities like health, combat moves, and other attributes. Except in order to increase your powers further you first have to either complete challenges which consist of time trails, combat challenges, and even some unique ones that require some other uses of your gravity shifting powers, especially since some of these can get really difficult but the rewarding feeling of getting gold is nothing short of amazing.
Of course there's the combat in the game where most of Gravity Rush's problems pop up. Combat works by aiming at an enemy before launching and when you see a red circle you can preform a basic kick maneuver or three other advanced attacks (if it's recharged that is). It's works fine for about the first half of the game before up to ten enemies fill up your screen in the second half. It's then you realize just how slow and clunky aiming at an enemy really is in the game as it can take a few seconds to get the aiming properly set up. Oh, and if you miss a basic kick you go flying off somewhere only to most likely get hit as you try to readjust, just adding to the frustration and making it even harder to tell what is going on besides knowing your getting hit.
However just flying around the world is fun all on it's own, while collecting Precious Gems is addictive and you'll probably find yourself hunting them down most of the time. I enjoyed getting around every nook and cranny in
Hekesville looking for that last damn gem.
Gameplay 8/10
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Gravity Rush looks absolutely fantastic on the Vita's 5" OLED screen. The colorful vibrant city landscapes where jaw-dropping to look at with the cel-shaded look and could've easily been taken right out of a Studio Ghibli film. It's defiantly up there for best graphics on the Vita for sure.
Graphics 9.5/10
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The music in Gravity Rush is done by no other than Kohei Tanaka absolutely helped bring every place in Hekesville to life. From the jazzy tune of the entertainment district to the more symphonic old town theme the music just sets the mood and I found myself tapping my feet to the music more than once. Headphones are recommended for this one folks. There's very little voice work but the voice made-up language was impressive and should've been more of.
Sound 9/10
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Overall despite the fact the camera and combat don't exactly go hand in hand sometimes Gravity Rush is still a must-try experience for any Playstation Vita owner. It's personally one of my most favorite experiences this year and I hope you feel the same way when you play it.
Overall: 8.5/10 Great