Developer: SCEI > Publisher: SCEA > Systems: PS Vita > Rating: T

Conceptually, Gravity Rush is nothing short of a head rush. Playing as an amnesiac girl named Kat, you're able to actually alter gravity around as you wish, leaping from ground to walls to ceiling and back, all as the orientation of the world shifts with you.

Kat finds herself in Hekseville, a cel-shaded land that combines old and new aesthetics: Ferris wheels spin, neon signs glow, and the constant movement and activity of passersby make the world feel alive. Throughout her travels, Kat crosses paths with bombastic, borderline insane characters that rarely fail to entertain.

Things get even more abstract in the game’s metaphysical realms, where enormous mushrooms loom and solid white cubes provide the background. The worlds are so awe inspiring, it’s often easy to forget that the game’s mind-bending plot has you protecting people from a gravity storm, and more importantly the monsters it brings.

You’re quickly unleashed into the game’s beautiful, wide-open world to play with gravity. Escorted by your trusty cat, Dusty, this game will quickly have you falling up to the top of any building, or swiftly speeding through the sky. This freedom feels incredible and gives the game its own identity—something so rare in modern games. Kat uses this power to aid the citizens of Hekseville, even if her reward is being treated like an outcast for her strange abilities. 

If there’s anything holding the game back, it’s the combat. Generally a hack-and-slash affair, the game has you collecting power-up orbs collected from slain enemies. It's certainly capable and fun, especially as you begin to combine your gravity shifting with your fighting and things really start to heat up. Yet, it seems that a little bit less emphasis on such mundane activities—and a bit more on the game’s full serving of crazy—would have made for a better experience. Still, Gravity Rush remains a solid choice for Vita owners looking for an insane experience built to go.

Hint: While in Gravity Slide, shake your Vita to jump. This doesn't actually stop the slide—once you hit the ground you'll start sliding again without delay.

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by Devin Santos