Remembering Gravity Rush.

#51: Kat got your tongue

February 10, 2023

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Did you play Gravity Rush?

You can be forgiven if you didn’t. Not many people did. Released 11 years ago this week on the PlayStation Vita, Japan Studio's Gravity Rush never really set the world alight in terms of sales. But it won the hearts of players around the world with its delightful Dreamcast-era-style visuals and unique gameplay.

It’s a strange game, but one bursting with charm. One where you and your cosmic cat sidekick Dusty must manipulate gravity to stop inky monsters from invading the game’s French-flavoured towns.

Key to its charm is Kat, Gravity Rush’s wonderfully likeable main character. The game may be known for its gravity-defying stunts, art style and over the top action, but Kat ties it all together, grounds it and keeps it relatable. Keeps it human.

She may be the hero of the story, but she’s far from a pawn for the game’s quest-givers to boss around. She’s sassy and short-tempered, and quick to express her ire towards those she deems ungrateful for her help.

But she’s also unsure of herself; nervous, self-conscious and often reluctant to accept her newfound abilities and status as town savour. She’s real, in other words. A down to earth character in an out-of-this-world game that could have easily short-changed her.

The death of Japan Studio is a story for another day. But the absence of the studio responsible for some of PlayStation’s most unique and interesting titles has left a big hole in Sony’s output. An output increasingly reliant on a similar (but effective) narrative-driven template. Gravity Rush is a shining example of what made Japan Studio so special. And why it’s so missed.

If you don’t happen to own a Vita, Gravity Rush is also available in remastered form on PS4 courtesy of a lovely Bluepoint Games port. There was also a sequel (released five years later on PS4) which expanded the breadth and graphical quality to make the most of its transition from handheld to console, but kept that rugged charm intact.

If Japan Studio’s closure means we’ll never see Gravity Rush again - never see Kat again - then gaming has lost a truly wonderful and unique world and character. Gravity Rush is a lovely adventure and a lovely snapshot of the kind of risky and weird game we just don’t see enough of any more. The kind of game Japan Studio specialised in.

Like Kat, Gravity Rush can sometimes be clumsy and little bit awkward. But also like Kat, that just makes it easier to root for. Easier to love.

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Gravity Rush Remastered is available for PlayStation Plus Premium subscribers, Gravity Rush 2 is available to PlayStation Plus Extra subscribers, or both are available to buy separately.

A huge thank you to everybody who sent in feedback after last week's poll. I'm thrilled that so many people enjoy the newsletter and I'll be taking all of the suggestions on board. Particularly the requests for (even) more indie games and some retro content!

As always, thank you so much for reading.

Have a great weekend,

Jeff

THE WEEK IN GAMES

The best news, deals and gaming content of the week!

NEWS

  • Microsoft has announced February's first line-up of Xbox Game Pass additions, including Cities: Skylines and Atomic Heart.

  • Nintendo has released the new trailer for The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom ahead of the game’s release on 12th May. The Collector's Edition and a new Amiibo have also been announced.

  • The long-rumoured Metroid Prime Remastered was announced and immediately released during Wednesday’s Nintendo Direct. It looks fantastic.

  • Wave 4 of the Mario Kart 8 Booster Course Pass has been revealed via a new trailer.

  • Tetris! 6 Golden Coins! Minish Cap! Super Circuit! A host of Game Boy and Game Boy Advance classics are now available to Nintendo Switch Online members. See the full GB line up here and the GBA line up here.

  • The UK regulator investigating Microsoft's attempted $68.7bn Activision Blizzard takeover attempt has raised significant concerns over the deal going ahead. Activision CEO Bobby Kotick says the UK will become Death Valley if the deal isn't approved, and Sony has accused Microsoft of obvious harassment.

  • Pikmin 4 finally launches on July 21st and the first gameplay footage has been released.

  • The Last of Us' Pedro Pascal this week appeared in a rather expensive-looking and actually quite funny Mario Kart x HBO sketch for Saturday Night Live.

  • The PlayStation Blog had a bit of a mini indie showcase this week. Eurogamer breaks down the games shown off.

  • Nintendo has announced plans to raise its employees' pay by 10% despite a lowered financial forecast.

  • The much delayed Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp will finally launch on April 21st.

  • The developer behind Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit has announced a new mixed-reality racing game called Hot Wheels: Rift Rally.

  • The Assassin's Creed Valhalla soundtrack won best game soundtrack at the Grammys.

  • Grand Theft Auto publisher Take-Two has confirmed a cost reduction program to cut $50m of annual spending after a string of high-profile launches failed to find an audience.

DEALS

  • To celebrate Valentine's Day - apparently - Two Point Campus is currently free on Steam. It's also 30% off on Switch, Xbox and PlayStation.

  • PlayStation's Games Under £15 Sale rolls on, with a large selection of games on sale for... well I'm sure you can guess. There's also a Critic's Choice Sale, with up to 70% off some pretty great titles, and an Indies Sale, which features up to 70% off indie games.

  • The Last of Us is PlayStation's Deal of the Week. With PS5's The Last of Us Part I and PS4's The Last of Us Remastered both on sale.

  • Over on Xbox there's an Anime Month Sale, offering up to 80% off a decent amount of anime games, and also Ubisoft and 2K Publisher sales, offering up to 80% off Ubisoft and 2K games and DLC.

  • Over on Nintendo's eShop you can get £18 off Breath of the Wild, and as always there's a general sale with a large number of games on offer.

  • On the Epic Games Store Recipe for Disaster is free to download.

  • Finally, over on Steam there's plenty of games on special offer, including Black Ops III for less than £15, Sea of Thieves for £17.49, Tekken 7 for £11.74, and more.

MORE!

  • Steam Next Fest

The Steam Next Fest is currently in full swing. Head over there before February 13th for what Valve are calling "a celebration of upcoming games." The fest includes livestreams and demos for hundreds of games. Don't miss it.

  • Boss Fight Books: Season 6

The crowdfunding campaign for Season 6 of the brilliant Boss Fight Books has begun. There will be four books released as part of the season with the first book already revealed as PaRappa the Rapper. The campaign ends on Wednesday March 8th. Check out the campaign here.

  • The SEGA Guys

Top blokes and long-time friends of The Week in Games, The Sega Guys are going from strength to strength with their YouTube channel and Podcast. If you're a fan of Sega (or gaming in general) you'll struggle to find two more passionate and knowledgeable people to watch and listen to.

Their latest episode is an interview with none other than industry legend Peter Moore. You can check them out via Twitter, YouTube and their Podcast.

  • Mika Kickstarter success

A huge congratulations to last week's featured Kickstarter game Mika and the Witch's Mountain for absolutely smashing its crowdfunding goal this week. The campaign doesn't end until March 4th, so if you want to help the game reach its stretch goals (including a physical Switch edition) be sure to check it out.

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NEW RELEASES

All the major releases arriving this week and next!

THIS WEEK:

NEXT WEEK:

PS5 classic Returnal - Hitting PC next week

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…and that’s it for this week!

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Thanks again, and see you next week!

Jeff