Recently, I got a hold of Gravity Rush 2 and I've got a few things to say about it in relation to gameplay and things.
So far, I've had two questions I wanted to answer about this game. The first is "What genre is it?" and the second is "How good is it?"
The second question is a bit hard to explain so I'm going to do my best to try and elaborate on my feelings on the first three chapters. The first question, however, is up to some debate. Many people call this game an Action Adventure RPG and I wouldn't say that's a bad genre to put it in. However, I think it is actually more of a Platformer.
A large portion of the game is spent going from one place to another, landing on platforms and generally having a good time. So far, there are very few legitimate fighting mechanics. We have one combo, a stasis field that can be used to pick up and throw objects, a dive kick, and a dive kick with an auto-lock.
If we think of Gravity Rush 2 as an Action Adventure game, then it is very bare bones. The fighting mechanics are not deep or complex in any way, the RPG elements are only present enough to serve as stat upgrades on moves you already have, and there's not much in the way of decent enemy design since, while the enemies look diverse enough, all they essentially boil down to is hit the weak point until it breaks, unless it has multiple weak points, then the strategy is hit all the weak points until they're all broken.
However, as a Platformer, it is quite inventive, innovative, unique, and polished. Though I have yet to get a full grasp of the Gravity Mechanic, I find that this problem is more due to my inability to aim at anything properly than any fault of the game.
In terms of mobility mechanics, you have a standard run, jump, and slight wall climb that can be used to get over low barriers. You also have a dodge roll, which I honestly have not felt much need to use. The roll itself barely moves at all and because of how much it restricts movement, the only way it'll be useful is if you time your dodge just so that invincibility frames will protect you. And, given how slow enemy projectiles tend to travel in this game, I honestly find it more effective to run out of the way of an oncoming projectile rather than risk using the roll.
The Gravity Manipulation can be used quite effectively. You can shut off gravity around you to stay stationary in the air, which is great for avoiding bottomless pits, but you can also direct your gravity using a targeting reticule so that you can choose which direction to fall, or fly, depending on how you look at it.
Also, just after finishing the third chapter, I gained a gravity slide, which is a fast moving slide you can use while on the ground. It turns on a dime and because of that I found it hard to control. No deaths as a result of it just yet, thankfully, but it will take some more getting used to.
"Well, all this sounds pretty good, what's the catch?"
The catch is the introduction. When you boot up the game for the first time, you're loaded into an unskippable cutscene. Then, when that cutscene is over, you're booted into a walk-and-talk section. Then, after the walk and talk section, you have to do some really weird exploration stuff in a minimal space that is hard to get around and surprisingly hard to remember the layout of. Then, after all that bullshit, you are given your powers in a QTE sequence.
The problem with this intro is that it uses so many game design strategies that I absolutely despise and I worry that a casual gamer who hates these things might miss the rest of the game because the intro is so slow, which is a tragedy because, if you can get past the intro and start playing with your powers, you'll actually have a lot of fun.
By the end of the mission with the forbidden lands, which I'm having trouble remembering if it's chapter 2 or 3, I had already developed enough of my moveset that I can just start playing around in the world that's around me, which I really enjoy.
Based on this initial impression, I would definitely say that Gravity Rush 2 is worth the purchase, just so long as you can get past the intro.
Have a wonderful day.
No comments:
Post a Comment