With "Gravity Rush 2“A sequel, eagerly awaited by fans for years, is just around the corner.”Gravity Rush 2Following the surprising success of the first installment, the game is now being released again for PlayStation 4. Find out in our review whether the jump from handheld to home console gives the game a new lease on life.
Powerless in a new world
The game opens with a freight elevator being lowered into a storm. The camera focuses on two people in protective suits reminiscent of deep-sea diving suits. At the bottom, we find several other people apparently mining something. The object of their desire is ore, which fetches a high price on the market. After a somewhat bumpy walk, reminiscent of a trip to the moon, we finally get to work ourselves. Then disaster strikes, and our suits malfunction. Kat, the game's heroine, and her friend Syd emerge from their now useless protective suits. Without them, they can't survive ten minutes inside the storm. The only way out is a sprint to the elevator, which shouldn't be a problem thanks to Kat's gravity-defying abilities. However, there's a slight problem: Kat has lost her powers and is now an ordinary young girl. As it later turns out, Kat and Syd were swept away by a gravity storm to the Banga Ship Settlement, where they were rescued by Lisa. Since then, Kat and Syd, like most people in the settlement, have had to earn their living by mining ore.
Refined gameplay
In terms of core gameplay, everything has largely remained the same. The story progresses through missions and is told via pre-made cutscenes or illustrations. Often, the various missions involve defeating a certain number of Nevi, shadowy creatures, before progressing to the next objective. However, there are also shadowing and stealth missions available. In addition to the main story missions, there are numerous side missions that are unlocked gradually, each telling a small story about the local population. Challenge missions, meanwhile, present you with a skill test, for which you receive gems that can be used to upgrade Kat's abilities.
The game does have one major flaw in its stealth mission design. If you're spotted during a mission, a bar fills up – once it's full, the guards are alerted and call for backup; if you take out the guard before they can raise the alarm, everything's fine. However, if guards see you through walls and from a great distance, this can be frustrating. The other extreme occurs when you walk right past guards at arm's length, they see you, but turn a blind eye because you hide before the bar fills up. In this case, it's "out of sight, out of mind." Even worse is a mission later in the game, which isn't really a typical stealth mission at all. If you're spotted for even a second, you have to return to the last checkpoint, and the alert bar is completely absent. If you can't find a safe route, either in the air or on the ground, you're left with a trial-and-error approach. When it turns out that the only solution is to stubbornly fly to a specific point, you feel somewhat cheated. The fact that the rest of the game, with its open-world design, allows for multiple solutions is completely and unfortunately ignored.
Kat's abilities, however, leave a positive impression. When Kat uses her powers, objects in her vicinity are affected, resulting in a small physics spectacle where numerous small and large objects collide with the environment. Kat's abilities are further enhanced by two armor sets, each making her lighter or heavier. The different gravity modes don't need to be upgraded separately; instead, you allocate your gems to six different categories, such as attack and evasion. Health and gravity can no longer be improved by the player—in "Gravity Rush 2," these are automatically upgraded by completing missions.
Colorful graphics and harmonious sound
Graphically, "Gravity Rush 2" is vibrant. The market in the new city is colorful, densely populated, and detailed. The slum and the industrial area are presented in a completely different light. Here, light and shadow are skillfully used to evoke specific emotions. Unfortunately, not all that glitters is gold. Problems arise, particularly with the LOD (Level of Detail). For those unfamiliar with LOD, here's an explanation: usually, distant objects are rendered with a lower level of detail, while closer proximity results in more detail being loaded. "Gravity Rush 2" has a significant flaw here. Once Kat has been leveled up, she is considerably more agile than at the beginning of the game. However, if she then uses her heavy armor to fly faster, the textures become blurry and unsightly. High-resolution textures only load after a second or two, accompanied by environmental objects that noticeably pop into view on the screen.
Musically, the game is once again a resounding success. As with the graphics, the music is used to evoke a certain feeling for the area in the player. The music in the Banga settlement, for example, can be described as "wanderlust" and "native," while in the slum, a much more monotonous, almost discouraging piece is part of everyday life.
Like the first part, “Gravity Rush 2” is narrated in a fantasy language, so once again you can't avoid doing a lot of reading.
Scope and long-term enjoyment
It took me about 18 hours to reach the end of the main story. According to the integrated statistics, I completed approximately 58% of the story (including side missions?) and 50% of the challenges. However, I didn't find a single collectible and only one hidden treasure. I also didn't encounter any of the rare Nevi that the statistics indicate exist. After completing a challenge mission, the game displays your time on a leaderboard, which, of course, wasn't online at the time of testing. Furthermore, you can challenge your friends to beat your best times.
As the story progresses, Kat acquires a camera that allows her to take photos and upload them to the game server, where they can be rated by other players. If a photo receives particularly high ratings, you'll be rewarded with Dusty Tokens, which can be exchanged for items in the menu. In addition to all these features, there are also costumes for Kat and furniture for her house waiting to be discovered.
