Sony may have abandoned its struggling PS Vita a while back, but thankfully they didn't leave Gravity Rush — one of the portable's best titles — in the dust. Following a PS4 remaster of the cult-favourite, gravity-defying adventure last year, a superior, full-fledged follow-up has quietly popped up on PlayStation's home console.
Bigger, better, and — thanks to all those polygon-pushing horses beneath the PS4's hood — more beautiful, Gravity Rush 2 retains its predecessor's central character and core concept, but otherwise forges its own path. As returning 'shifter' Kat, players can once again fall/fly through the world by manipulating gravity, an incredibly cool ability that makes you feel more like a super-hero than any Marvel or DC Comics game in recent memory.
While giving physics the finger felt pretty exhilarating in the first game, Gravity Rush 2 significantly ups the immersion by introducing two new gameplay styles, dubbed “Jupiter” and “Lunar.” The former gives Kat additional weight, allowing her to put more power behind her attacks — unleashing a gravity-kick into a group of goons never gets old — while the latter makes her lighter, letting her leap greater distances and better target enemies. Complementing Kat's classic skills with these new styles, which can be swapped on the fly, adds some welcome depth to the game's core combat and navigation.
When not beating baddies with a pavement-buckling blast that'd make Hulk blush, Kat can take on a dizzying amount of missions, from story-steering objectives to smaller optional quests. Because the combat and movement mechanics are so satisfying, and the vertical open-world so varied and vibrant, even the most tedious tasks are a joy to tackle. The exceptions, however, are missions that keep Kat grounded, denying her — and players — the chance to do what she does best.
If you missed the original game, diving into the sequel's layered narrative might leave you a little lost; while Gravity Rush 2 more than stands on its own, the story features plenty of cool callbacks, as well as more significant connections, to its predecessor. If you were a fan of Kat's first physics-dominating adventure — or don't mind playing catch up — however, get ready to fall into one of the PS4's best exclusives titles.