The PlayStation Vita was effective in inspiring developers to think of innovative ways to use the portable device's capabilities, leading to some unique games. Tearaway, for example, is a game that takes players through a world of paper requiring the use of all the PS Vita's features, including the touchscreen and the camera. Frobisher Says! is a similarly creative game that makes use of the PS Vita's features by implementing its own version of "Simon Says." The now-defunct Japan Studio was also inspired by the PS Vita, particularly its gyroscopic controls. This eventually led to the creation of the Gravity Rush series.

Gravity Rush presents a unique and enticing premise. It stars Kat, a curious girl who wakes up in the strange city of Hekseville. Kat, accompanied by a cat named Dusty, explores Hekseville and discovers that she can change the way gravity affects her, allowing her to simulate flight by continually falling away from the ground. Although plenty of gamers fell in love with Kat, Dusty, and the quirky gameplay of the Gravity Rush series, the games struggled to find commercial success and the series never got to realize its full potential. However, behind the series is an interesting story of art, a complicated development process, and unfortunate circumstances.

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Gravity Rush Comes to Life

According to Keiichiro Toyama, Gravity Rush's director, the idea for the game came from a French graphic artist named Moebius, who frequently has images of people floating around in his art. At first, when Toyama was trying to come up with a new game, all he had was a conceptual idea of people floating. As he explains, "linking that to a gameplay mechanic, gravity and the idea of using it, took time to put together."

From its earliest days, Gravity Rush had plenty of hurdles to overcome. When Toyama finally had an idea that was fleshed out enough to pitch, it took a long time for him to get the green light because he was mostly known for his work on horror games and Gravity Rush was an unexpected turn in a new direction. When he was finally allowed to begin work on Gravity Rush in 2008, his team made use of the PS3 and its Sixaxis controller. The controller was a good fit thanks to its motion controls which sense motion along all dimensional axes.

When, in 2009, Toyama received information about the PS Vita which was still in development at that point, he was intrigued by its gyroscopic system and its potential application in Gravity Rush. Consequently, after careful consideration, development was shifted from the PS3 to the PS Vita. The game was eventually released in 2012, around the same time as the PS Vita, and it received a PS4 remaster in 2016.

The French Inspiration Behind Gravity Rush

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Moebius is one of Gravity Rush's largest inspirations. As Toyama explains in an interview, the "themes of realism, mysticism, futurism, and fantasy coexisting with each other" in Moebius's works inspire him, and he is glad that he could turn those themes into a video game.

Gravity Rush sports an interesting visual presentation. Comic strip panels progress the narrative, and when players are out exploring, they are always flooded by strange shades of brown and green that make everything feel alien. That feeling of alienation is amplified by the language that NPCs speak. The fact that the language sounds vaguely French is intentional, as Toyama has admitted, and it is once again inspired by Moebius.

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Gravity Rush Fails to Take Off

When iconic Sony first-party franchises are mentioned, Gravity Rush is seldom listed among them, although there are troops of ardent Kat fans. Despite the critical acclaim the Gravity Rush series has received, it has failed to be a commercial success for Sony, which has likely spelled the end for Kat's adventures. There are a few reasons why Gravity Rush never got to soar.

The first is that the first game launched on the PS Vita. Although the platform showed promise, especially after the success of the PSP, the PS Vita ultimately never sold well, which in turn limited the number of copies games on the system could sell. This may have affected Kat's ability to truly go mainstream, and although Gravity Rush did receive a PS4 remaster years later, by then it might have been a little too late.

The limited reach of the PS Vita meant that there was limited recognition when Gravity Rush's sequel, Gravity Rush 2, was released in 2017. It debuted at number 16 on the UK charts and, less than two years after release, its servers were shut down. While sales figures have not been released for the game, it is believed that the game is more popular in Japan than in the West.

Lastly, although reviews were largely positive, there were some critics and gamers who complained that the controls are frustrating and that the games can cause motion sickness. These criticisms are easy to understand. On the PS Vita, using gyroscopic controls on the same device that holds the screen can get tricky, and even when playing on PS4, the camera can be glitchy at times, leading to a frustrating experience traversal. However, while these are all valid criticisms, for some, the clumsiness of getting the hang of controlling gravity and falling into buildings is all part of the charm of the games.

Gravity Rush 3?

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Japan Studio's Team Gravity, which was responsible for the Gravity Rush franchise, no longer exists, and Toyama has gone on to form Bokeh Game Studio. Toyama has seemingly moved on from Gravity Rush, and he is currently working on a horror action-adventure game that will release on multiple platforms. All signs point to the fact that the Gravity Rush series has likely seen its last days.

With Gravity Rush 2 enjoying its 5th birthday in January 2022, it is worth remembering Toyama's eccentric franchise and the gravity-shifting gameplay it brought. Kat, with her amnesia and her difficulty mastering her powers, is a flawed heroine, but it is her vulnerability that made players relate to her and her story. Her world, presented using elegant artwork inspired by French comics and visual design, is a difficult one to not be drawn in by. Unfortunately, due to a convergence of factors, the series flew under the radar and many gamers overlooked Gravity Rush and all its beautiful quirkiness.

Gravity Rush 2 is available now on PS4.

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