Gravity Rush Remastered Review

The Verdict

Gravity Rush Remastered is a damn fine example of thinking outside of the box when it comes to traditional 3D platformers, and I'm super glad that both Sony and Bluepoint gave PS4 owners the ability to experience the game, if they were previously unable to.

Its budget price of $30 is also very welcoming, meaning that even if you have played this fantastical adventure, then you won't break the bank if you're interested in replaying it on your big screen.

The Positives

• Switching gravity on the fly, which happens to be one of the game's core mechanics, works extremely well with the DualShock 4. In fact, thanks to the more ergonomic nature of that controller versus the PS Vita, it's also much more comfortable to play for extended periods of time.
• The graphics are gorgeous, even when considering that this is more or less a port of the Vita game with a higher resolution. The fluidity of Kat's movements as she gracefully (and sometimes clumsily) glides across the screen.
• The world is ripe for exploration, and this time gets an even bigger chance to shine on a big TV.
• Those who enjoyed hunting for upgrade orbs in Crackdown will find a lot to love about exploring the various open world hubs which are littered with upgrade crystals. What's even better, a lot of them are in crazy locations, which will force you to get creative with your gravity manipulation.
• Gravity manipulation gets mixed in with combat, making for yet again, a very unique approach to combat. Kat can kick and combo her way through enemies, though as the game progresses, you'll need to rely on her gravity kicks and slides. Since some of the enemies are bigger, and the same goes for bosses, their weak points are located on various parts of their body, which means Kat needs to fly in from a particular angle at high speed to do damage. It can be finicky at first, but once you get the hang of it, it becomes very satisfying.
• All of the previous costume and side-mission DLC is included in the game, which means you can very early on pursue your dreams of becoming a maid for a very snobby woman of wealth, all in exchange for a cool looking maid costume that you can wear for the remainder of the game.

The Negatives

• I know now why the game was never compatible with the PSTV. It's an understandable reason, but a pretty crappy one none the less.

The PS Vita, bless the little handheld, tried to innovate the handheld market with a suite of built in features like a front touchscreen, and a back touchpad, as well as a built in gyroscope. Gravity Rush for the system felt similarly experimental. It was as untraditional as platformers go, allowing players to freely manipulate gravity in full 360 degrees. They could have made a game entirely about that, and it would have probably been compelling, but the fact that we also got a great combat system, a big and pretty open world to explore, and an interesting story, made Gravity Rush certainly a must-own for the system.

This week, PS4 fans were treated to an HD remaster, which, more or less, plays and handles exactly as it did on the Vita, albeit with much more comfortable controls.

Is the updated HD adventure worth the investment, or should it have stuck to its portable, tiny screen iteration? Let's check it out.

Before you do, make sure to also read our original review, which goes over a lot of the mechanics of the game.