Sometimes I dream I can fly — but it isn’t the majestic soaring of an eagle, Superman or even R. Kelly. It’s awkward, like something I’ve forgotten how to do and have to learn all over again. I can barely control my altitude or velocity, so I never know when I’ll plummet to the ground or crash into a wall.
“Gravity Rush” (Sony, for the Vita, $39.99) captures that mix of exhilaration and anxiety. Your character, a girl named Kat, can’t remember her own past and is just figuring out how to use her newfound ability to defy gravity. Add in some gooey monsters from another dimension, and you have the stuff of nightmares.
Kat doesn’t exactly fly. Instead, she changes the effect gravity has on her body, so she can walk up walls or hang from ceilings. The mechanics are simple: You press one button to make Kat float, point a reticle where you want her to land, then press another button to make her leap to the next surface. She may arrive with a crash, but she’s generally impervious to any damage from falling. The perspective then shifts so that wherever Kat landed is now “down.”
At first, it’s easy to get confused trying to remember which way is up. But the developers of “Gravity Rush” gently ease you into using Kat’s powers — so by the time the alien Nevi arrive, you’re ready to take them down with high-flying attacks.
There’s a solid story here too, told largely through comic book-like sequences, and Kat is one of the most charming video-game heroines in a long while. She makes “Gravity Rush” a must-buy for anyone who has invested in Sony’s new portable game machine. Three stars out of four.