Developer: Ivy Games
Publisher: Ivy Games
Rrp:
£10.99 (Steam), $14.99 (Gravityghost.com)
Released: 26th January 2015
Available on Steam and their own site
Played Using: An Xbox 360 controller
Usually when someone uses the term ‘physics game’ it usually means something akin Goat Simulator or I am Bread to me, as I am sure it does to many gamers. But that’s exactly what Gravity Ghost is, the difference here is the physics in question are the physics of gravity.
You play as Iona, who is voiced by Ashley Burch (Tiny Tina from Borderlands 2), well actually you play the ghost of Iona who is in space… for some reason. Just roll with it.
In the strictest sense this game probably comes under the genre of platformer but since the main mechanic is to use planetary gravity calling it a platformer really doesn’t do it justice.
The game starts you off on a single planet with only a locked door and a star for company. It doesn’t take too long to realise that the door won’t open until you get the star. These stars not only open the door to that level but also will allow you to open new pathways in the, uhhh… Galaxy map. Yeah, I think that’s what I’ll call it.
It’s kinda’ hard not to make the obvious comparison to the Mario Galaxy series in some ways, I mean, you collect stars to progress the game and make use of gravity. Difference here is that unlike either of Mario Galaxy games this games main mechanic is the gravity itself and it makes great use of that. And, of course you won’t just be collecting stars (more on that later).
You can and will use the gravity of the various astronomical bodies to help you reach your goals. As with the real world larger planets have more mass and therefore more gravity (I know there are exceptions to this rule in the real world), meaning that you will have to try and slingshot yourself which can be quite tricky. Then again I go on about the real world and then this game brings on planets that shatter like glass or bounce you around… c’est la vie.
You eventually also unlock the ability to terraform planets, this becomes extremely useful later in the game as there are stars placed inside planets rather than orbiting them and many of the puzzles will require it. Terraforming isn’t without a cost though, each planet will shorten your hair. Not to worry though its really easy to get more flowers and elongate it again.
I mentioned that there were more than just stars to collect, and indeed there are there are also flowers and animal spirits. When you collect a flower it makes your hair grow longer, the more hair you have the more animal spirits you can have following you. These animal spirits are often called ‘survivors’ in the game (not sure how they qualify as survivors since to survive you kinda’ have be alive, but never mind) and they follow you until you reunite them with they’re remains. After they’ve been reunited and you leave the level you’re given a cutscene revealing a little about your characters past.
I love the pastel/chalk aesthetic of the game it gives the whole thing looks hand crafted and combined with the music (that is a joy to listen to, so much so I bought the soundtrack) it leaves the player feeling tranquil.
This is a big recommendation from me, this is a great game and well worth the asking price. Granted it is a little short, lasting somewhere in the region of four hours but its a great four hours and the game has some really heartfelt moments. Something I also feel I must mention is that this game is buy one get one free forever (that’s what the developer has said on their website), meaning that if you buy it you can give a copy to someone else. You have to admit that is kind of cool.
If this appeals to you perhaps try;
Contrast
Never Alone
Beatbuddy: Tale of the Guardians
