Let me preface this by saying that Gravity Circuit is truly special. It has some of the best character control and level design I've seen in a while for a 2D action game, and it really showcases some of the peaks of the genre as a whole. That said, I think there's a good margin for improvement.
For starters, its influences are very clear to see. It's been called a Mega Man clone by some, and though it isn't meant as a negative, I say it's not too accurate. It may have all the trappings of a Mega Man game, but its style of gameplay is very distinctive. No, the aspect in which Gravity Circuit falls short of its inspiration is its narrative. It takes beats primarily from the Zero games, but unlike those games, the story here isn't told in a very organic way. The resistance base stand-in has no interesting characters or much meaningful interaction at all, and the game's second act has very little narrative development. The story's pretty much all told in the opening and in the last few stages. I think the overall story is interesting, but lacks consistency. I'm aware of the popular opinion that story isn't really the focus of these type of games, but I don't see how a better story would result in a worse game, especially when the main cast of characters are already competently written. For as great as the gameplay is, it's always the characters and story that stick in your head.
The other issue I see may sound weird, but I think there's a little too much platformnig. Don't get me wrong, it's all very good, but I can't help but feel like there was a missed oportunity to emphasize combat even further. Sure, bosses showcase it pretty well, but I wish every stage had less pits and spikes and more open areas with lots of enemies to smash into each other. You know, more reasons to try out all burst techniques, instead of sticking to the ones more helpful in platforming. Kai's moveset is begging to be pushed to the max with flashy combos and weaving through enemy attacks, but the opportunities are sparse at best, and enemies usually take a back seat to the environment. I guess the issue isn't helped by the fact that there isn't a great variety of enemies to begin with.
All in all, the few issues I had with the game don't detract from the good already in display. If anything, I'm more hopeful for a sequel to be released some day. It would be a crime to leave this style of gameplay for just a single game.
For starters, its influences are very clear to see. It's been called a Mega Man clone by some, and though it isn't meant as a negative, I say it's not too accurate. It may have all the trappings of a Mega Man game, but its style of gameplay is very distinctive. No, the aspect in which Gravity Circuit falls short of its inspiration is its narrative. It takes beats primarily from the Zero games, but unlike those games, the story here isn't told in a very organic way. The resistance base stand-in has no interesting characters or much meaningful interaction at all, and the game's second act has very little narrative development. The story's pretty much all told in the opening and in the last few stages. I think the overall story is interesting, but lacks consistency. I'm aware of the popular opinion that story isn't really the focus of these type of games, but I don't see how a better story would result in a worse game, especially when the main cast of characters are already competently written. For as great as the gameplay is, it's always the characters and story that stick in your head.
The other issue I see may sound weird, but I think there's a little too much platformnig. Don't get me wrong, it's all very good, but I can't help but feel like there was a missed oportunity to emphasize combat even further. Sure, bosses showcase it pretty well, but I wish every stage had less pits and spikes and more open areas with lots of enemies to smash into each other. You know, more reasons to try out all burst techniques, instead of sticking to the ones more helpful in platforming. Kai's moveset is begging to be pushed to the max with flashy combos and weaving through enemy attacks, but the opportunities are sparse at best, and enemies usually take a back seat to the environment. I guess the issue isn't helped by the fact that there isn't a great variety of enemies to begin with.
All in all, the few issues I had with the game don't detract from the good already in display. If anything, I'm more hopeful for a sequel to be released some day. It would be a crime to leave this style of gameplay for just a single game.