Gravity Circuit is, unquestionably, the best platformer I've ever played in my entire life. Those were my thoughts at the end of my first playthrough. During the time I've been attempting to write this review, I've finished the game an additional four times. It took getting every achievement for me to finally pry myself away from it. Words cannot express how much I love this game, but I'll try my best.
The gameplay is, frankly, perfect. I'm just coming off a binge of Mega Man 1-10 and X1-4, so when I say it trumps all of them, it's not just recency bias. Even with my absolute favorites out of those games, there was always one or two bosses or levels that made me annoyed; not the case with this game. While I definitely have my favorites, there's not a single level I don't still enjoy even after at least a dozen replays.
It's genuinely incredible how good this game just feels to play. Movement is just a blast, and unlike Mega Man, your basic attack never feels underpowered or basic in any way. Having done a run without any movement upgrades or special attacks, it never felt as though I was missing anything. And that's not to say the upgrades are pointless; there's so many to choose from, and they all change up your play style in different ways, and allow you to approach obstacles and bosses in new and interesting ways. I'd liken it to a really good plate of fries, where the seasoning and crisp is perfect already, and anything you dip em in just provides a new, different kind of perfect.
I could probably write another six or seven paragraphs about the platforming and combat, but I don't know how many times I can say "Perfect". This game is just genius.
Now, story in a platformer is a tricky thing to nail. Sorta like blackjack, you want just enough to be engaging, but not too much, or you'll take away from the gameplay. Gravity Circuit drew a clean 21. The story it tells and the world it establishes are interesting and enjoyable, without ever overstaying its welcome. I won't lie, some of the plot developments and especially the ending really got me. Admittedly, I'm already a sucker for much of the themes and ideas it explores, but it nails em, and I never felt myself being like "Alright can we get back to the game now?", which says a lot since I'm on enough ADHD medication and caffeine to kill a small gorilla almost constantly.
The music? Bangers, all bangers. Nothing else I can really say.
Before I talk about the art, lemme make a few things clear. I love the cyber-urban aesthetic. I love pixel art. I love robots that don't just look like people. And I love Mobile Suit Gundam. Gravity Circuit's visuals feel like they were designed for me personally, to an almost scary level. With that outta the way, lemme try and be objective. Obviously it's going for a "retro" aesthetic, and I feel like that's been getting a lot of flack as of late, but this art style is unlike anything I've seen. The color choice on the characters, the gorgeous backgrounds, the UI, it puts my hundreds of hours in Aseprite to shame. If pixel art is a limitation, than these artists are like Goku wearing 500-ton training gear like it's nothing; this is hands-down the best pixel art I've ever seen.
I'm stopping myself here before I go on for another six pages. I love this game. If you like platformers, chances are you will too. Please buy this game because I need them to make eight sequels.
Video games are so back.
The gameplay is, frankly, perfect. I'm just coming off a binge of Mega Man 1-10 and X1-4, so when I say it trumps all of them, it's not just recency bias. Even with my absolute favorites out of those games, there was always one or two bosses or levels that made me annoyed; not the case with this game. While I definitely have my favorites, there's not a single level I don't still enjoy even after at least a dozen replays.
It's genuinely incredible how good this game just feels to play. Movement is just a blast, and unlike Mega Man, your basic attack never feels underpowered or basic in any way. Having done a run without any movement upgrades or special attacks, it never felt as though I was missing anything. And that's not to say the upgrades are pointless; there's so many to choose from, and they all change up your play style in different ways, and allow you to approach obstacles and bosses in new and interesting ways. I'd liken it to a really good plate of fries, where the seasoning and crisp is perfect already, and anything you dip em in just provides a new, different kind of perfect.
I could probably write another six or seven paragraphs about the platforming and combat, but I don't know how many times I can say "Perfect". This game is just genius.
Now, story in a platformer is a tricky thing to nail. Sorta like blackjack, you want just enough to be engaging, but not too much, or you'll take away from the gameplay. Gravity Circuit drew a clean 21. The story it tells and the world it establishes are interesting and enjoyable, without ever overstaying its welcome. I won't lie, some of the plot developments and especially the ending really got me. Admittedly, I'm already a sucker for much of the themes and ideas it explores, but it nails em, and I never felt myself being like "Alright can we get back to the game now?", which says a lot since I'm on enough ADHD medication and caffeine to kill a small gorilla almost constantly.
The music? Bangers, all bangers. Nothing else I can really say.
Before I talk about the art, lemme make a few things clear. I love the cyber-urban aesthetic. I love pixel art. I love robots that don't just look like people. And I love Mobile Suit Gundam. Gravity Circuit's visuals feel like they were designed for me personally, to an almost scary level. With that outta the way, lemme try and be objective. Obviously it's going for a "retro" aesthetic, and I feel like that's been getting a lot of flack as of late, but this art style is unlike anything I've seen. The color choice on the characters, the gorgeous backgrounds, the UI, it puts my hundreds of hours in Aseprite to shame. If pixel art is a limitation, than these artists are like Goku wearing 500-ton training gear like it's nothing; this is hands-down the best pixel art I've ever seen.
I'm stopping myself here before I go on for another six pages. I love this game. If you like platformers, chances are you will too. Please buy this game because I need them to make eight sequels.
Video games are so back.