When asked if I wanted to play a game with the title “Gravity Badgers”, every part of my being said HELL YES. The imaginative title fooled me into thinking this would be some grand sci-fi action adventure, that incorporated badgers somehow. Instead I got a title with a simple mobile gaming orientated concept, which suits the PS Vita just fine.

Simplicity is at the heart of Gravity Badgers, the game-play is at first too simple, but as time goes on, the game becomes devilishly fiendish and quite hard to put down. The aim of the game is get “Captain T Bayback” (Best name ever) to reach a portal located on each map. As space is a place where objects rarely keep still, it’s all about trajectory. With the touch of the screen the Captain is released and hopefully you’ve given him an angle with which he can reach the objective, if you fail it’s game over and you have to try again. As with most mobile titles trial and error is a big part of the game and you will find yourself restarting levels often. This will happen even more so if you aim to get the 3-star rating for each level, these are achieved by completing a level first time and without the loss of a life.

Visually this game doesn’t set the PS Vita alight, it’s clear to see that this is a simple by the numbers port. I would have maybe liked some special effects for example, that could use the power of the handheld. The colourful visuals won’t offend but certainly won’t overwhelm either. This is the same with the soundtrack, it’s just there, yet fits the tone and setting of the game. Thankfully the soundtrack doesn’t annoy like some other mobile titles out there.

As I mentioned before, the game does get quite challenging. Obstacles become frequent and horribly fiendish in later levels and overall the levels themselves need some more thought from the player in order to progress. Another and  somewhat surprising challenge thrown in are the inclusion of boss fights. These can be quite tough and usually ask another skill of the player, that being reflexes. The change in pace of these stages really kept the game fresh and I found myself playing just to experience the next one.

“Captain T Bayback” isn’t just some run of the mill space badger (now there is a sentence I didn’t think I’d ever type), he has a back story and the game itself is given a setting. However I rarely paid any attention to the cut scenes, as I felt the simplicity of the game really didn’t motivate me enough to want to care.

The is a title which has featured on other platforms such as Steam and Mobile, so it’s great to see PS Vita getting support from these type of titles. If you’re looking for a simple pick up and play title, then I would fully recommend this charming action puzzler. While you won’t find much depth, you will find a game which will surprisingly grab your attention and it’s worth picking up for that title alone.

 

+ Simple concept

 + Challenging Gameplay

+ Interesting Boss Fights

– Lacklustre Visuals

 

7/10