Gravity Rush 2

Plot

Gravity Rush 2 begins directly after Gravity Rush and the prequel anime Gravity Rush: The Animation ~ Overture ~. In Hekseville, reconstruction follows the incident caused by former mayor D’nelica. Kat, her gravity-shifting partner Raven, and police officer Syd investigate a gravitational disturbance in Neu Hiraleon. After fighting mysterious androids, the three are sucked into a gravitational vortex and transported to another world along with the entire district.

Kat and Syd arrive in impoverished Banga Village, befriend a girl named Cecie, and mine Gravity Ore in Rift Planes to sell to trader Vogo Sun. They travel to Jirga Para Lhao, where the rich oppress the poor through military force and a brainwashed Raven, called Night Gale. Kat frees Raven, sparking an uprising that restores Banga’s rule. Neu Hiraleon, now a giant Nevi, kills the Council; Kat and Raven defeat it and rescue Cecie.

Kat returns to Hekseville, meets Kali Angel and Dr. Brahman, who becomes mayor. Brahman plans to use his kidnapped daughters Kali and Cecie (Durga Angel) to stop time. Kat and Raven defeat Brahman and Kali, killing both, with help from Jirga Para Lhao arriving through a tear in space.

Development and release

Development of Gravity Rush 2 began after the first game was finished. It was announced on September 20, 2013 at the Tokyo Game Show as 'Team Gravity Project', and unveiled as Gravity Rush 2 at the Tokyo Game Show 2015. Kohei Tanaka returned to compose the music. The game went gold on November 11, 2016. Originally scheduled for December 2, 2016, it was delayed to January 2017 to avoid competing with other triple-A titles during the Christmas period. Free DLC 'Raven's Choice', allowing players to play as Raven, was announced on December 3, 2016 and released on March 23, 2017. An anime, Gravity Rush: The Animation ~ Overture ~, animated by Studio Khara, was released on December 26, 2016. 2B's outfit from Nier: Automata was released for free in Japan on April 27, 2017 and in the West on May 5, 2017. The game's servers shut down on July 19, 2018, after an extension due to fan criticism.

Reception

Gravity Rush 2 received 'generally favorable' reviews on Metacritic. Peter Brown of GameSpot praised it as exceeding expectations, noting the world's variety and scope and a more consistent, engaging story. Jaz Rignall of USGamer highlighted character development, a light and fun approach, and stylized delivery, comparing them favorably to Studio Ghibli productions. Whitney Reynolds of Polygon commended protagonist Kat's characterization and enthusiasm in side quests, as well as the larger cast of female characters.

Chris Carter of Destructoid found the visuals enhanced by PS4-native development, retaining hand-drawn art and comic-book story transitions as 'gorgeous'. Miranda Sanchez of IGN praised the gravity-altering gameplay and new abilities but critiqued long missions in small spaces that made the camera problematic. David Roberts of GamesRadar lauded gravity-based movement but criticized camera controls in tight areas and ground-based missions. The game sold 102,630 units in Japan by February 15, 2017, and was assumed not a commercial success.

Polygon ranked it 19th on its 50 best games of 2017 list. It was nominated for 'Best PS4 Game' in Destructoid's Game of the Year Awards 2017, and for 'Best PlayStation 4 Game', 'Best Action-Adventure Game', and 'Best Original Music' in IGN's Best of 2017 Awards.