The Adventures of Rad Gravity
A 1990 NES action-adventure featuring upside-down gravity.
The Adventures of Rad Gravity is a 1990 action-adventure platformer for the NES, co-developed by Interplay and published by Activision. Players control the titular hero, Rad Gravity. The story is set in a distant future where humanity has colonized multiple worlds and created advanced computers called Compuminds, which enable rapid communication between planets. The game’s antagonist, referred to only as 'the evil one', shuts down and hides all Compuminds. After one Compumind is discovered, Rad and the Compumind must find the other eight missing Compuminds across eight distinct planets, including the cyberpunk world Cyberia, the jungle planet Sauria, and the toxic trash world Effluvia. The game is notable for the planet Turvia, where gravity is reversed, causing the protagonist and enemies to appear upside-down while the background remains normal. Rad’s early weapon is a laser sword. A possible influence is the 1989 arcade game *Strider*, whose hero wields a plasma sword and, in two levels, walks on ceilings due to reversed gravity. Reception was generally positive; Simon Burns of VoxelArcade later called it "one of the most interesting and innovative of NES games" in a retro feature.
Quick Facts
- Developer
- Interplay Productions
- Publisher
- Activision
- Designer
- Brian Fargo / Michael Quarles
- Artist
- Bruce Schlickbernd
- Composer
- David Warhol / George Sanger
- Platforms
- Nintendo Entertainment System
- Released
- NA · January 1991 · PAL · May 30, 1991
- Genre
- Platformer
- Modes
- Single-player
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The story is set in the far future, where humans have colonized many planets and created advanced computers called Compuminds, which communicate rapidly between worlds. The game's villain, known only as 'the evil one', shuts down all Compuminds and hides them. Eventually, one Compumind is found, and together Rad and that Compumind must find the eight missing Compuminds, each on a different planet, including the cyberpunk world of Cyberia, the green jungle world of Sauria, and the caustic trash world of Effluvia.
Reader's Guide
The Adventures of Rad Gravity is notable for the planet Turvia, where gravity works in reverse, causing the protagonist, enemies, and the entire screen to appear upside down. The hero's early game attack consists of a sort of lightsaber. A possible inspiration for the game is the 1989 arcade game Strider, whose protagonist uses a plasma sword and walks on the ceiling in two levels with reversed gravity. The game received generally positive reviews; Simon Burns of VoxelArcade called it 'one of the most interesting and innovative of NES games' in a retro feature. Its legacy lies in its creative use of gravity mechanics and its distinctive sci-fi setting.
Did You Know?
- The game features a planet called Turvia where gravity works in reverse, causing the player character and enemies to appear upside down while the background stays normal.
- The hero Rad Gravity uses a laser sword as his early game attack.
- A possible inspiration for the game is the 1989 arcade game Strider, which also features a plasma sword and ceiling-walking in reversed gravity.
- The game's villain, referred to as 'the evil one', shut down all Compuminds—advanced computers, not sentient beings—and hid them across eight planets.
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