Tales From The Backlog Vol.1 – Gravity Rush Remastered
As the end of 2024 approached, I wrapped up my Metaphor Refantazio playthrough and enjoyed late-night Marvel Rivals sessions. When I was ready to move on from these games, I wasn’t sure what to play next. So, I scrolled through my various wish lists and took some time to think. Eventually, I landed on Gravity Rush Remastered, a title I had my eye on for quite a while. The game immediately drew me in, originally released on the PlayStation Vita and later ported to the PlayStation 4 with the remastered release. Within moments of playing, it dawned on me that I was in backlog mode, eager to dive into games I’d missed.
Playing a title that no one was talking about brought me a sense of joy and wonder. It felt as if the never-ending online discourse had gone quiet for a moment. Don’t get me wrong—I love talking about video games, obviously—but some of the online debates can be exhausting at times. This feeling inspired me to create a series titled Tales From The Backlog. This first entry will focus on the game in question: Gravity Rush Remastered
A Red Apple

Gravity Rush Remastered begins with Kat, the main character, waking up in Hekseville, a floating city. She is accompanied by a mysterious cat named Dusty. It’s quickly revealed that Dusty can manipulate gravity, granting Kat the ability to do the same, which she uses to combat the enemy threat known as the Nevi. In my opinion, the story is the weakest aspect of Gravity Rush, and I quickly found myself losing interest in it. The world can often feel stale and uninspired, with side quests largely consisting of simplistic fetch tasks. Thankfully, other aspects of the game carry the experience and help make up for these shortcomings.
One of the most impressive aspects of the game, and the first I’d like to highlight, is its art design. Thanks to the exceptional art direction in Gravity Rush Remastered, the game still holds up remarkably well, even though it was ported to the PlayStation 4 back in 2015. The character and world designs radiate a comic book and anime aesthetic, which perfectly complements the game’s in-game dialogue presented on comic panels. This cohesive sense of style gives the world a distinct vibe that integrates seamlessly with the gameplay.
Just A Girl And Her Cat

Throughout the game, it’s essentially Kat and Dusty against the world—or rather, trying to save it by taking out the Nevi. The gameplay of Gravity Rush Remastered has a flow that you’ll quickly become familiar with. As you traverse the world, you’ll collect shards that are used to upgrade Kat’s abilities, such as reducing cooldowns or increasing various types of damage. Some upgrades are more beneficial than others, like lowering gravity drain so you can fly farther before your meter runs out. These gems are scattered throughout the city and can also be found in other areas you explore, such as Boutoume.
Within the gameplay loop, there is, of course, consistent combat against the Nevi. Kat’s combat abilities are somewhat limited, but I found them sufficient to keep me engaged. That being said, the combat occasionally felt a bit clunky, especially during sequences where Kat was flying. I often struggled to fully master the lock-on system, which frequently caused me to miss attacks that I felt should have landed. Thankfully, the game features a generous auto-save system, so if those moments ever caused me to die, I didn’t have to replay large sections.
At first, the player might feel that controlling Kat while floating through the sky and attempting to reach new areas is impossible. However, give yourself some time, and I promise that, before long, it will become second nature. My biggest tip is to go into the settings and disable motion controls. Just like in the PlayStation Vita release, the game defaults to using motion controls for aiming and other functions. Turn this off, and you’ll improve much faster.
The First Of Many

Even though I had some issues with Gravity Rush Remastered, such as the combat feeling a bit clunky, I still enjoyed the game overall and felt that other aspects carried it through to the end for me. This write-up for Gravity Rush Remastered marks the first entry in my backlog series. I imagine these articles will evolve as I refine my focus and figure out exactly what I want to highlight in each one. At some point, I plan to play Gravity Rush 2 and include it in this series. However, the second and third entries are already in production, and neither will focus on Gravity Rush 2.
Before I go, here’s a hint about Volume 2’s release: “Gotta Go Fast!”