Gravity Circuit from PID Games and Domesticated Ants is an action-packed 2D platformer reminiscent of classics in the genre. Check our Gravity Circuit review!
In a futuristic world populated by sentient robots, its inhabitants are once more threatened by an old foe, the Virus Army. Defeated decades ago, it has re-emerged from the shadows with a unique goal, complete world domination. Severely weakened Guardian Corps are left with no other choice but to call upon a hero of the previous war: the lone operative, Kai, who harnesses the powers of the mysterious Gravity Circuit. As the world’s last line of defense, journey through futuristic environments, and take down the evil mastermind behind this chaos.
In Gravity Circuit from PID Games and Domesticated Ants, you’ll be fighting against the evil Virus Army, which has risen from its ashes to once again wreak havoc. Kai, who is the titular Gravity Circuit, is the only remaining member of the Guardian Corps that defeated the Virus Army during their first attack many years ago. You’ll soon learn that Kai’s former team members have been repurposed and corrupted by the Virus Army and will serve as the game’s different bosses at the end of each of the levels you’ll explore. This is a flashy action-packed 2D experience that pays homage to the 8-bit classics. The game is inspired by the long-running Mega Man series, in particular from the sub-series Mega Man X, featuring visuals that feel like those from a turbo-charged 8-bit game from back in the Nintendo Entertainment System days.
You can dive into the action directly or begin with the tutorial, which is the option I recommend since it will teach you all of the basics so that you can then jump straight into the action without having to learn by making some mistakes along the way. Gameplay has you attacking with your – very short range – weapon. You can jump and use your grappling hook to get over wide gaps or attack enemies from a safer distance as you chip away at their health. I do have to mention that, at first, attacks felt a bit off for me, with a small delay between pressing the attack button and Kai attacking an enemy. This is something that I had to get used to, but things started to click after completing the first couple of levels in Gravity Circuit.
There are also Burst Techniques for you to consider. They use Burst energy, which you can see below Kai’s health. Burst Techniques are special abilities that can be used to deal some good damage to enemies and bosses. You can equip up to four Burst Techniques at any time and will be able to activate them by pressing a direction on the D-Pad or the left analog stick and the Burst Technique button. You can fill up your Burst energy by defeating enemies and collecting more and more Burst charges to use Burst Techniques.
Each of the levels in Gravity Circuit can be played in any order, just as is the case for games in the Mega Man series. Level design is mostly linear, with some additional paths here and there that will allow you to try and rescue the bots that are in danger and need your help. You can also find upgrades that will increase your total hit points or your total Burst energy so that you can sustain more damage before being defeated or have more Burst energy to use more Burst Techniques. You’ll activate checkpoints along the way, from which you can respawn when defeated. You can also spend Bits – which are the game’s currency – to recover all of your health in a checkpoint.
At the normal difficulty setting, the game felt a bit on the hard side. Yes, that means this one is an NES-hard experience you’ll get to take on PlayStation. Enemies require a lot of hits to be defeated, and there are many hazards or traps for you to avoid so that you can make it to the end. Even if you lower the difficulty to easy, you’ll be challenged every step of the way, so do know this 2D action game is not going to be for everyone.
What can you expect about the Gravity Circuit trophies? First off, you should know that this one is a Cross-Buy title, so you’ll gain access to the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 versions of Gravity Circuit, and each one will have its own separate trophy list. How many trophies are there for each list? You’ll be working on 34 Bronze trophies, 9 Silver trophies, and 3 Gold trophies. The objectives to complete will include collecting and researching all Data Chips, rescuing all bots, beating a boss without taking damage, learning every Burst Technique, defeating 100 enemies with thrown objects, collecting all health upgrades, or beating the game without buying any Burst Techniques.
Gravity Circuit is an action-packed 2D platformer reminiscent of classics in the genre, specifically inspired by the Mega Man franchise and its Mega Man X sub-series. It offers a challenging adventure with enemies that can take a beating, and bosses will destroy you if you make a mistake, so this one is not going to be for everyone. Gravity Circuit is out as a Cross-Buy title, so your $21.99 purchase will allow you to get both the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 versions of the game at no extra cost.
Disclaimer
This Gravity Circuit review is based on a PlayStation copy provided by PID Games.
