Gravity Oddity from Invincible Cat is a 2D space roguelite bullet hell platforming experience on Nintendo Switch. Check our Gravity Oddity review!
Gravity Oddity from Invincible Cat is a 2D space roguelite bullet hell platforming experience on Nintendo Switch. You’ve been making good use of the awesome Gravity Boots from the Rio Grande Corporation, which make it very easy to explore any location thanks to their magnetic fields. Everything was going well until, for some reason, the Rio Grande Corporation decided to kidnap your roommate! It’s up to you to use the gravity boots to explore each area to try and save Gary before it’s too late. Or before rent is due. You know, whichever one is worst.
Plot twist: The reason why the Rio Grande Corporation ended up kidnapping your roommate – the aforementioned Gary – is because, after spending several years working on a prototype, he managed to complete a pair of Gravity Boots that don’t require fuel to operate. This is bad for the Rio Grande Corporation since they thrive on selling Gravity Boots as well as the fuel needed to power them.
Before you get started, you’ll be able to customize the way your character looks. You can change its skin color from 40 different options, change if he has one or two eyes, switch his mouth so that he can have huge fangs or not, switch between a transparent hard-duty helmet or a helmet that looks like it would be better suited for, say, a space marine, change between two different spacesuits, or pick between the primary and secondary colors to use for his spacesuit – again, from the palette of 40 different colors. And if you’re feeling lucky, you can click on the dice icon at the bottom of the screen to roll for a randomized look. You can also customize the look of your companions.
You’ll be controlling your character with the left analog stick as you move through each area. The X button will be for interacting, while the R button will allow you to perform a quick dash. Along with the gravity boots, you also have another piece of equipment that can really make a difference in a pinch: a teleport gun! You can use the right analog stick to aim the teleport gun. Pressing the ZL button will allow you to teleport so that you can hopefully get out of the way of danger.
Your character can also jump by pressing the L button. Once you’re off the ground, you can use the left analog stick to steer around as needed so that you can land where you want to, but this will use up some of your jetpack charge, which you can check at the bottom left of the screen. You can also dash after jumping, but do know this will consume a good chunk of your jetpack bar! You also have a Super Attack that is activated by pressing in on the right analog stick, which will temporarily stun enemies and disable shields.
It all starts off easy enough, but you’ll soon need to jump, dash while floating, aim at a turret and shoot it to destroy it, aim in the opposite direction to teleport out of harm’s way, and land on a wall to recharge your jetpack so that you can jump again and avoid a laser. Sure, the game might sometimes feel like it wants you to rub your belly and pat your head multiple times in a row, but you’ll soon get the hang of things.
Since this is a roguelite, that means you’ll be obtaining different items to quip so that you can have a better chance of eventually saving Gary. You can find a mod that will make bullets destroy enemies’ shields or a mod that makes it so that you’re shielded for a bit while using your jetpack. You can also obtain upgrades that can improve your firing rate, reload speed, clip capacity, range, and shield recovery time, which can make a big difference.
The different mods that you’ll get to collect during each run can also be used as in-game currency for different things. A mod can be exchanged for an extra heart container – a must for being able to withstand more damage during your run – or to unlock an extra mod slot to equip more mods. You could also need to use a mod as a key to be able to open a door so that you can explore an area in full.
On top of all that, there are also perks to consider! Perks are usually obtained when you defeat a big boss and can end up making a big difference for each of your trips through space. You can equip up to 3 perks for each trip, and you need to make each choice count because they’re only valid for a single trip! Between perks and mods, you might have a chance to succeed on this journey. Just don’t expect to be successful during your first try – or second or third one!
Gravity Oddity offers a colorful 2D space roguelite bullet hell platforming experience on Nintendo’s console. While your initial goal is to save your roommate, Gary, odds are you won’t manage to survive through this journey. Worry not because this is a roguelite, which means that death is very much part of the gameplay loop. A new crewmate will be hired to try and rescue Gary, and you’ll be slowly but surely making some progress as you unlock new mods and find new intel on the Rio Grande Corporation, information that is stored in Hubble, which is an app that Gary created. Gravity Oddity is out tomorrow on Nintendo Switch with a $14.99 price tag.
Disclaimer
This Gravity Oddity review is based on a Nintendo Switch copy provided by Invincible Cat.
