Gravity Circuit Review (NBlast)
Gravity Circuit's controls and movement are out of this world, but I wish the game had a little bit more of an unique identity.
The moment you take your controller and move your main character, you will get hypnotized. Surely a Megaman clone cannot feel that good to control? Capcom mastered this decades ago. There wasn’t really any room for improvements, right?
Well… I stand corrected! Jump feels better than ever, punching stuff explodes enemies and players minds. There is a ”Sprint” button also known as ”Buttery Smooth Zoomies” button. There is also a grappling hook and wall jump that are adjusted just right for your maximum platforming pleasure. Running and brawling through levels feels absolutely amazing and that one thing alone is what makes Gravity Circuit worth experiencing.
That doesn’t mean it is only thing that this game does really well. I also need to commend the level design. I do like to dabble a bit in making 2D Megaman levels and amount of “blunders” when it comes to misplaced enemies, overtuned obstacles or sloppy flow I could count on one hand of a sawmill worker. This is in stark contrast to games like Shovel Knight where I have always plenty of material to complain about whenever I play a level. Good job Gravity Circuit devs!
Unfortunately, while I will do ultimately recommend grabbing this game, it really breaks my heart that there is a lot of untapped potential that would otherwise make this game truly special.
What do I mean by that? While there is a small attempt at some worldbuilding, game’s story doesn’t go far from your stock standard “robot attack” formula. Main character took the worst lessons from Megaman Zero games and has so little personality, that seemingly most of his lines are literally three expressionless dots. Bosses have titles and given names that are hard to memorize. Their designs, while good, are not especially striking.
I cannot remember a single song from the game’s soundtrack, outside of the boss theme. Level design is nearly flawless, but variety of cool, never-seen level gimmicks is very lacking. There is nothing you haven’t seen in other 2D platformers. You get tons of special moves, but not enough of the game to truly test them out (very good inclusion of New Game+ helps a bit with that, while Circuit Mode seems a little tacked on).
That’s not that there weren’t attempts at adding crucial details that enrich the experience (I did notice how stage intro song is slightly different depending on the boss chosen), but there isn’t enough of good to elevate the whole package from great to something spectacular.
All in all, I will still recommend the game. Controls are a sight to behold and worth price of admission alone. Other aspects, despite lack of spicy seasoning, are still a good enough eating for any platforming fan that wants quality productions! Looking forward to how this dev team improves in the future!