A Retro Gravitational Gauntlet or a Crashing Bore?
Eastasiasoft are, quite simply, purveyors of quality software at reasonable prices (and if that isn’t their motto, talk to me, I have loads of ideas!). And it is here where they come to market with a new game that reminds massively of the good old fashioned games from the arcade era, without ever actually copying any of them.
Intrigued? Then you must be old too because Gravitators is very much like the old-school Asteroids, mixed with a little bit of Jetpac and a whole heap of other influences.
Can a heap of seemingly disparate elements blend harmoniously into a beautiful whole, or does it stay as a pile of bits? Well…
Minimalist Narrative: Gravitators’ Story and Presentation
Every game needs a story, and while those found in the shooter genre are usually a bit light on narrative, Gravitators goes absolutely no way towards breaking that stereotype. We have an aircraft (or a range of aircraft, but more of that later) and an invading force of aliens to get rid of. No idea why these aliens appeared and what they want, but their elimination is our goal. And honestly, who needs more than that, right?
Presentation of the game is an interesting one, as Gravitators is basically an update of those old fashioned games that I mentioned at the top of this piece.
The action is viewed from a side-on perspective, and while our ship is relatively small and in the centre of the screen, free to rotate and fly about, the enemies are also on the scene as well. The ships are basic by design, but they have different attacks to get used to, and obviously the attacks all look different too. The effects of using the attacks of each craft look very nice, and while the enemies are all very basic, cookie cutter styled, bringing them into contact with our bullets does make us feel pretty good.
Also dotted about the landscapes are various things to interact with, and sometimes these can be crucial to completing side missions, so you’ll want to keep your eyes peeled throughout. So, the overall look of the game is pretty retro, as we have come to expect from something of this style, but it all moves at a pace so there can be no complaints here.
The audio is pretty minimal too, with some forgettable tunes and a few explosion effects to report. The story and the tutorial (which you really should play) are presented with text boxes, and while this system works well, a voice over might have been nice! All in all, the presentation is as you’d expect, with nothing bad, but nothing massively exciting either.
Gravity and Twin-Stick Action
Now, the gameplay is our final port of call, and here the news is a bit better, as there is something that makes this game just a little bit different from the vast majority of the other shooters out there.
It isn’t the fact that Gravitators is a twin stick shooter, as there are about eleventy million of those on the store, and while this is another one, it does work well. The big difference here is one of the fundamental forces of the universe: gravity. Yes, our spaceship is affected by gravity as we try to maneuver around the labyrinthine levels, with it always pulling our craft towards the ground, requiring the use of thrusters in order to avoid hitting the floor. Hit the floor, or the walls, or any of the scenery in the levels will damage our craft, so we have to be aware of our position at all times.
However, trying to fly in the right direction while also trying to align the craft to shoot the enemies is a bit like trying to pat your head and rub your stomach at the same time: it is possible, but it seems to require a lot more concentration than you think it should.
Missions and Objectives
Spinning about, shooting enemies and then trying to somehow avoid crashing is the majority of the game, but there are other strings to it’s bow. For instance, there are the missions that we need to complete in each zone. They are usually the same, requiring us to clear out all the enemies and then land on a pad to finish the level.
However, a lot of levels have secondary objectives that require the picking up of things, carry them to safety. Often, an alien power source or something similar will need to be recovered, and obviously these aren’t just lying around where anyone can find them. A bit of exploration is required, which can involve powering doors and shooting switches to open up new paths. Once the item has been found, it can be carried under the spaceship, but be prepared for how the weight of the thing will affect the way your ship flies.
A Decent Retro Shooter with a Gravitational Twist
Gravitators brings something a little bit different to the table of an overcrowded market, and as such is worthy of a look. While it isn’t massively original, bringing things together as it has, does deliver a spark of originality.
This is by no means an essential play, but investing a bit of time in Gravitators is a good way of wasting a few hours.
The Links To Shoot For
Can You Master the Challenges of Gravitators? – https://www.thexboxhub.com/can-you-master-the-challenges-of-gravitators/
Buy Gravitators on Xbox – https://www.xbox.com/en-GB/games/store/gravitators/9NSMZSDZWX3Q
