We’re a year away from being able to get hands-on with the sci-fi roguelike that is Gravity Oddity, but if you’re looking for a gravity-bending, teleporting looter-shooter, it’s one to certainly keep an eye on.
Teleporting onto Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch and PC through Steam in the summer of 2022, Gravity Oddity comes from the Invincible Cat development team, taking us players on a journey into the unknown.
In Gravity Oddity the gravity has gone, planets have started to shrink and shatter and any and all survivors have attempted to create new colonies on floating rocks in space; it’s either that or to live lonely lives in their ships. Fortunately, Rio Grande Corp. has anticipated this disaster and created the Gravity Boots, empowering people to walk on any surface and live out, nearly, normal lives. But as with any megacorp, Rio Grande Corp. may just have an evil agenda in hand – they’ve kidnapped the protagonist’s roommate, Gary. And with Gary gone, how will we pay the rent?
It’s here where you come in, grabbing your Gravity Boots and heading on after Gary on a journey through space. This will see you zipping across asteroids and leaping from ship-to-ship with a handy jetpack – pretty much like that found in Space Otter Charlie – and modular raygun capable of teleporting its user to any surface. What this essentially means is that you’ll be taking it to all-comers, fighting on ceilings and walls as you take out soldiers and turrets while dodging ship security systems. Find the skills required and ultimately master gravity and you’ll find that the fast-paced gameplay in Gravity oddity will reward immensely, with chaotic shootouts emphasizing verticality, precision shots, and platforming skills.
But that’s not your only aim and after blasting bad guys and wrecking ships, it’ll all be about the loot. You’ll need to do everything to find money, supplies, or one of 80+ stackable mods, or to discover synergistic upgrades to empower the starting sidearm, with improvements like bouncing bullets, homing shots, or even spawning a decoy with each reload. You’ll need to do this too, arming up and defeating the boss in a series of procedurally-generated stages. You will however need to move with caution, as perma-death means the loss of those precious upgrades.
For all the intensity that Gravity Oddity looks to bring, there’s a humorous side too. Customize the colorful, cartoony look of Gravity Oddity’s silly sci-fi journey by tweaking the protagonist’s costume and appearance, and coordinate outfits with both the protagonist’s furry friend Newton and their robot to look sharp while teleporting across the galaxy. Even the music changes to match the gameplay: while songs typically start off with piano, as the intense action amplifies, so does the soundtrack, adding retro synth elements for the ultimate space experience.
“Designing Gravity Oddity has been creatively fulfilling because I’ve worked directly with my community,” said Tim Verrouil, solo developer and founder, Invincible Cat. “I asked them what they’d want in a game, and we came up with this concept together. It was tricky to make combat work on walls and ceilings but with their help, I think we’ve made it very enjoyable!”
We’ll be sure to keep you up-to-date with how Gravity Oddity progresses in the months ahead, with that Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch and PC launch planned for next summer.
Let us know in the comments if this is one you’ll be keeping an eye on.