Gravity Rush: A Hierarchy of Sinking Worlds

Gravity Rush is about a magical girl superhero who fights dark monsters. It is also, I think, about corrupt governments and climate change.
So. Let's unpack that.
Written and edited by Aaraf Afzal
Feedback from Sifana Sohail
Gravity Rush (PS Vita) Footage: Tsunao @ World of Longplays
• PS Vita Longplay [007]...
I tried to avoid using too much IRL footage because I don't want to cast a voyeuristic gaze on any one community and "how bad they have it." That said...
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Works Cited:
Kiribati: Battling for Survival by United Nations: • Kiribati: Battling for...
Swathes of Central Bangladesh Flooded after Heavy Monsoon Rains, by AFP: • Swathes of central Ban...
How FF7 Remake Uses Architecture from All Over the World, by Polygon: • How Final Fantasy VII ...
Life in the Shadow of Midgar, by Jacob Geller: • The Politics of Final ...
www.dailyposte...

[@berryjon]

One thing to note about Plejeune's dark skies - It's because it's literally in the shadow of The Pillar. The sun doesn't move in Heskeville, and that district has its sunlight blocked due to its position. Verdecentre is both highest and closest to the source of light, emphasizing the same degree of 'superiority' we'll later see in JPL with their 'upper crust' District.

[@Tamacat388]

Its an odd thing but I like Gravity Rush having an anime seasonal structure. GR1 - 1st 12 ep season Jirga Para Lhao - 2nd season Hekesville - 3rd season Eto - theatrical finale film

[@notme3603]

I mean the story is literally shown in a comic or manga like format So yeah, you are pretty much right

[@lewa3910]

This video's amazing. Gravity Rush deserves tons of deepdive vids like this

[@CenturyBoyLanding]

Agreed

[@leolhez]

8:38 Oh, yes. They are really close friends, probably besties, maybe even roomates, almost colleagues.

[@notimeforcreativenamesjust3034]

Almost like they have the same soul

[@duelversebeyond]

@@notimeforcreativenamesjust3034 it’s almost like they literally are each other’s other halves.

[@leonardodelimaferreira8509]

GR's main campaigns, more specifically it's time components are probably the pieces of media that better executed one of my most primal fears, time, I cannot fathom the thought of time passing by me, and the first time skip of 3 years in GR is what's keeping me from moving on with the storyline, and now there's another 3 and 100 years skip as well, that frightens me, people you never had the opportunity to know you, time you'll never get back, lost friends both bc of time or falling apart, everything changing and the feeling of absolutely losing control over everything, it's enough to keep me awake at night

[@darcyjoshua7201]

I've only played 2 never knew one but halfway through the story I went from being apathetic to the npc to genuinely care for the main citizen at the very end of the game. Traversing through the towns and it's people, taking pictures along side them seeing them react when I accidentally unleash my gravity powers amongst them were very human to me. Like despite being a fun game that you can turn off too, the developer really made an effort for you not only care about the main game storyline but it's side quest or falling in style in the city among people. From my own interpretation, money, time and knowledge are relative it is its community and people that brings a society together through happiness and hardships. Class doesn't matter until things catch up to you and at the very end of the story Lei Havana recognise that, that we shouldn't be divided after the many disasters that has happened to anyone of them. Unity and community is such a wonderful qnd hopefully theme to me. And I don't regret ever buying the game with zero knowledge of reviews and it's previous entry!

[@yagizmpge]

This video is one of best ones i watched so far

[@pr_manager]

I am so glad there are people like you out there making gravity rush content! It makes me much more hopeful for the future to see that there is still a place for this game in the world.

[@treysandbothe3748]

I've watched this video upwards of 6 times, now. It's the video that introduced me to your channel, actually and one of my favorite videos on the site. Big fan.

[@FujinKeima]

Thank goodness for spending too much time on TVtropes; it's where I found this video. BANGER of a vid, I didn't know I needed someone deep-diving into the GR series until I got it; Thanks

[@SolidArf]

Thank *you!* I had no idea I'd wound up on TVTropes until this comment, haha. Great to know.

[@doodlefawn4742]

This is a totally underrated video, and channel in general. Well done! Made me tear up, lol.

[@danieltinsleykhvsff9622]

You've earned my subscription.

[@lewa3910]

I miss Gravity rush

[@hamdizthecat]

me too

[@Captain-Asxetos]

I love the gr series. Gr 1 was the first game to install on my psvita , since i started it i fell in love with it . Even though I couldn't understand ( due to not knowing english ) that did not stop me from enjoying the game. Years later ( knowing english) i played the sequel and the first game to finally understand what is happening. Ending the gr2 ( tearful) i had high hopes for a gr3 .......but it never happened and i don't see it happening sooner or later . I loved this video, i would like to see more of your work!!!

[@MadMadNomad]

This is great. When I played GR 1&2, my initial felling was that while fun, upbeat and charming, the story was all over the damn place. I mean, there's time displacement, alternate dimensions, MAYBE its all a dream/simulation, the final boss is a manifestation of the world's negative energy or, uh...something. Gleeful, batshit, comic-book nonsense. But, seeing you lay the whole thing out in order, both games, from, uh, ...top to bottom (I'm so sorry), there's a lot more thematic consistency than I gave them credit for. I could not have, for the life of me, explained what actually HAPPENED as coherently as you just did, but they certainly evoked... feelings. I know I was absolutely immersed in their world while I was playing them, and find myself thinking about it and its characters surprisingly often. Above all else, these games have incredible VIBES. They really shot for the stars with 2, especially, its a shame not that many people got on board. On the other side of some gravity storm somewhere there's a world where Kat and Raven are in Smash Bros.

[@SolidArf]

This is one of my favorite comments. Thank you for the kind words! (And wordplay) And I totally agree re: vibes. GR1 had me immersed in a similar fashion on vibes alone... It wasn't until I spent more and more time in Jirga Para Lhao that the themes started to line up for me, I think.

[@MadMadNomad]

@@SolidArf Hey! it's honestly a great video. I'm just glad to see other people out there appreciating Gravity Rush.

[@NaveedandtheNavlets]

And now my desire to play these games has skyrocketed even further.

[@SolidArf]

THEY'RE SO GOOD

[@blackjack9240]

You really should, they are amazing (and they usally go for cheap in the ps store)

[@JaLoCHu]

God tier video. There's so much to talk about these 2 games.

[@deadlocked5337]

I've always thought that the black hole below the pillar of the world is a metaphor for how in real life all of us will die from the Big Crunch. In the end Kat returns to Hekseville realizing that her efforts were useless, this makes the song "Douse Shinundakara" from the first game make more sense at the end of the second game.

[@drydum2185]

I love gravity rush so much! How did it take me so long to find this channel?

[@YukiDelValle]

I didn't know Gravity Rush was so interesting! Great criticism and I really appreciate the CC.

[@brunoschatz5331]

This was a lovely deep dive on the franchise, I'm really glad to have watched it

[@blurrydawgo5403]

Heard rumors from a few weeks ago that GR2 might be getting a PC release. Nothing's for certain, but I hope we get it somewhere down the road. Somewhere.

[@diegoclavel3246]

Man, I love this series so much Thanks for making this video

[@SolidArf]

Me too! Thank you for watching. 🙏

[@benflamme2080]

we don't see the population of Eto. we are just condemned to the wall of the castle which makes the queen of gravity lose her human sense

[@gurglinghermits3043]

Love these games, especially the ending is so powerful like dis if u cry evry tiem

[@bloodyfang07]

Thank you for making such an incredible video on this games, you did an exelent work at explaining your points, i'm bad at words, but i think this is one of the best videos regarding any videogames that i've seen un a long time, and one that i can totally agree with, now i think it's time i replayed this game, good luck and take care!!!!!

[@SolidArf]

Words like these make my day, thank you so much for your support. 🙏 This video was really important to me, so it means a lot to hear it spoke to you as well. I appreciate the kind words, and you take care too!

[@Lucifer_Abysseum]

Where's the essay on Lisa Arf where is it

[@JulietStMoon]

32:37 I'm sorry, don't you mean the KAT-clysmic events?

[@Blazedragonlord]

Absolutely loved this game!

[@gigawarman12]

I love Gravity Rush

[@darcyjoshua7201]

FINALLY

[@darcyjoshua7201]

I feel like not only the hierarchy needs to be talked about but anything about classism, discrimination, trade and corruption ect. All these things shout have been more praised the same way for example nier automata gets! I'm sure you probably mentioning this in the video but I really want to stress out the sub text of gravity rush story is so inriched with so much internal and external crisis and social issues. I'm shocked many people have dig into it's subtext yet!

[@user-mc6ih5rt7k]

36:25 LMAO

[@ShukakuTheCrazy1]

But can we also bossfight capitalism into defeat? That's another big part of the ecological issues.

[@dylanthomas385]

I liked it

[@LananhNguyen-ck5jy]

I hope the world in the game isn’t cyanea’s dream.that make game is the meaningless story 😢😢😢😢

[@EclipsTV]

Kat is BAE

[@sos9red]

great essay made worse by a twitter vocabulary, I can tell you what you meant, but calling Eto whitewashed and the random barging in of climate change stuff detracted from the point of government/elite corruption very good stuff aside from that, your love for the games is apparent and there's nothing more enjoyable than an essay made by a passionate fan, definetly subbed.

[@metastase895]

And then they are making an ESG funded movie for Gravity Rush. Kat's clothes are already censored of course and how much do you want to bet there will be forced lgbt content in the movie?

[@icsanna]

go cry about it