Lazy Review: Gravity Rush 2 – Raven’s Choice DLC

And now we finally arrive at the finale of this Gravity Rush adventure. It was weird, it was wild, but most of all, it was pretty fun. And what better way to end it all off than to review the last piece of content released for Gravity Rush 2, the Raven’s Choice DLC.

So Raven’s Choice is a free piece of DLC that, as the name suggests,  focuses entirely on my baby Raven. It takes place in between the events of Gravity Rush and Gravity Rush Overture. And wraps up the previously dropped plot point from Gravity Rush with the children hibernating in the ark. Overall I thought the whole experience was…interesting to say the least. I have a lot of mixed feelings with regards to this DLC, and to explain myself any further would require me to dive in a little deeper with the story.

So, what exactly happens in this DLC?

Top 10 pictures taken before disaster

Disclaimer: I’m only going to spoil on the beginning chapter of this DLC. Rest assured this won’t heavily affect your experience if you haven’t played it yet. But if you want to keep yourself 100% spoiler free, then just skip the first two paragraphs below.

Story

The story begins with Raven going around Hekseville (mainly Auldnoir) to collect these special canisters for a supposed science experiment that is supposed to wake the kids up from hibernation. As she is collecting, one of the world’s gods named Bit (who’s also in Gravity Rush 2) comes and warns her about the experiment and tells her to basically back the duck off. She ignores the god (like any sensible person would) and goes on to finish collecting the canisters before finally reuniting with Kat and leaving the Canisters with the scientist in charge. They all then meet in the town’s square, and the experiment begins.

Well…turns out, in a big twist, the experiment royally messes up and Raven’s soul is completely shattered in the process. Raven then wakes up in a place called the Labyrinth as a little girl named Sachya. And the previously mentioned god Bit comes in and basically tells her the whole “I told you so” spiel. He then tells her that she has to collect the remnants of her past memories in order to fix this mess and save the kids.

Hi! My name is Raven Sachya. And today, I want to show you ALL my favorite place!
WHERE YOU’LL NEVER ESCA-
CUT, REMEMBER THE SCRIPT. Ugh, this is why I hate working with child actors
Let’s be friends foreverrrrrr

So if that all sounded confusing, that’s because…it kind of is. The whole storytelling aspect of this DLC reminds me alot of the first Gravity Rush. That being half the time you have no idea what’s going on. And the other half is you thinking you understand before the game stabs you in the back with something you have literally never seen before. Like they introduce the concepts of Light and Darkness as being its own entities as well, and…god I don’t want to think about it. Added with the fact that this takes place a little bit after the first Gravity Rush, and we have a DLC that honestly should have been part of the first game rather than the sequel. Storywise at least.

Because the story is so utterly confusing, many fans really didn’t like this DLC. And I guess it’s completely understandable, since this type of story really requires you to just take a lot of bullsh*t without question. For most people, this is pretty much a cardinal sin. As for me, however, I actually don’t find it quite as bad, and actually thought it was ok. Now granted there were a lot of points where I had to physically roll my eyes at the game’s attempted explanations at lore. But after playing the first game, I guess I kinda got used to it.

You just don’t get it, do you…
Naw, I’m just waiting for the English translation.
Oh, sorry the translators just told me they’ll have it done in 100 years.
DAMMIT

Is this story for everyone? Duck no, but Gravity Rush, in general, isn’t a series that’s for everyone. And maybe that’s fine…maybe not everything has to make sense for you to enjoy something.

Raven (and some gods)

Now that isn’t to say that the whole story was bad. In it, we also get to see Raven’s past and the pain she had to endure to become the person she is today. Thankfully, this is the one part where they absolutely nailed it. It was an absolutely thrilling ride getting to discover piece by piece who Raven is, and why she cared so much for the kids. This DLC really adds a lot more to Raven’s character, though there are still some things that are still poorly explained. A There was even a moment where Raven’s actions reminded of a certain tragic character in the Kingdom Hearts series. If you’ve played the Kingdom Hearts series, you JUST might know who I’m talking about.

Shhh baby it’s ok. Everything is fine… :'(
Oh and by the way, it’s not her

The only other characters that were featured in this DLC were the creators, who are essentially the gods of the Gravity Rush Universe. And this is the part where I want to discuss more in-depth about the general lore of Gravity Rush. The reason why I think the story/lore is so confusing in Gravity Rush is because of how the creators talk. See, most of how they present the information is gated by the fact that they use confusing, and often times very vague wording to sound mysterious. They even make fun of this in-universe, with Raven being basically being frustrated the whole with their explanations, and demanding them to say it in more simple words.

The creators as characters themselves don’t really serve a purpose outside of that, other than occasionally c*ssing at each for their own incompetence at times. It’s a bit of a shame that we don’t get to know these characters more. Like how they came to be, what they like to do, etc. But I guess that’s just the way Toyama (the game’s director) likes to write them. Who knows, maybe it’s best we don’t know their dark and dirty secrets.

Gameplay

The gameplay, for the most part, is very similar to Gravity Rush 2. The only main difference is with Raven and her unique moveset, which I find to be pretty fun to play. Raven’s gravity throws are much more versatile than Kat’s, as she could generate objects from nothing. And her gravity kick is a really good way of building up her special meter. Her special is also easier and faster to pull off, as Kat’s specials, in contrast, tend to leave her vulnerable to enemies, making it risky to use. Some people complained that her gravity kick’s homing is buggy, often missing when trying to kick enemies. But from my experience, it wasn’t nearly as bad as they make it out to be.

Shut up Zaza. What do you think I’m doing!
Gravity shifting ditches shouldn’t talk back
Ok that’s it.
So ends the tale of Zaza the dependant boy. His fate after this is unknown. But one thing’s for sure. Gravity Shifting ditches should never talk ba-
*SPLAT*
GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH

The game also tries to mix things up by adding gameplay sections that are more unique to this DLC. Like the beginning segment, where it’s pretty much all platforming with light stealth elements. And also a section further in the story, where you have to engage in a domination-style game; having to take over enemy territory while also keeping yours safe. Overall it helps to make the game from feeling too similar to the base game, and should keep you entertained for its short run-time.

Conclusion

In conclusion, while there is a lot of things to be frustrated about in this DLC, there are also an equal amount of things that I enjoyed greatly as well. The whole DLC only takes around 2-3 hours to complete. So for a free DLC, I think that’s plenty enough.

Would I recommend this for fans? Well, I think it depends on two factors, whether you liked the story of the first game, and whether you like Raven as a character. If your answer to both of these questions is no, then there’s no real harm in skipping it. Otherwise, I’d say it’s definitely worth a shot. Because underneath all the tangled plot threads and twisted logic, you’ll find a story that’s genuinely heartbreaking. And if you do decide to play it, then I’d suggest playing this before jumping into Gravity Rush 2. That way you’ll still be able to remember the plot from the first game, which should give you an easier time understanding things.

Something in my mind tells me that the thing right there in the distance…is SUPER FRIENDLY! MOMMY CAN WE GO, PLEASE I WANT TO GO.

And so concludes the Gravity Rush saga. I hope that I did this series justice. Will there ever be another game in the near future? For now, it’s uncertain. The series historically has sold relatively poorly according to Sony’s standards. And with the recent shutdown of the short-lived online multiplayer component in Gravity Rush 2, it’s definitely looking pretty grim. It seems that this series, despite its beautiful worlds, characters, and unique gameplay, is destined to remain in obscurity, and out of mainstreams reach.

But I’m sure that for those few that do find it and try it. They’ll find that it is truly an experience that’s out of this world.

Thanks for taking the time to read my short review on Raven’s Choice DLC. If you want to stay updated on my content, consider following me on my social media accounts. I usually try to give regular updates on my future projects there. Thanks again and I’ll see you next time!