Your Gravity Rush questions answered

Gravity Rush director Keiichiro Toyama answers questions from the PlayStation Community about the stunning PS Vita action adventure.

Top three questions:

If you were able to influence gravity, which real-world building would you stand on first? And would you give yourself a superhero name? (Draotha, Netherlands)

I would love it if I could enter the world of Bande Dessinée [Belgian and French comic strip stories], so it would have to be the Eiffel Tower! I would have a black rabbit with me as a partner and I'd call it Gravity Rabbit.

Are games like Gravity Rush the reason you pursued a career in video games? (Jas-Balboa, UK)

Yes. The type of game I have always wanted to make was something just like Gravity Rush. Visuals like those created by Moebius [Jean Giraud] have always been in my head and I have wanted to create a game that incorporates that sort of atmosphere for a long time.

Was controlling and experimenting with gravity a childhood dream which helped lead to the creation of Gravity Rush? (Elpatron_972, France)

Yes - I would say gravity control and experimentation is an important theme to me. I also find movements or travel where you can deviate from a specified path, like in-line skating, very exciting. The sea separates my house from my workplace, so I still have dreams where I have to deep sea dive to get to work.

Runners-up questions:

How did you come up with such a harmonious soundtrack for the game? (Knochenhaus, Germany)

I aimed for a soundtrack that was reminiscent of anime that I liked as a child. The superb orchestra I worked with came up with a melody that was both easy to learn and uplifting.

Why do Dusty the cat and Raven's crow not have eyes and why are they as black as space? (Nikoh01, France)

This is to help signify that they share the same power. Also, by making their emotions unreadable, we keep them shrouded in mystery.

How did the innovative control methods of PlayStation Vita help the design of the game? (AMD500, UK)

There were many new functions that helped the design of the game, but it was the motion sensors that really helped to match the feeling of floating when controlling gravity. It's as if players are able to peek into a different world that is spreading out in front of them at the other end of the screen.

What was the most difficult idea or concept to create in the game? (MARTINAGA, Spain)

That would be the Gravity Slide. It's where Kat slides around on horizontal ground as if it were on an incline. Humans optically judge gravity's direction by looking at the direction buildings stand. Going against that instinct and making players feel the direction of gravity is really challenging.

Do you or anyone else you know have anything in common with Kat? (SANNX, Germany)

I wanted Kat to be someone who could fit a number of social situations. She is basically a copy of me in the way that she thinks, but probably the most in the way she doesn't care about particular details.

What was your inspiration for the strange style of the Nevi enemies in the game? (amazinghandman, Netherlands)
We wanted to create something that combined geometry with the feeling of life, so we presented a concept of inanimate things that act like they are alive. Nevi are both easy to understand and enjoyable to fight against from an action game point of view, and were the result of various ideas from the team.

How difficult was it to create gravity-based puzzles in the game? (Bersecker, Spain)

We started testing gravity puzzles early on in development. They were relatively simple, but as there was nothing like them in video games, creating them was difficult. In the end we changed them to be more focused on your enjoyment, so they were toned down a bit to add more fun to the story.

Thanks to Toyama-san for answering the above questions and congratulations to the winners. The top three will receive a PlayStation Network voucher code to download Gravity Rush, the Military Mission DLC pack, a digital Gravity Rush comic and an exclusive Gravity Rush wallpaper for their PS Vita. The seven runners-up will each receive a digital Gravity Rush comic and an exclusive Gravity Rush wallpaper.

Don't forget, you can read even more fascinating facts about Gravity Rush in our series of features starting with The characters of Gravity Rush. Grab a copy of the acclaimed game on PS Vita in shops and from PlayStation Store now.