I don’t know how to deal with loss; I sometimes wonder if anyone does. When my grandfather passed away a few years ago I’d have expected tears, depression, the sort of symptoms you see in others that seem required to properly grieve. They didn’t come to me, or at least not how I would have assumed them to. There was just this feeling of something suddenly missing, having been taken away with no way to get it back. I found myself more angry than sad, wondering if that made me a bad person and then getting more angry of myself as a result.

When my pets died growing up it was often my family that appeared more upset than myself, as I sat in solitude trying to block out the realities of the world with easy distractions. At the time I didn’t know what I was supposed to do with myself, failing to find the emotions others were clearly expressing in myself, like I was somehow defective or simply didn’t care about the person or animal that had disappeared from my life as much as I thought I did. It’s terrifying and disorienting, maybe more so than if I had just been able to open up and bawl my eyes out like everyone else.

I didn’t expect to see this part of me in Gravity Ghost, or in any game for that matter. It’s a surreal space platformer, full of interesting mechanics, gorgeous artwork and a masterful soundtrack, but it’s the side of it that it never told you about that hit me like a train into a brick wall.

Flying through the stars and landing on planets, you become wrapped up in a world full of analogies to one less abstract and impossible; a lighthearted blanket over the much more real and unfair reality underneath. Seeing this story unfold is a slow series of vignettes, often out of order and incomprehensible by themselves, asking you to draw the lines and outline the narrative underneath.

When Gravity Ghost finally comes into focus it does so with alarming emotion and sincerity. It isn’t trying to manipulate you into feeling the way its characters do, it manages that by writing them as human and flawed the way we all are. Characters reactions and dialogues with and between each other are awkward and raw, but in a way that connected with me the way a articulated, perfectly timed script couldn’t have. People often aren’t eloquent, or tactful, and Gravity Ghost presents that side of us that often comes out during times of grief in a way that really resonated with me.

Gravity Ghost is a great game, certainly a more mechanically robust and sophisticated one than I would have expected, and you could play it for that side and come away impressed. You could play it because it’s beautiful and inspired, bursting with creativity and this sort of creepy but endearing sensibility to its extraterrestrial character designs. Or you could play it for its most unexpected and impressive side: a narrative that’s struck me emotional for what it was, and for how it managed to show that this part of me I’d chosen to ignore wasn’t something I needed to feel ashamed about. I’m not sure what Gravity Ghost will be for others who play it, but if it has anywhere near the same effect on them as it did me, that’s something worth experiencing however it might manifest.

If there are two words I could use to describe Gravity Ghost, it would be "whimsical" and "trippy". From the colourful, dreamlike hand-painted visuals, to the zany and meditative soundtrack; from the strange and peculiar worlds and creatures, to the dreamy child fantasy story; from the smooth animations to the interesting visual effects; and from the often seemingly offbeat voice-acting and narration to the carefree sensation of floating around in space, Gravity Ghost oozes with charm and is a product that is quite clearly crafted with love.

It may not be for everyone though. The game is pretty accessible in the sense that there is not much of a challenge aside from getting to grips as to how the gravity works, and it is kinda short (around 2-3 hours long), but neither of these detracts from the experience in my opinion.

I definitely recommend this game, and I love it, but I can clearly see how this will also not be to everyone's liking. If you like charming indie games that are creative, and place more of an emphasis on the atmosphere and the experience of playing it, then you should get this. But if you're looking for something that has more "substance" from a gameplay standpoint, then perhaps this is not for you.

Gravity Ghost is a very pretty, elegent and atmospheric game, there is no violence and you never die, just lots of puzzles to solve. I really love the handdrawn art and everything about this pretty game. While i cant describe this game very well, the store page describes it very well I think. :)

I'd like to thank the lovely friend who gave me the opportunity to experience this lovely game, I thankyou greatly for the game. Its definitely worth the asking price in my opinion. Alot of love has gone into this game, and I would love a very pretty badge to represent this adorable game. ; )))

I'm quite cautious on puling the trigger on a review, but at around 2/3rds of the way through my first playthrough (at 2.5 hours) my verdict is already clear. This is great stuff.

Gravity Ghost is a "gravity hopper." Your character manuevers around in the gravity fields of systems of planets/asteroids. Your character gets more agile as the game progresses and can start to change the properties of the planets, while the tasks you have to accomplish in each system grow more complicated. The difficulty curve is quite smooth and gentle so far, at least for me. Plus there's no failure, you can keep trying until you get something right. You could even skip some levels, although you may miss story elements and/or achievements on that playthrough if you do. The core gameplay is fun, flying around with an extremely agile character that needs every bit of it at times.

The visuals are 2D with a very colorful hand drawn look. I like it a lot. You can easily judge for yourself from all the screenies around. The soundtrack is great imo. The script doesn't really lend itself to standout voice performances, but they're quite solid. And the story has been quite interesting so far, pieced together from scenes earned by doing clearly indicated stages. Plus the game just drips with atmosphere and cute factor.

For achievements, there are some that will almost certainly require extra playthrough(s) with a different pattern of collecting items. Plus there's a 50 minute speedrun that may be pretty difficult. Nothing broken or ridiculous though, and I don't consider extra playthroughs of this a problem. :)

In short, plenty of pros, no real cons to speak of. A very easy recommend. I'll leave the price point to buy at as an exercise for the reader, but it's a buy for sure.

Possibly the most charming game I have ever played. It has a storybook feel throughout, with plenty of story. The story starts off really amusing, but it gets a bit sad, so be wary of that. As for the gameplay itself, it's very well-designed, and you have a lot of freedom in choosing how to complete some of the later puzzles. There wasn't anything in the game that I didn't enjoy. I could have done without the maze levels, but they were still satisfying in their own way.

I got about two and a half hours out of this game on my first playthrough, and I missed out on some achievements. If you're looking for replay value, it mostly lies in the achievements, but you may also find yourself wanting to experience something from the story once more as well.

Pros:

Excellent: music, story, storytelling, game mechanics, game play, voice acting, visuals (subjective but I enjoyed the style)
Tiny Tina from BL2 (Ash Burch) and Narrator from Bastion (Logan Cunningham) are among the cast.

Cons:

The last few mazes are made more difficult to solve with limited screen view area.
The final puzzle with Fox Guardian is ridiculously difficult if you are color blind (I had to bring in help.)

10/10 Wondrous achievement.

Short review follows. Full review here:
http://www.tastywhale.com/2015/01/18/gravity-ghost-is-a-picture-book-disguised-as-a-game/

I don’t think I would have picked up Gravity Ghost on a whim, just because of my backlog. But after 3 hours solid playthrough during a lazy Sunday I can tell you I’m glad I played it.

The gameplay is as simple as “get star to open door”, but implemented in a two-dimensional gravity orbit swings of Mario Galaxy. As you go along you can collect basic ability upgrades such as air jump, float, dash, and more.

Gameplay art has sharp edges, poppy/contrasting colors, and was quite pleasant to view.

But the real shining star of the game is the story. It is presented in a paper-puppet art style, with basic hinges, rough edges, and soft colors. It isn’t a normal “get these things! do the stuff! here is filler exposition!”.

The music was composed by Ben Prunty, the same that wrote the FTL music.

The game is build for both two-hands and one-handed play which is great for people with limited mobility.

Full review here:
http://www.tastywhale.com/2015/01/18/gravity-ghost-is-a-picture-book-disguised-as-a-game/

It's hard to accurately give Gravity Ghost a category, so I'm going to call it an Aesthetic Puzzler. Solid mechanics evolve fluently. and are natural to use, and although can take some time to learn, feel natural as you exit the tutorial constellation.

More importantl is the crayon-style aesthetic choice, alongside wonderful soundtrack, which create a mystical feeling, which accurately captures the folklore-esque story that slowly reveals itself.

All in all, Gravity Ghost is a genuinely nice and relaxing game. Short, although eventually you gain the ability to act like a sandbox, editing any prior level to your heart's content, allowing yourself to relax whenever needed.

+ Amazing and interesting visuals
+ Lovely soundtrack
+ Mario Galaxy-like gameplay, on a much smaller scale (levels last just a few minutes)
+ Okay voice acting

+/- Story felt a bit cluttered, but it was probably an artistic choice
+/- Not particularly hard, but much more enjoyable because of it, in my opinion

- A bit too short (2-3 hours)
- Collecting gems while transforming a planet resets the process
- Some terraforming elements seemed a bit useless/underused

[Rating: 80/100]

From the beautiful art, to Ben Prunty's amazing soundtrack. The top notch voice acting. Gravity Ghost is a fantastic example of what the Indie Industry is capable of. From beginning to end the game is an enjoyable, relaxing experience.
Soaring through space has never felt so rewarding and enjoyable!

I made a video review to show off some of the features and gameplay of this game!
http://youtu.be/zwk1DWpl7wM
I hope you enjoy!
Martyr

Such a lovely game. The gameplay has great flow, the gravity is fun to just float in aimlessly. But there are so many things to do and collect, there's always something challenging to do. And the story, it's beautifully touching so far. Raw and honest about people, their relationships, and their wounds. Being voiced by the charming Ashly Burch just makes it even more endearing.

"Gravity Ghost" is a delightful gem. Beneath its pleasant scenery and deceptively simple gameplay, there's a stirring game about love and loss and shifting heaven and earth - literally - to help your loved ones.

This game has a lot going for it. The art style is magnificent, and has a wonderful hand-drawn storybook feel throughout. The characters pop and the galaxy dances along. Ben Prunty's soundtrack provides a wonderful counterpoint, feeling spacey and grand without feeling too isolated, and the voice acting is solid across the board, particularly Ashly Burch's performances.

The gameplay itself has a lot going for it, focusing on physics-based challenges involving the masterful manipulation of gravity. These challenges feel good on the whole and most of them should be doable within a few tries and there are no consequences for failure, leaving you encouraged to take another swing at grabbing that star.

The story is excellent, though I hate to say too much about it for fear of any spoiling that may occur. Settle in and enjoy it.

However, there are some negative aspects to consider as well. First, while the art style is gorgeous and the gameplay animations are smooth, there are times when the cinematic animations get a bit messy. Maybe this was just my computer, but occasionally a character's mouth would lag behind when their head was moving. A minor issue, but it brought me out of the universe of the game for a moment.

Also, while the forgiving gameplay helps prevent frustration, it also contributes to a short playtime - I grabbed all of the stars and finished the game in under 3 hours. There's still a few more things to explore, but don't expect a 10-hour game going in. This game gets in, says what it has to say, and gets out.

Along those lines, I'll wrap up this review by encouraging you to give it a try. There's a lot to like in "Gravity Ghost" - I think you'll be glad you made the trip.

Gravity Ghost is 2D "gravity hopper" and that's a description I like and hope it's used more, because it somehow fits the description of games likes these, so I'm on board with it. Going to talking about the game

The look and sound of the game reminds me of some shows (or a show) from Nickelodeon that I watched when I was a kid, and to me that's honesty kind of neat and I really like it. The voice acting, while some might find it in the low quality area, I find it extremely lovely, same with the art, same with the story.

Speaking of story, it's a simple one. It riles up a few emotions, but the most apparent ones were happiness and sadness. While the story is nice, it's not good at story telling, at least in the begging. I had a hard time trying to know what the story was almost half of the game, not until later on that I started to put pieces together and sort of figured it out, but once everything was sort of clear, I was happy with it and loved how it progressed and ended.

The gameplay is just straight out simple and fun, but not empty though. It's filled with a loads of levels to finish, and as you jump around from planet to planet, collecting stars to move on to the next level, the game gets more complex, and it also gives you new power to to help you finish levels, like the ability to stay afloat, or drop like a big boulder, dashing..etc, with other power that's connected to your hair in which you change the type of planet like from a water-based planet to an ice-based one, with each type of planet having their own unique passive ability that would affect you while you progress through levels.

Also, the music is great, filled with a sort of mystic and wondrous vibe to it, fitting nicely with the games setting, image, and with how it plays. Worth a listen and worth to be liked. At least I liked it.

I didn't really have this game in mind until I was given the opportunity to get it and check it out, and after playing through it, finishing it, I was really happy that I did get the chance to play it. It's a wonderful game that's simple, relaxing, and oozing with charm. It looks great, plays great, and the story hits you right in the feels. Would definitely recommend Gravity Ghost to those who want to take a step back from all the complexities and the action-packed games that we get so much of.

Shameless link to original post.

If you haven't already played this game for yourself, I highly recommend picking it up. The gameplay starts off rather simple at first, making it easy for beginners to get into. As it progresses though, it throws new challenges at you, keeping it from becoming stale. Even once you complete the game, there's still more ways you can challenge yourself, especially with a certain achievement, meaning you'll be going back to play this a few times. The artwork for this game is very well done, and the soundtrack is phenomenal. All in all, if you haven't already played the game, you're missing out on an amazing indie title.

Gravity ghosts is a 2D long hair terraforming ghost girl star collector simulator! The game can be completed under an hour in a speedrun however a normal run will probably take around 2-4 hours depending on how slow you go through all the content.


+Saving pets bring out memories

The story follows a ghost girl collecting stars in the sky looking for not only her memories but how to help those in her past. Along her adventures she will meet many guardians who will challenge her for the planet cores. Upon returning the cores to the black hole thats formed in the middle of the galaxy, the planets will be return suspended in cryostasis state until terraformed by her powers.

The story was interesting to see unfold as the series of events clashed since I did it somewhat out of order though I was still able to grasp what happened, I redid all the memories at the main hub to fully comprehend the story. None of the characters were the typical good/bad types but rather humans who were trying to live their lives by their own accord. Collecting the memories was really worthwhile especially to grasp a better understanding of what was going on..


+Stars unlock doors, levels, and branches
+Each branch requires only the power achieved within it
+Heart levels give abilities to your character

The stars are the main way of progressing through the game. Once you start getting stars you will notice the dotted lines on the map becomes solid which means you can proceed onto the next level. The branches have optional ways to proceed, which results in the ability to miss abilities that could help, or memories to explain more of the backstory.

Note: Only the planet cores are necessary to beat the game.

Heart levels give abilities are helpful in proceeding through levels with ease. The abilities range from being able to jump higher, making you weigh more, being able to float higher in the air, becoming immaterial, and having the ability to terraform without using hair. These abilities have a variety of uses throughout the levels and will generally be helpful.

The immaterial ability for example makes it possible to phase through planets, which helps get to a star or exist when normally blocked by other planets that you gravitate towards.


+Gather all the planet cores/activate them
+Memories can be replayed

Bringing back the planet cores earned from the guardians, to the black hole rebuilds the planet in a chronic state that requires you to use a certain element in order to awaken it. This element required is the same one you earned within the branch you also got the core from.

The memories unlocked can be replayed anytime in the hub area simply by interacting with the animals that are on the floating asteroids. Keep in mind there is normally 2 of them per location so if you happen to be missing any of them they should be indicated on the map with a skeleton.


+Gravity between planets depends on terraform
+Hair is used to terraform

The physics on the planets is pretty well done considering that there is a variety of effects you can achieve through changing the terraform of the planet. For example changing a planet to the extremely hot type will make you propelled further from it.

Playing around with terraforming is a great way to learn how to grab stars though its not necessary for the most part if you have been collecting those power abilities for your character.

Collecting leafs will make your hair grow which is used to not only carry animal spirits but to terraform planets. Running out of hair makes you unable to terraform however you can go back and collect more leafs from any level since they respawn. This I thought would be useful until later on where I had the ability to terraform without consuming hair than I completely ignored leafs altogether.

The game has some elements of a puzzle game however it felt more like playing a game purely for the atmosphere attributes and having fun with the terraforming abilities of your character when fight against gravity in order to succeed. I found myself enjoying the race against the clock the second time I played the game in order to try and get the achievement for beating it under 50 minutes. Sadly, I failed quite miserably but felt like I enjoyed my time and will attempt it again in the future.


When first opening the game I noticed how good the soundtrack was when it went from the tick tocking of the night to a more tranquil space outwardly feel. The game features a soundtrack that ranges from indian music to space which is a nice mix of both the background of the character and the current situation she found herself in.


The game’s appearance story wise feels like a old style pop up book especially with the animations of the mouth. The voice acting I thought could be better however the overall presentation was pleasant. During the gameplay itself I enjoyed the surreal mix of indian and space appearance you took as a ghost the mix was somewhat comical but effective.


I always thought what if Orbital Gear decided to take its gravity components and focus strictly on single player experience and I got my answer. A well made puzzle space game going through a journey and tale of a girl’s memories with mechanics that expand the experience that gravity has to offer.

I can't say enough nice things about this game. I've been in the beta for the last week since buying in on this project in the early days. I mostly ignored development other than to catch a vid here or there, and thought it still looked like fun when it would be released.

I was not prepared for how polished and fun the final product ended up.

The game is divided into a few-minutes-long levels on a mario-map style board. The wonderful teach-by-playing mechanic mean the game's pacing and introduction of new power-ups and gameplay elements is steady, while still allowing you to fully explore all the new mechanics by going for every bit of hair-growing flowers you can nab.

The art is just breathtakingly beautiful, and a lot of care went into making everything visually inuitive, from the colors and contrast, to the iconography (all relevant moving elements of a given board leave a motion trail behind them, so watching, learning and planning your jumps is a must if you want to proceed quickly!).

Past that, the game is just chill as hell and FUN, with the goals being clearly articulated, but without the annoyance of death (you've been there, done that) or arbitrary "starting overs". Just enjoy the gravity, the superb voices, and the perfectly appropriate soundtrack. The sound design, while simple, works wonderfully and you will not tire of the effects the game uses.

Intercut with the gameplay and gathering stars and elements and reuniting animal spirits with their bodies are wistful memories of the Ghost's past life, which have been beautifully drawn, and continue to give me a good laugh every time they show up.

But seriously, all you need to know is that you get to hug spirit animals and welcome them to the afterlife, and orient them to what life is like when you no longer have to poop anymore.

Just fantastic.

Below you'll find both a video and written impression on the game
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHtZl1hzcm4

Gravity Ghost is a physics based platformer that utilizes gravity as it's core mechanic. It's a very unique take on the genre that has a ton of charm and wonder.

Each stage you visit functions as it's own puzzle that will feature various gravity and physics based problems. You'll be going through stage to stage, unlocking stars, spirit animals, and an assortment of items and special powers. As you unlock more areas and gain new powers the story will start to unfold. Though it could be argued that Gravity Ghost is "arcady" at it's core, it does manage to tell an interesting narrative, which is something "arcady" games tend to lack.

The Puzzle like stages of Gravity ghost are mostly well designed, and offers a higher than expected degree of variety. When I first started this game I expected the game to get repetitive the more I play, but was surprised by how creative the developers were in designing each area. Though many stages will have repeating mechanics, they're offered in interesting and often unexpected ways to solve a puzzle. The puzzles them selves are very accessible as I never found myself stuck for too long, but still satisfied when I manage to solve it. The puzzles are well designed, and creative too.

Artistically, Gravity Ghost shows an almost crayon child's drawing presentation. It's whimsical,and very easy on the eyes. It's one of the game's most attractive qualities and has the audio to match. Gravity ghost is a lot of eye candy, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Though the game has a ton of potential, and I can safely say I've enjoyed my time with it, it's still not perfect. Gravity Ghost comes with the main campaign and that's about it. There's no bonus features, extra modes, or even a very good options and settings menu.

Overall Gravity Ghost is a fun light romp, with a ton of charm. It's probably not going to appeal to those who is looking to meta-game and min-max, or twitch their way to victory, but for any one who is looking for a more easy going experience in their gaming Gravity Ghost would be a pretty good choice.

Pros:
- Wonderful art and music
- Good use of physics based puzzles
- Inventive puzzle design
- Very accessible

Cons:
- Lacks features and options
- Might be considered too "casual" for some

Gravity Ghost is great, there's no way to die or fail but it's still interesting and challenging to traverse the world. You could describe it as a peaceful physics puzzle platformer with an interesting story and a great sound track. Definitely recommend picking up this game.

Gravity Ghost is a game developed by Ivy Games. Thematically it's about the afterlife, which becomes more and more apparent the further you progress into the game.

You can find the video review here: http://youtu.be/RqihY8BjYgg

Let's first look at the game mechnaics: Ingame you can float around in space trying to collect whatever happens to open the door in the level and you go through the door, that's basically it.
Looking at the game from this standpoint though sells it definitly short. The game is not here to be beaten fast or efficient. It's here to embrace you in it's world and environment.
And when you let the game do that you get the full experience out of it, at least in my opinion.

Even though the game has a set goal each level, it gives you the feeling that you are completely free to do whatever you want.
And It felt wonderful to be free. I roamed around in a level for quite some time and it felt like no time has passed at all.
What might help the game in that regard is the soundtrack, which is phenominal and composed by Ben Prunty, who some people might know from FTL: Faster than Light.

Before coming to a conclusion I'd like to repeat the point I've mentioned earlier.
If you are consantly focused on the objective and cannot let go of that mindset this game is not for you.
I have taken myself quite a lot of time in some levels and completed all levels in about 3 hours.
That is also the only concern I can see for some people coming up, which is that the game is too short for the 15€ pricetag.

However, in my opinion, you should not take length too much into consideration. Especially when the experience itself is of such high quality that I simply have to recommend this game.
And I'd recommend to pick it up, download it, shut your doors, turn off your phone and internet connection and simply take some time and enjoy the game.

While I haven't play this game for very long, I just know I will enjoy it. I will edit the review from time to time when I can.

The Story:
Can't say much on that. Sorry.

Gameplay:
Fantastic. It a simple platformer with a gravity twist, and some pretty cool power ups. Level vairy in difficulty which adds a nice balance to the whole game.

Music:
Awesome. It was made by the same guy who did the music for FTL: Faster Than Light. Brings the same cosmic sound from FTL and makes it fun.

Graphics:
It's a mixture between computer and handpainted graphics. It blends together really well and doesn't seem out of place.

Final Verdict:

This is a great game with great music, gameplay and graphics. With challenging platforming, it's not hard to recommend this game to any body. I give it 3.5/5.