REVIEW : GraviFire (PS5)
Use gravity in the new indie logic puzzle
GraviFire is a logic puzzle in which you can influence gravity. The small indie developer Potata Company previously delivered a very cute platformer with Potata: Fairy Flower and is now entering a new genre with GraviFire. This time you have to move boxes in 50 levels so that they cover the goals. That sounds simple at first, but different than usual in such games, you not only control the character but can also influence the direction of gravity.
Save the world with slide puzzles
GraviFire starts with a short, illustrated introduction in comic style. Of course, you shouldn’t expect an epic storyline in this genre, but at least there is a short framework story here. The game aims to save the world by moving boxes. Does that make sense? No, of course not, but it doesn’t have to be. In 50 levels of increasing difficulty, you move a different number of boxes. This can either be done directly by a small robot or indirectly by changing the force of gravity.
Gameplay & controls
Unfortunately, the gameplay does not provide much more than pushing boxes back and forth to achieve the correct position. There are also a few laser beams, switches and snap-in blocks, but that’s about it. The first levels are done in a few seconds because they are simply too easy and the learning curve up to around level 40 is also very flat. Once you get to the point where the game starts to get tricky and fun, it’s soon over. That’s a shame, because, with a few additional mechanics and more levels, a good puzzle game would have been created here.
The controls are very simple and self-explanatory. With the left stick, you move the little robot that can push individual boxes in front of you and with the right stick you determine the direction of gravity. However, depending on the level, not all four directions are always available.
If you get stuck you can restart the level with X and there is the possibility to skip the level. However, this is limited to a maximum of five times and after each level that has been skipped, there is a cooldown of 10 minutes. So trophy collectors can’t just jump to the end.
Graphics & sound
The pixel graphics are very simple and functional. Smaller animations are available, but unfortunately, the game is far from being implemented as lovingly as Potata: Fairy Flower. The optical highlight of GraviFire is the intro and outro in a comic look. It’s a shame that the rest of the game is graphically worse by classes, but the graphics are still ok for a puzzle game. The music is quite monotonous and gets on your nerves relatively quickly. Fortunately, you can turn them off individually. The sound effects are okay, but even here, despite a small budget, more would have been possible. The screen texts are available in many languages. Unfortunately, the German language is full of translation errors. But there is hardly any text anyway, you can just put it in English.
Conclusion
The indie game GraviFire is neither graphically nor playfully outstanding. The 50 levels are much too easy at the beginning and actually, the last 10 levels at most offer a real challenge. The game lasts approx. 1-2 hours and after completing all missions there is a platinum trophy. For collectors, this might be worth considering at a reasonable price.
REVIEW : Roots of Insanity (PC)
