Upgrades are a key gameplay feature in both Gravity Rush and Gravity Rush 2. They can be purchased using Precious Gems scattered throughout the world, and serve to help Kat grow stronger over the course of the adventure.
Gravity Rush
In the first game, Kat can begin upgrading her powers as early as Episode 2, Shadows Over the City, after she helps a police officer restart Auldnoir's fountain. The level cap for all of her powers are tied to her reputation with the locals; the highest her standing is with the public, the higher the level her powers can be upgraded to. According to director Keiichiro Toyoma, this method of character progression was heavily inspired by Microsoft's 2008 action game, Crackdown.
Attributes
Kat's powers are split up into 4 attributes:
- Core Powers: these are Kat's essential powers, such as Maximum Health, Shifting Speed, Recovery, and Duration. Each of these powers have 12 levels each.
- Combat Powers: these are Kat's fighting skills, including Kick, Gravity Kick, and Evasion. Upgrading these will extend Kat's attack combos, and increase the number of dodge rolls she can perform consecutively. Combat Powers have 6 levels each.
- Gravity Powers: there are only 2 areas of this attribute that can be upgraded: Stasis Field, and Gravity Slide. These powers rely solely on manipulating gravity to pull off said actions. Upgrading Stasis increases the number of objects Kat can hold at any given time, while upgrading Gravity Slide increases her sliding speed. Like the Combat Powers, the Gravity Powers have 6 levels each.
- Special Powers: Kat's special moves, gradually unlocked by discovering Power Trees in the Rift Planes. The specials are as follows: Spiraling Claw, Gravity Typhoon, and Micro Black Hole. These have 6 levels to them.
Pricing
[More info on this as it is researched...]
Gravity Rush 2
The upgrade system has been completely revamped in Gravity Rush 2, with a more non-linear structure as the player can skip a step and purchase a higher level upgrade for a higher price. Unlike the previous game, special after-effects are sometimes added when an attribute is maxed out. Additionally, the inclusion of two new shifting styles adds a greater level of depth to Kat's abilities; once these are obtained however, their effects are retroactively applied to already bought upgrades.
Attributes
This time around, there are 6 attributes that can be upgraded, and they are the following:
- Fighting: self explanatory, these are Kat ground combat skills. As this is upgraded, her Kick combo is extended. At maximum level, however, Kat's final strike will knock enemies back with a forceful pulse.
- Gravity Kick: this is Kat's Gravity Kick. As this gets upgraded, she can chain more Gravity Kicks together. Higher levels allow for damage bonuses for consecutive strikes.
- Stasis Field: as this attribute is upgraded, Kat will be able to hold more objects in stasis. At higher levels, the charged effects will last longer, the power can be used defensively, and Kat won't drop her held objects, even if she takes a hit, at max level.
- Evasion: Kat's defensive properties. Upgrading this will increase the number of times she can pull off consecutive dodge rolls. Once the highest level is reached, she be able to perform a counter attack.
- Sliding: Kat's Gravity Slide power. One of the first upgrades add Slide Evasion, while the final upgrade prevents her from stumbling after getting hit while sliding.
- Specials: these measure the strength and duration of Kat's special moves. When this attribute is maxed out, all of her special attacks will gain secondary effects depending on the move; Spiraling Claw has SP gain for each enemy killed, Gravity Typhoon gives Kat invulnerability, and Micro Black Hole has Health restoration for each enemy destroyed by it.
Kat also has two passive attributes that are gradually upgraded over the course of the game: Max Health and Shifting Energy. Both of these get upgraded simultaneously as Kat progresses through her adventure. There is no set point which these attributes get stronger, but it is dependant on how many story/side missions are completed.
Pricing
The final upgrade for each attribute can be purchased immediately, but they are also extremely expensive. As the lower level upgrades are purchased, that level's price is deducted from the final level's price.
[More info on this as it is researched...]
Talismans
- Main article: Talismans
New to Gravity Rush 2 are runes known as "Talismans" that can be equipped to give Kat some passive boosts. Such effects include increased health, buffed damage resistance, more damaging moves, and many more. These are listing separately from the "Upgrades" menu since they aren't conventional upgrades to Kat's moveset.