Flying By Falling [Gravity Rush / Gravity Rush 2]
The Gravity Rush games have a delightful way of moving — you fly by shifting gravity and “falling” through the sky. The entire game and its sequel are built around this simple creative concept. It’s one of the most fun ways to traverse any open-world, and the fluid way you “fall” through the sky makes these games a real rare treasure.
You can see the influence of mechanic-based movement in other open-world games too. While I don’t think they’re truly connected, games like Spider-Man (PS4) are all about creative movement powers. While Gravity Rush wasn’t a success, Spider-Man (PS4) and even games like Sunset Overdrive‘s wall-running and car-bouncing show that traversal doesn’t have to be boring.
Witch-Time Dodge [Bayonetta / Every Platinum Game]
And finally, we reach the tiny gimmick to end all character action game gimmicks. Bayonetta introduced the world to Witch-Time — when you dodge an attack at just the perfect moment, time slows down and you can score a series of attacks on your enemy.
It’s an amazing feature that appears in almost every single Platinum game. This ability is so simple and fun, it’s starting to spread like a good-times virus. Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild cribs this ability, and even Cyberpunk 2077 gives you a slow-mo dodge follow-up perk. If every game in existence gave you a stylish dodge move, I’d be all for it.
