Although most games overlook it to develop their worlds in other ways, the power to manipulate gravity and counteract its effects is a unique and eye-catching skill that adds depth, nuance, and adventure to a world otherwise ruled by the same limitations as reality.
In games that recognize the opportunities of gravity manipulation, it can be thrilling to watch the rules of gravitation fall away according to a character or level’s will. Whether these games feature levitating objects, walking on walls, or reversing the flow of gravity, their otherworldly mechanics make them stand out from games with more realistic physics.
7 VVVVVV
In VVVVVV, players control the captain of the DSS Souleye, Captain Viridian, on a journey to find their missing crewmates after an emergency evacuation left the team stranded across a strange world filled with obstacles.
As they explore the world in search of their friends, Captain Viridian has to rely on reversing gravity to progress through levels filled with traps, spikes, and enemies. While VVVVVV doesn’t overcomplicate its graphics or story, success takes precision as its complex level designs bring out the full potential of reversing gravity.
6 Half-Life 2
The Half-Life world is filled with all kinds of unique gadgets to help Gordon Freeman and his fellow members of the human rebellion fight against tyrannical alien rulers. However, few are more iconic than the Zero Point Energy Field Manipulator, also known as the Gravity Gun.
Using the Gravity Gun introduced in Half-Life 2, players can pull light objects toward them or launch heavier ones across the room. In its normal state, the gun can only manipulate inorganic matter such as crates, barrels, or hazardous waste. However, if it transforms, it can control organic and inorganic material, making it an even more essential aid to Gordon and his quest to free humanity.
5 The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild
For the most part, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild has realistic physics. Players take fall damage if they land incorrectly after a glide or jump over a ledge. However, using Stasis, an ability that freezes an object in time, players can redirect a frozen object's energy by attacking it to make it move in another direction when time resumes.
Although Stasis is primarily considered a time ability, manipulating the forces on an object also fights against gravity’s influence. Should Stasis be upgraded during a side quest, it can also throw enemies, making it an even more reliable and powerful tool for Link in Breath of the Wild.
4 Control
While searching for her lost brother in a carefully hidden skyscraper known as the Oldest House, Jesse Faden becomes Director of the Federal Bureau of Control, a government agency meant to investigate, contain, and manage paranormal threats. As she takes on her new role, a malignant resonance-based creature called the Hiss possesses most of the agency’s staff and complicates her quest. However, driven to overcome the threat and unlock the secrets of the agency, she faces the paranormal danger head-on.
Throughout Control, Jesse earns a number of paranormal abilities, including the telekinetic skills to pull objects towards her, slam them into the ground, and make herself levitate. Control’s compelling gravity mechanics and skills make its gameplay a perfect match for its mind-bending story and mysteries.
3 Pid
After getting lost on another planet, a young boy named Kurt decides to travel to the city to take the next bus home. Although reaching his goal is complicated by the world’s jagged landscapes and intimidating guards, his odds improve once he finds a throwable beam of light that makes most objects float in whichever direction it faces.
While the beam is an advantageous tool, Kurt can only throw two beams at a time, and their effect can time out if he leaves them active for too long. Combined with Pid’s challenging boss battles, level designs, and variety of enemies, the puzzle platformer encourages players to be decisive about how to use the beam’s powers.
2 Gravity Rush
Waking up in a city without any memories, Kat saves a young boy from a storm and realizes she is a shifter. As someone who can control gravity to walk along the sides of buildings and fly through the air, Kat decides to help the people of the city by fighting against gravity beasts and fulfilling any requests they can’t complete on their own.
Gravity Rush has a complex world, ripe to be explored by Kat as she helps the city and forms a new identity for herself. At times, shifting gravity can also be a charming and cinematic experience on its own, making Gravity Rush an even more immersive play.
1 Super Mario Galaxy
Renowned as one of the best platformer games of all time, Super Mario Galaxy amazed players with the way Mario could travel between worlds, explore the entirety of planets, and walk on walls while thwarting Bowser’s latest efforts to kidnap Princess Peach.
While Super Mario Galaxy’s innovative understanding of gravity in its levels helped define it as a game, it also experimented with gravity in the power-ups Mario can earn while searching for stars. In particular, by using a Red Star, Mario can fly and attract nearby coins and star bits by spinning. Super Mario Galaxy is inseparable from its experiments with gravity, and its success shows the full potential of manipulating it with skill.