REVIEW: GRAVITAR – RECHARGED

The vector-based game Gravitar began its life as an arcade game as early as 1982 and was released the following year to the home market on the Atari 2600 . I came across a Gravitar- like game for my Atari 1040STE many years later and I really loved it. I also got the opportunity to play the original at a video game show a few years ago. So when a code for Gravitar: Recharged appeared , I threw myself over it. Would the concept stand almost four decades later?

You control your ship through tricky ravines and enemy bases. Blow up flying saucers, avoid mines (!) And perform your mission to the best of your ability. Gravity is your biggest enemy and you have to be careful how you use the rockets that keep you in the air, because you are short of fuel. You can play alone or online in co-op mode. You can also choose to perform specific missions, which then unlock new challenges.

The game mechanics are as simple as they are ingenious and difficult . You rotate your ship and, as I said, you have to use the rockets to avoid hitting the ground. When you pull the lever upwards, you burn off the rocket engines, but at the same time you have to rotate in the right direction to fly where you want. So it’s not like in other games where you fly where you pull the lever. Gravity is your nemesis and if you do not give enough gas you will crash. If you give too much , you fly into a wall and explode.

In Gravitar you have to aim your ship correctly to be able to shoot at your enemies (while keeping the ship in the air) and you shoot three shots at a time. Then it takes a few seconds before you can reload. The enemy’s rockets move quite slowly, but it is still not completely easy to get away as you are in the middle of various mountains and other obstacles.

Now, it may sound like this is something negative , but on the contrary: this is exactly what makes the “just-once-again” factor sky high! It will be a fire in the chest to cope with the various challenges that exist on the various planets and asteroids. Even if you die often, there are no problems as Gravitar: Recharged charges lightning fast and in no time you are up and running again. If you get tired of playing by yourself, you can play online with other Gravitar fans.

The graphics are gorgeously updated and make the thoughts go to the original, but with a 40 year newer facelift.

In summary, I can not give another rating than a must because this is lots of simple, fun and challenging entertainment for a tiny bit of money. So take the opportunity and relive the genius of Gravitar or let Gravitar: Recharged be your entrance to all the dangers of space and the golden charm of arcade games.