Gravity is overrated. Oh sure, it keeps our feet safely on terra firma but also dashes our daydreams of self-sustained flight. Flying in video games is far from a new thing, but with flying comes its equally fun but far more fatal counterpart: falling. This week I’ve been looking at five games where one of your means of getting around is by falling, they’re not as common as you might think..

Gravity Rush

You can supplement this for Gravity Rush 2 if you like but I preferred 1 so that’s the one I’m using. A true gem of the PlayStation Vita ported across to PS4 in 2015, you play as Kat, a homeless girl whose magic cat gives her the ability to manipulate gravity, and just gets weirder from there. Despite the fact you spend most of your time airborne in Gravity Rush, not a single moment of it is through sustained flight, as Kat can only fall in different directions depending on which way you push her.

Flying crotch first might seem odd… and that’s because it is

The gravity manipulation is also used as a combat mechanic, and one of the most satisfying means of defeating enemies in Gravity Rush, most of whom have no means of leaving the ground, is by leaping into the air and constantly dropkicking them to death. It’s as fun and strange to watch as it sounds..

Grand Theft Auto V

We’ve all played around with the cheats in GTA V. Whether we’re giving ourselves flaming bullets, invincibility or a better vehicle, there is a cheat to accommodate every playstyle. If you want to get somewhere quickly, and have mastered the means of doing this without dying, then the Skyfall cheat has you covered. Upon inserting the button combination the protagonist you are playing as will suddenly appear several thousand feet in the air and start falling in your chosen direction. Of course, this can often create the issue where you die instantly upon impact when arriving at your destination, but those experienced with the cheat will know the most likely way of surviving is by diving directly down when you reach where you want to go.

Sometimes you need this peace and quiet after you finished massacring a small town

A little blood on the sidewalk is worth it to reduce your carbon footprint!

Marvel’s Spider-Man

This is a game which I didn’t particularly enjoy at the time, though the memory of which has sweetened since playing. I found that the story and forced stealth sections as MJ and Miles completely ruined the whole experience for me, but the city of New York and the central traversal mechanics were nothing shy of phenomenal.

Spider-Man can’t fly, obviously, but the thrill of web-swinging between buildings kept me entertained for hours, as did the freefall button to gather momentum before your next big swing. The graphics were top of the class too, with even the faint motion blur as you fall looking as great after 20 hours with the game as it did the very first time I did it.

I prefer DC’s SpiderGuy

Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey – Fields of Elysium

I am currently playing through the Odyssey expansions for the second time, namely the 4th of 6 parts, Fields of Elysium which is my personal favourite of the 6. This is the first expansion to send Kassandra or Alexios to a brand new map in the form of Elysium, a frankly breath-taking area whose high elevation and picturesque sweeping fields make every second spent playing a true visual treat.

Elysium? Or a Halo? you decide

Rather than insisting the player has to spend time laboriously climbing every vertical surface in the game, Odyssey helpfully provides waypoints called ‘Wings of Hermes’ which transport you from ground level to a much higher position. I’ve always loved the way synchronisation viewpoints act as fast travel locations, meaning that if you have climbed to a very high point previously it is likely the next time you want to reach that elevation you can do so with a single button press on the map screen.

Ever the completionist I like visiting every question mark on the map, a task made easier by the fact I can usually use a Wings of Hermes gate or fast travel to a high place and then just have Alexios fall in the direction I need to go. Delightful, convenient, and as Alexios doesn’t take fall damage after surpassing level 30 it’s practically safe too!

Downwell

Downwell is an arcade shooter, so-called because its whole premise is that you are constantly moving down a well, stop me if this gets too complicated. On your way down you will be pursued by all manner of enemies and must shoot your way past obstacles in order to reach, you guessed it, the bottom of the well. I haven’t played much of this game, but it quickly transitioned for me from a small distraction to something I actively wanted to get better at.

Downwell was a PlayStation Plus game in August 2017 or if you missed this then it can usually be found digitally on the PlayStation Store for less than £1.

Anyone else expecting to see Sans sometime soon?

What games can you think of whose travel mostly involves falling? Let me know in the comments below or on our Twitter @RespawningUK and I’ll be back next week with another feature so will catch you then. Thanks for reading!