Players control a device displaying a picture of their character, which can either capture or deflect a moving object inside a circular field. Depending on your settings, players defend either one quadrant of a circle or a semi-circle. Surrounding your area is a series of shields; once these shields are depleted, you will lose if an object goes outside the arena. To win the game you have to send an object past enemy defenses and then make an object exit the arena through their territory. Once all other opponents are eliminated, the player that is left wins the game.
One unique aspect about the game is its four different types of projectiles. Each projectile has different properties such as varying flight patterns, velocity, and explosive potential. For example, the spheres in the game fly straight and have a medium velocity and explosive potential, while cubes have a very slow velocity and an enormous explosive potential. Every projectile having different properties gives the game a somewhat interesting strategic element.
The controls are somewhat unique. To move your device you tilt the Wii Remote or Nunchuk either left or right while pointing it at the screen. The tilt controls on the Wii Remote and Nunchuk are responsive, and the device moves accordingly as you tilt; the farther away you tilt, the faster you move. Unfortunately, the movement speed feels a little sluggish no matter how much you tilt the controller.
There is a single-player mode, which acts similarly to a tutorial in some of the initial levels, turning into a campaign that has you trying to beat computer controlled-opponents that get progressively more difficult. After trying this mode once, you will never want to come back to it. It's simply dull.
The multiplayer mode is the main draw of the game if you have several friends to play with. Up to eight players can play this mode with a combination of Wii Remotes and Nunchuks. Up to two players can play co-operatively in a quadrant, and up to four players can play co-operatively in one semicircle. If you don't have enough players, you can assign computer-controlled players in their place.
A key flaw in the multiplayer mode is the default difficulty settings for computer-controlled opponents. By default these opponents are set on the easiest difficulty setting, making them a pushover and rendering any victory an unsatisfying one. You will also have a generally low amount of projectiles on the screen by default, which makes the game unexciting and at times extremely slow. Players will have to find the perfect balance to suit their needs on their own, as these pre-set options are far from satisfactory.
Another low point is the game's overall presentation. Gravitronix looks like a generic flash game that you could play on the Internet for free. If your Wii is set to widescreen, the game will force a 4:3 aspect ratio with big black borders on the sides; this is very disappointing. The audio in the game is equally unimpressive; the soundtrack is full of generic songs, and the voice acting is either downright terrible or unintentionally funny.
Ultimately, it's hard to recommend Gravitronix due to these flaws. This is a shame, because there is actually a decent game underneath it all. While the gameplay itself is somewhat interesting, the implementation is a mess and far from impressive. If you are looking for a multiplayer-focused title on WiiWare, there are numerous superior games available.
Pros:
Lastability: 3.0
Once you play through the single-player mode, you will not want to go back to it. The replay value is totally dependent on the multiplayer mode, and whether or not you can find friends who are interested in playing it.
Final: 3.5
Ultimately, Gravitronix is what could have been a decent multiplayer game that is hampered by severe polish issues and poor implementation.
I think this was one of the first WiiWare games announced and I was hoping it would live up to its promise. Oh well.
Ouch. And it had such potential.I think this was one of the first WiiWare games announced and I was hoping it would live up to its promise. Oh well.
I feel especially bad because it is a small start-up dev studio and they seemed to be working on this game for quite a while.
I wonder if they were kinda forced to release it early because of financial reasons and had initially intended to make it more polished.
With so many complaints about the controls, I wonder why alternative control options or even full control customization wasn't included. Too difficult to test? Implementing a joystick option seems like it would be much easier than trying to tune tilt controls.
Looks like another review for this game cropped up and it got a 3.0 (http://www.destructoid.com/review-gravitronix-154652.phtml)
The other thing which I find disappointing about reviews is that there are ZERO details along with them.
You have no idea how much I'd love a "I sat down to play Gravitronix alone/with X other people. The other people had trouble with ______, and said ________."
That would've been invaluable information as to how the learning process went for them and how we can make it better for people next game. It also would've given us better insight as to what circumstances the game performs best in and which it doesn't.
I recall Nintendo Power back in the day having profiles for their reviewers that showed what their favorite types of games were. Then you knew where that reviewer was coming from.
I recall Nintendo Power back in the day having profiles for their reviewers that showed what their favorite types of games were. Then you knew where that reviewer was coming from.
I recall Nintendo Power back in the day having profiles for their reviewers that showed what their favorite types of games were. Then you knew where that reviewer was coming from.
