Mark Twain was adamant that golf is a good walk spoiled, but he may well have been tempted by FunkyPear’s galactic interpretation of the sport. Gravitee 2 (see what they’ve done there) is a delightfully excessive distraction that is notable not only for its compulsive, one more go nature, but also a level of polish rarely seen in Flash games. The visuals are bold, bright and welcoming, and the options menu surprisingly in depth - a quick look at the statistics page reveals trackers for every conceivable progression, including total time played, total distance travelled, longest shot and even a completion percentage.
A meandering ark of stars mark out the forty stages available from the level selection screen, each twinkling temptation containing one of four types of challenge: Hoops, (attempt to pass through a hoop in the least amount of shots); Pick Ups (attempt to collect as many green tokens as possible); Points, (aim for a high score negotiating a variety of obstacles) and Competition (which extends Hoops’ concept across several stages). To achieve all of this, the player is given a ball, which can be projected into each solar system by clicking on it with the mouse, before dragging a power meter in the opposite direction of your intended shot. In practice, this control scheme is intuitive and accessible, and a brilliantly considered aiming arc (which gets longer, and more useful, the more of the game you compete) allows you to place your shot exactly where you want it.
The eponymous gravity, however, has other ideas, and every planet will curtail your ball's arc, dragging it inexorably to its surface whilst sapping your carefully calculated momentum; suns, the solar equivalent of a sand trap, will destroy your ball outright. Finding the right combination of angle and power becomes an addictive pursuit, with well judged shots circumnavigating the various space bound bodies and sending the ball into an elegant path of slingshots and increasing points. Once enough points have been gathered, Platinum mode - which removes your aiming arc - becomes available, daring you to step up your game, and proving equally as destructive to your productivity.
However, this is not twitch gaming by any means and successful shots will be the result of painstaking refinements, not free wheeling improvisation. That said, the level solutions are not rigidly prescribed: one attempt at a high score resulted in success thanks to a shot that repeatedly orbited the small collection of planets which made up the level - almost at the far reaches of the playing area thanks to a chance balance of velocity and trajectory - gathering points with every mile traversed.
Despite the level of thought that has gone into the interface, there are frustrations. Most notably, in a game that spurs you on to continually try just one more time, it is unbelievable that no one thought to include a quick restart. This omission becomes all the more glaring when you are a few stages deep into a competition level, and can begin to wear on your patience. It is a testament to the moreish nature of the challenges, then, that this never really threatens to stop you trying yet again for that elusive platinum medal.
FunkyPear have successfully distilled some of Super Mario Galaxy's spatial creativity, and created a game that not only impresses visually, but is also incredibly hard to put down. Its Flash status, together with the inclusion of a generous level editor, great audio and unlockable prizes make this an indispensable alternative to that report you have to finish, and may even prevent you venturing into the great outdoors for a time.
Gravitee 2 is space golf! In space! Somehow your ball ended up out in the farthest regions of the galaxy and you have no choice but to play through. This new physics/sports game from FunkyPear lets you sling your ball out into the cosmos, whipping around planets and barreling through hoops.
