Pirates of Gravitae Gameplay Preview

Pirates of Gravitae is a roguelite adventure where you take to the skies in airships and fight pirates. The flying and shooting feel very smooth but the game has a high learning curve.

The game starts you off right away. You can blast off immediately and start fighting pirates or you can upgrade your ship and abilities and change your loadout before you start your run. After blasting off, the controls are pretty simple. You can steer with ‘A’ and ‘D’, left mouse is thrust, and ‘Q’, ‘W’, and ‘E’ are your abilities.

You start off with one basic boost ability that gives you a short burst of increased speed. You can unlock and upgrade other abilities after collecting blueprint pieces, which are used as the upgrade currency. The other abilities can do things such as repel bullets and enemy ships, increase rate of fire, and etc.

One you are in the air, the combat is fast paced and incredibly nuanced. You can only fire from the broadside of the ship so positioning is very important. Not only that, but there are currents of airflow that affect your movement as well as getting perks that may improve performance or give buffs in low altitudes, low daylight, and etc.

I found the combat to be pretty difficult. You have to avoid enemy bullets while getting your ship in a position where you can fire at the enemy. This requires some skillful maneuvering, especially when surrounded by multiple enemies. If you survive, however, you will be able to pick one of three rewards.

After clearing a level, you can select from branching pathways. Some pathways may have more rewards but harder enemy encounters so you can plan your route ahead of time.

Overall, Pirates of Gravitae is a fun but challenging roguelite. The combat feels smooth and definitely has multiple nuanced layers to it. I did find it a bit hard to find enough upgrade materials to upgrade my ship, mostly because I am bad at the game and kept dying early.