Gravity Circuit Review – Fighting Game Flair Meets Mega Man DNA

Title	Gravity Circuit
Released	Jul 13, 2023
Developer(s)	Domesticated Ant Games
Publisher(s)	Plug In Digital SAS
Platform(s)
Genre	Action, Platformer, Indie
Rating	E10+
Price	$16.99 (PC) / $21.99 (Console)
Proton	Proton Hotfix

Completed on Linux on Normal

HowLongToBeat Time: 6 Hours (Main + Sides) | My Clear Time: 4 Hours 2mins

Background

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Developed by Domesticated Ant Games and published by PID Games, Gravity Circuit is a retro-styled 2D action platformer released July 13, 2023, for PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5. Developer Antti’s Steam devlog reveals a decade of on-and-off development, with full-time work starting in 2021, evolving features like the game-defining hookshot that reshapes combat and traversal.

Inspired by Mega Man’s nonlinear stage progression, Gundam’s sleek robotic designs, and fighting games’ fluid combos, it delivers tightly paced stages and dynamic, combo-driven combat. Their expertise in pixel art, music, and design crafts Gravity Circuit’s retro-futuristic charm.

The development team for Gravity Circuit includes:

Experience

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As a veteran of Metroid, Castlevania, Bloodstained, and recently Virtua Unlimited Project, I’m primed for 2D action platformers. My 4-hour clear time on Normal, beating the 6-hour HowLongToBeat average, reflects honed platforming skills, focusing on Gravity Circuit’s precise mechanics and replayability over narrative depth.

Knowing composer Dominic Ninmark’s high-octane work from Guns of Fury, I expected a soundtrack to drive the action—and it delivers.

Impressions

Introduction

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Gravity Circuit casts you as Kai, a lone operative battling the Virus Army—a rogue robotic force attacking a futuristic city. Pixel-cutscenes and brief NPC exchanges deliver a light story, boosting gameplay pacing for action fans but offering little emotional depth for story-driven players.

Gameplay & Mechanics

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Core Combat
Kai’s melee combat is snappy, chaining a three-hit combo, charged strikes, and a dive kick that juggles enemies with precise timing. Its dynamic, fighting game-inspired rhythm rewards split-second dodging and movement-based attacks, staying intuitive without complex inputs.

My experience chaining combos in Bloodstained made Kai’s flow feel instantly rewarding.

Dive Kick
Aerial and aggressive, Kai’s dive kick adds vertical flair, enabling pinpoint dodges, combo extensions, or gap-closing strikes. Its precise timing, honed in my 4-hour run, feels satisfyingly versatile, rewarding skillful flow in chaotic battles.

Wall Jumping
Kai scales walls fluidly, boosting level traversal with seamless momentum. Required for exploration or dodging hazards, wall jumping integrates with combat for dynamic positioning, a nuance I leveraged to speed through stages efficiently.

Platforming
Stages blend verticality and timing, with wall jumps, ground slides, and dive kicks integrating into combat for seamless dodging or exploration. Smart level design offers risk/reward detours for rescues and secrets. Forgiving checkpoints and chip customization ease newcomers into the 4–5 hour runtime, while precise mechanics thrilled my veteran instincts.

Customization
Between stages, equip up to three chips from the Medbay shop for bonuses like faster energy recharge, enhanced defense, or new Burst Techniques, tailoring Kai’s combat—aggressive or tactical—without complexity.

My preference for speed-focused chips shaped my swift clear time.

Stage Select
Eight thematically distinct stages—icy mountains to collapsing mines—can be tackled in any order, with optional paths boosting replayability before the final gauntlet.

My strategic stage choices maximized rescue rewards, enhancing replay value.

Art & Audio

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Visual Design
Late-’90s pixel art pops with bold colors and readable sprites. Kai’s weighty animations and clear enemy silhouettes enhance high-speed combat, while distinct, layered stage backgrounds immerse players in varied worlds, a visual treat I savored in every stage.

Audio Design
Dominic Ninmark’s synth-heavy soundtrack drives combat’s intensity and exploration’s flow, amplifying every punch and jump. Each track fuels its stage or boss, with punchy SFX balancing the soundscape, a standout in my playthrough.

Standout Tracks:

Theme of Kai (Gravity Circuit): Heroic, confident, and energetic. Establishes tone immediately with driving synth leads.

Theme of Crash (Break Circuit): Chaotic and frantic with aggressive tempo shifts—perfect for a berserker-style rival.

Theme of Cable (Power Circuit): Cool, calculating, and methodical. Pulsing bass and slick composition mirror Cable’s tactical persona.

Unique Features & Mechanics

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Hookshot
Rare in platformers, the hookshot swings Kai across gaps with fluid momentum, pulls enemies for devastating throws, or moves objects to solve puzzles. Its physics-based system, unlike Mega Man’s static movement, demands precise timing but rewards creative combat and traversal, a highlight of my speedrun strategy.

Burst Techniques
Inspired by fighting game supers, Burst Techniques replace Mega Man’s elemental weaknesses with resource-based attacks, like spinning strikes or energy blasts, emphasizing timing and combo flexibility. Their flair elevated my boss battles, adding strategic depth.

Rescue System
Hidden civilians in stages grant upgrades like health boosts or enhanced chips, rewarding exploration with tangible power-ups. This balances speedrunning with discovery, a unique layer I leaned into for upgrades, enriching my 4-hour run.

Verdict

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Gravity Circuit supercharges Mega Man’s formula with fighting game flair, delivering sharp combat, fluid traversal, and a stellar hookshot. My 4-hour clear time on Normal, beating the 6-hour average, highlights its tight mechanics.

A thin story and skill-based boss fights may test narrative fans or Mega Man purists, but its 4–5 hour runtime, replayable via stage choice and rescues, rocks. Accessible for newcomers yet thrilling for pros, it’s a retro gem.

At $10 on Steam Summer Sale, it’s a must for Mega Man Zero or Blazing Chrome fans—one of the best indie action platformers around.

TLDR

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Pros

• Expressive, Momentum-Based Combat: Melee, dive kicks, and the hookshot create a stylish, fighting game-inspired system.
• Rewarding Exploration: Rescues and chip upgrades make every stage worth revisiting.
• Vibrant Presentation: Bold pixel art and Dominic Ninmark’s energetic soundtrack elevate the action.

Cons

• Light Story: Thin narrative may underwhelm story-driven players.
• No Boss Weakness System: Skill-based boss fights may frustrate Mega Man fans expecting exploits.

References

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1. Gravity Circuit | Release Trailer
2. Steam Q&A with the Game Dev Part 1 of 2
3. Theme of Kai (Gravity Circuit)
4. Theme of Crash (Break Circuit)
5. Theme of Cable (Power Circuit)