L1 and R1 let you do a little shimmy to tuck your legs in but I never really used this in truth as it’s pretty awkward holding each of the triggers at once. Using R2 and L2 you’ll be able to grip onto things in your environment to shift your momentum and interact with various objects. The left and right sticks direct your astronaut’s arms in the direction you’d like to go, but that doesn’t mean your momentum will actually move you that way. Gravity, I’ve realised, is rather underappreciated and Heavenly Bodies has certainly highlighted that for me. Unlike most other games, the analogue sticks aren’t going to easily and freely move you about in Heavenly Bodies. The real test comes from actually moving around the uncompromising and unforgiving depths of space itself. None of the tasks you’re saddled with are difficult in and of themselves however, oh no. I enjoyed most of them but a couple are less fun to complete compared to the rest. Most take about 20-30 minutes to finish, though one anomaly had me raging for just over an hour due to some underwhelming design choices and the aforementioned lack of direction. One level even has you setting out into an asteroid belt and mining minerals, so there’s lots to get on with.
Each mission has a set goal with a series of tasks to get you there, with the challenge coming from navigating the station and using the variety of instruments and tools you’ll need to accomplish the job at hand. Basically, you’re a space handyman extraordinaire.
You’ll be tasked with realigning solar panels, fixing a power generator and creating viable oxygen sources. It’s a simple premise, occasionally even lacking a bit of detail to guide you adequately, but it’s straightforward enough to work. Instead, you’ll consult your journal to review your current task and figure out the idiots-guide steps you’ll need to tick off to succeed. There’s no real story to speak of – your avatar doesn’t speak and there’s no dialogue at all, in fact. Does it end up being worth your time investment? Well, strap on your astronaut suit and lets float out into the endless expanse to discover the answer.ĭuly arriving at the space station, you’ll embark on a series of 7 levels to bring the celestial place back online.
Heavenly Bodies somehow does make the experience more fulfilling as an overall package compared to the previously mentioned games though, but it’s design can hinder it when the frustration builds through longer play sessions.
Throw in a game designed around traversing a base full of obstacles, puzzles and treacherous hazards, you can probably imagine the potential for fatal mishaps and maddening failure. Space is already disorientating enough as it is – what with its lack of gravity causing a complete loss of weight and force to propel yourself around and all that. See, Heavenly Bodies channels those aforementioned titles, only this time, it’s in space. That is, until Heavenly Bodies crash-landed its way onto my PS5 with its, shall we say, interesting ideas. Thankfully for my sanity, I hadn’t dabbled in them myself. Getting Over It especially sticks fondly in my memory due to all of the amusing fury videos I saw. Mechanically infuriating, they were a source of hilarious rage from YouTubers and players alike which found their calling as humorous and silly titles that will test your will. Games like Getting Over It and Surgeon Simulator have certainly had their followings in the past decade or so. That’s kind of like what playing games like Heavenly Bodies are for me. In the end, you just become a screaming, shitting mess out of pure ignorant frustration.
Now, remember you’re an infant baby, so none of them are of any yse to you, because your brain has no idea how to utilise them properly. You can see your arms and legs, you can feel them, and you can see all the amazing things you’d love to interact with, using said limbs.
Imagine you have the limb control and physical autonomy of an infant. I’d like you to do a quick little exercise with me.