GRIS

Gris is one of those weird things that walks the line between being a game and a piece of art. It has decent enough platforming gameplay where you learn new abilities as you go to allow you to access new areas. However, the game is most notable for it's gorgeous artwork and evocative music. The word starts out lifeless and barren and as you progress, the world gains color and becomes more and more full and interesting and the contrast is well done. The story told is entirely through visuals, sound and metaphor. Presumably it's about grief and depression and in retrospect I can see that but it's all rather abstract and symbolic. At times I wondered if this was all an acid trip or a dream. It's only 4 hours long so it doesn't overstay it's welcome. Regardless, if you want a decent platformer with some amazing visuals that is a bit, let's say weird, give this a try.

It's pretty clear that only the style of this game mattered during development. Gameplay and plot were just afterthoughts and that shows. The gameplay is sluggish, bland and without any challenge. The "story" is your basic video game nonsense. Well, that might not have mattered that much if the art was any good. It isn't. It's kitsch. It's the video game equivalent of a wall tattoo. It looks like decor paintings you can buy at IKEA. To be more precise: It's obviously inspired by "French" decor paintings that have been inspired by haute couture sketches, paired with a bit of minimalist greeting card design. It's made to be appealing, not to be artistic. And that is basicly what every video game tries to do, but usually isn't so pretentious about.

I was enjoying this game but this is third time I've run into a progress blocking bug where the game gets stuck during or after a cutscene. If I could get a refund for it, I would. Because of bugs I cannot recommend this game.

What can I say that has not been said. The art work is phenominal and pretty much the only reason why I bought it. Soundtrack is also good. Apart from that, the game is just another standart 2d platformer that based on the descriptions might be bit too self congratulatory or whatever. TLDR: Average platformer with amazing art.

I’m not a big friend of platform games, but GRIS is so beautiful that you can’t help loving it. Color, music, and an intuitive gameplay make it an incredible adventure. It’s easy, but it’s not boring. It’s deep, but you enjoy every second. If you want relax, you will love it.