I'm pretty convinced that GRIS is one of - if not the - finest examples of "Games as Art" I've ever played in my 35 years of gaming. I genuinely feel like it's a design masterpiece. And not just from the visual art. While damn near any screenshot from the game is worth hanging on your wall as legitimate art, that's true, but the Art Direction as a whole is magnificent. Additionally, the soundtrack, and the way it plays into the game is wonderful. The game design as a whole, and how all the aspects come together - visuals, music, mechanics - its a fantastic experience overall. I'd say the closest thing to it that I'm familiar with, is Journey, in the sense that there's no dialogue - written or otherwise. It really does seem to feel like an "interactive art experience" rather than strictly a "game." You can't be killed. There aren't any lose-conditions. The puzzles and platforming mechanics aren't overly difficult. But playing through the game, and controlling the main character seems - to me - to be more for generating a bond between the player and the main character throughout the experience, as opposed to the mechanics and platforming presenting a skill-check against the player's progress. So, in a sense, the "gameplay" feels more like a method of drawing the player into the experience that Nomada Studios has created, as opposed to having the gameplay stand alone as the primary focus. If that makes sense. That's the caveat I think should be considered when evaluating this game. In my opinion, it's far more than "just" a game, and should be viewed as such. I cannot recommend the game enough. If you do choose to play through it (and you should!) I'd recommend not approaching it as an "everyday game to be beaten and finished" but to approach it as a sort of "interactive art experience" instead, and I believe you'll get far more out of it with that mentality. Allow yourself to be contemplative with this title, and you'll have a far more rewarding time with it.
