Gris (2018)

Gris – An Emotional and Unforgettable Journey

I started playing Gris after hearing a beautiful song that led me to the game (Paciência - Anny). I began with certain expectations, yet it managed to surprise me regardless.

Art and Soundtrack

Right from the start, I was struck by the game's gorgeous art. Each scene looks like a carefully crafted painting, full of detail and emotion. The blend of colors and shapes creates a dreamlike, contemplative environment, as if every frame tells its own story.

And the soundtrack? Simply marvelous! The music is incredibly well composed and manages to touch the heart, perfectly complementing the game's melancholic and reflective atmosphere. The way the music intertwines with the game’s moments is something that cannot be ignored. The tracks guide our emotions and thoughts, making every moment memorable.

A Story of Grief and Overcoming

Beneath all the visual and auditory beauty, the game brought back memories of a similar event in my life, making the experience even more personal and emotional for me.

One detail that really stood out was the relationship with [details intentionally omitted]. This moment brought a powerful sense of liberation and healing that sent chills down my spine.

Some moments brought tears to my eyes, especially as I identified with the emotions portrayed in the game. However, the ending brought a sense of acceptance that also made me shed tears – but this time, tears of joy.

Simple Yet Impactful Gameplay

Gris doesn’t need complex mechanics to make an impact on the player. The gameplay is simple, yet every new ability acquired and map explored represents a step toward acceptance and healing, making the experience both intuitive and highly symbolic.

Conclusion

Gris is simply a wonderful game! With its stunning art, touching soundtrack, and emotional narrative, it manages to captivate the player from start to finish.

If you’re on the fence about buying it, don’t hesitate for a moment! Every second is worth it, and it will undoubtedly be remembered as one of the most emotional games I have ever played.

Rating: 9.5/10

Hard to give this game a high score because of what it's not (much of a game, really), and then also hard to give it a low score because of how beautifully it accomplished what it is (an aesthetic experience with light platforming built in.)

Definitely worth your $5-$10 and ~4 hours if you're open to something different.

Also clearly best enjoyed on your reality-altering substance of choice.

2.5 ⭐ for being pretty! The Game beautiful. Nice music. Probably would been better as a nice indie short animation flim. I think I found Dear Ester a bit more entertaining though (that saying something). Gris gameplay um there was none. And while I get we/they love us sad girls, why am I suppose to be a sad girl because she sad?? It was hard to connect due to that fact I had no idea why sad girl was sad except us girls are just always sad? Depression? Death? That TOM?? No idea. Anyway My friend who dog just died said he not sure how this help his sad boy-ism ( not a word?) Oh well a bish tried and my friend is ungrateful AF.🤷🏽‍♀️

Me: but I'm still a good friend? Right??😲 Him: Meh, that up for debate some days Nik😒

Sad boy and sad girl conversations

Critics’ Score:

Metacritic: 82/100

Gamespot: 9/10

IGN: 6.5/10

Eurogamer: ★★★★☆

Famitsu: 33/40

Gris is a musical made game. For one, music is an essential part of its narrative, Gris throws herself into this journey in search of her voice; it's also deep into its own design, with puzzles that serve as more exercises in timing than in logic (physics), being very intuitive. Clearly the goal here is not to make the game challenging, but an affective experience. A game about grief, the platforming is made to symbolize the struggle of pushing through, until the ultimate reconciliation and final stage of mourning. Some of its puzzle designs bring Playdead’s Limbo to mind, but Nomada Studios’ game works much more closely to Journey’s intentions.

That being said, how affective it actually is?

In my opinion, not that much. It's weakest aspect, it's clearly its length. Gris isn't at all a long game, but unlike Journey for instance, who masterfully balanced a lack of challenge with a very short and concise experience. This isn't true in the case of Gris, I reached a point where the momentum was lost, it's repetitive and derivative design (even when new concepts and mechanics are introduced, paradoxically doesn't alter much of the feel of the game), it set my brain into auto-mode and went through the puzzles without much effort (as I said before, the puzzles are highly intuitive). Which I suppose brings us to my second complaint, there's a lack of balance between challenge/reward and emotional delivery. Take for instance, Playdead’s Inside, a game that offered a deeply affective and obscure experience, which must clock around the same length as Gris, yet that game had some elements that remained challenging, its ultimate result was a third act that actually felt and gave way to a catharsis. I can't say that much from Gris. Another are where the game fails considerably is in projecting affect through the mechanics, as I described it before the gameplay is very derivative (if it works don't fix it), but once you get comfortable with the motions, the game begins can't distinct itself from any other platformer out there, despite its beauty eye candy wrapping.

That being said; the game remains beautiful, sometimes deeply moving, always aesthetically pleasing (highly recommended for the animation alone) and a light experience. In a group of Discord I take part in, someone described it as ‘a perfect introductory piece to the medium', and I highly agree with that statement. It's equally worth it for those of us that have already a baggage of games played in our backs. It's always great to see a small indie game attempt at creating a highly emotional experience, and while Gris might not have been continually successful in its goal with me, it still delivered moments of beauty and the last cinematic was incredibly gorgeous. I have to commend its efforts for these small gestures.

Score: 62/100

ENG

Gris is an emotional platform and puzzle game. It tells the story of a girl in mourning (due to depression or maybe loss) using the scenery and colours to describe her emotions. Its watercolour aesthetic is the most iconic thing, it looks like we are moving through a painting.

As a positive aspect in mechanics, it can be highlighted the new skills introduced in each chapter, just because they provide continuity. Despite this, I think it's a average platform game, it doesn't add much in that aspect. However, Gris is worth it. Its aesthetics, combined with its soundtrack, create an immersive experience that is both satisfying and heartwarming.

ESP

Gris es un juego de plataformas y puzles con una gran carga emocional. Cuenta la historia de una chica en duelo (por depresión o por una pérdida) con una narración que usa los colores para representar sus emociones. Lo más representativo es su estética de acuarela que hace que parezca que nos movemos por un cuadro.

Como parte positiva en cuanto a jugabilidad y mecánicas podemos destacar las nuevas habilidades que se introducen en cada capítulo, ya que aportan fluidez y continuidad. A pesar de esto, creo que es un juego de plataformas mediocre, no aporta mucho en ese aspecto. Sin embargo, Gris es una pequeña obra de arte que merece la pena experimentar. Su estética junto con su banda sonora, consiguen crear una experiencia inmersiva tranquilizadora y conmovedora.