Gris (2018)

This game is very visually appealing and has an interesting way of telling a story of the stages of grief. However, I was a little thrown off by the lack of consistency with game design, it was made extra difficult because it is a 2D platformer.

Overall if it is on a super sale (I got it for $3) I would say get it. Otherwise there are other games that you could spend 4-8 hrs with.

Definitely a beautiful game, which I get is the point, but there wasn't much else that made it a game. I'd call it closer to a dynamic art piece. Maybe I'm just dense, but I didn't really get what was going on with the story besides "woman dealing with grief/depression".

Granted I'm wriiting this review for myself about a year after playing it, but I don't remember the gameplay or "puzzles" being very engaging. I mostly found myself walking into every corner hoping I would find something only to be disappointed with a dead-end.

That said, it was only 3-ish hours long, so worth that much time at least.

I absolutely loved this platformer with puzzle elements. If you have looked at screen shots of this game, you'll know write away that this game leans heavily on its artwork, and does an excellent job of doing so. However, there is much more to this short but sweet game. The music is incredible and helps add to the mood that the designers are going for. And the pacing of the game never distracts from exploring the world that evolves around you. You can't die! While this doesn't mean the game is without challenges, it keeps players from becoming frustrated due to lacking necessary gaming skills.

Ultimately, if your looking for something to try your patience and skills, you will probably want to look elsewhere. But if you are looking to relax, be entranced by a beautiful setting, and encounter some thoughtful puzzles this game is for you!

I can't help but compare Gris to Journey. In both games you play as a silent protagonist who wears a robe, has very simple controls, explores a mysterious world in ruin with a stellar presentation and incredible score to immerse you into a story that you have to piece together by yourself.

I loved both.

The tone of the game however is quite different, Gris is about dealing with depression, accepting your situation and understanding that ultimately, the only person standing in your way is yourself, only then can you start rebuilding and move forward.

Fantastic game, highly recommended.

The puzzles and platforming aren't particularly challenging, but they contribute to the aesthetic goal of the work in surprising ways that make progression satisfying, as does the way the world changes as you progress through each chapter, following a sort of dream logic that's novel and yet makes sense. A beautiful, melancholy experience and an enjoyable way to spend 3-5 hours.

Also, hands down best underwater level in any game ever.

While the artwork was excellent and I enjoyed the last "level" (of 4 total), I felt like the rest of the game was slow with no real gameplay substance. There were many long stretches of just walking or swimming, with nothing else going on.

It was also difficult to tell what the collectibles were and where to go next. I never got stuck on where to go, but when given the option of two paths, it was not apparent which way progressed the game and which way was for an optional collectible. If I chose the progression route first, it was often irreversible and I wouldn't have another chance at picking up the collectible. This made me mostly give up on worrying about any of the extra achievements, which meant a lot of walking with some minor puzzles to finish the game.

There's enough uninteresting gameplay between the interesting parts that I'm not motivated to go back just to find any objectives I missed the first time.

Much better than expected! Thought this would be just an artsy game with almost no gameplay, something like a walking simulator, but instead, it actually was a good puzzle platformer, given its length. The puzzles are pretty creative and sometimes really cool. Towards the end, I found them a bit confusing, but overall, they were pretty great and use the art of the game wonderfully. Apart from the main gameplay and objectives, there are also bonus, optional items that can be collected, which is a great addition.

Speaking of art, that‘s definitely the highlight of the game. The visuals look really great, the way how the main character‘s looks change when using her abilities is just gorgeous and some levels have fantastic contrast and visual designs which look great on a big high contrast screen, like an OLED or similar. The music is equally great and contributes a lot of the emotions invoked by the game.

The game is not perfect: At times, the colors on screen make it hard to figure out what is what. Also, the puzzles get a little too convoluted towards the end for my taste. Overall though, the game offers quite an unique, emotional and enjoyable experience, somewhat similar to Journey and ABZU. Since it takes only about 3 to 4 hours, I would definitely recommend to give it a try, though I would not call it a must-play.

GRIS is another in a now-long tradition of high concept indie platformers with no / little dialogue and minimal HUD. Anchored by Ilya Kuvshenov designs of pretty, sad girls, the game ostensibly presents a narrative about reclaiming color for a dull grey environment, but as with any other colorful indie game there is some obvious parallel to be drawn to depression, grief, isolation, etc. To me, there is not a lot of depth to this design. All of the aesthetic stuff is totally passive in that you aren't really manipulating the color yourself, but rather trying to jump on platforms and not fall. It's all fairly straightforward, but what elevates this game is that's it's just so easy on the eyes and brain. Playing just a little of it is really soothing, with just enough texture to give you a jolt of dopamine when you nail a puzzle or unlock some new move. It feels a bit more thoughtful than most indie games.

Played digital copy on Nintendo Switch

Despite being short, this game really likes to waste your time.

Here's the bulk of the experience: Slowly walk around a seemingly complex but ultimately linear path and do the bare minimun requirements for this to qualify as a game, just to EXPERIENCE the awe-inspiring sceneries as per the intention of the devs. Very on the nose.

Undeniably, the aquarelle art can be quite pretty, but in the end viewing a repetition of the same somewhat abstract objects in different configurations is not enough to make a good game. And that's indeed the key word here, for it seems the developers forgot it was a game they were making.

Nothing here is actually worth exploring. The gameplay is as non-engaging as it gets, and the level-design is severly lacking. Not even the narrative can make up for any of this. All in all, a waste of time.

Next time, make a short film instead.

So this is a very, very short game that barely surpasses the "walking simulator" status regarding gameplay and engagement. It is definitely leaning more towards the experience and artsy side of things than the interaction. Simple puzzles, simple platforming and completely lineal (although you can sometimes choose which direction you wanna finish first -right or left-, I suppose).

But that's fine, Gris is clearly aiming more to be a piece of art much like similar games have done before (Journey, Flower, The Unfinished Swan, Gorogoa, etc.). It does succeed at this particular endeavor and it offers a very enjoyable and pleasing aesthethic experience. Beautiful art, impressive transitions and satisfying climax at the end. On the other hand, for a game tackling a topic such as grief or depression, this is definitely a case of style over substance and I think it could've easily delved deeper and present a more interesting exploration into the aforementioned topics.

Worth it if you are into this kind of games, wouldn't recommend it to people seeking anything else. The gameplay is just not there.

3.5/5

It is like playing a portrait. Music, atmosphere is just astonishing. Very good story, balanced gameplay too.

I got a problem, a bug , at the which made the game unplayable for me.

I mailed the game developers. In a few hours they solved the problem and sent me the working process.

That's how you do things dear Ubisoft ! (angry face)