GRIS

what. a. masterpiece. Far and few games have made me emotionally invested in a game such as this. From the very beginning all the way to the end its an emotional ride that tells a story of a young girl grieving.

The platforming in this game was so well done. The puzzles in each level made you think but not too hard taking away from the game. Using different abilities to figure stuff out was a nice touch that most games have but this one felt alittle different. It was so simplistic yet so masterful at the same time.

I dont think ive ever experienced a game such as this that had such a beautiful medium that evolved as you progressed throughout the game. The further you got the more color you unlocked that just told a different story in itself.

My only complaint is unlocking the secret ending. It takes finding all the mementos and though thats not a big deal its that the secret ending explains the entire game and who the statue is and why youre chasing balls of light/stars the entire game. Watch it on youtube it makes so much more sense even though you can pretty much figure out who the statue is.

GRIS

This game is gorgeous and the music is phenomenal. It’s a good reminder about video games as a medium. I’ll be seeking out more like it,

GRIS

5 out of 5 - Beautiful, unique, emotional.

Beautiful experience. I refrained from using the word "game", because while there are some similarities between Gris and your standard Metroidvania, the stakes are never high, the odds of "losing" are very low, and the dopamine hits you expect in a game don't come as expected.

The controls are easy to learn and new skills are quick to be mastered and applied to the puzzles that you work through, but all of that is surface level. The meat of Gris is in how everything drives you towards the eventual conclusion. The music, the camera, the colors, the character actions, and the set pieces all work together to evoke an emotional response that you don't expect. You're forced to either empathize with the main character or dislike this experience when it finally comes to an end.

I'm still not sure I got it...I know what I felt while progressing and I know how I felt at the end, but I'm not sure how I feel about how easily my emotional state was manipulated by something I bought on sale in the Nintendo eStore.

GRIS

This is difficult to rate. This game is more about art and story than it is about gameplay, but it is trying to be a game at the same time, and while I applaud the effort, it falls short. I almost gave this 4 stars, but I don't think it's quite there. I consider 3 stars "Good" (4 = Great, 5 = Excellent / all-time-best), so don't get angry ... just accept it. (OK I promise no more grief puns.)

The game is a side-scrolling adventure platforming game that briefly makes you think maybe it's a metroidvania, but it's not. You start with only the ability to move and jump, and your abilities will only grow slightly, but that's ok, it doesn't feel like it needs more. There's no spoken or written dialog in the entire game, and if you're going "didn't you say this was a game about story," then I'm glad you're paying attention because yes it is. I'm not really going to talk about the story because it is something you experience, and it is either going to connect with you, or it's not. And while I think it was well-done, it didn't really connect with me, which is fine, I can still appreciate it as art.

So what didn't work for me was two main things, and really, it's the core of the gameplay so salvaging 3 stars from that is kind of impressive.

First: the game wants you to explore and find all these hidden mementos... but if you go the wrong way you're going to permanently lock yourself out of them because you happened to randomly pick the direction of the plot. Permanently misable collectibles, especially when a huge part of the story is locked behind them (one of only a few cutscenes in the game requires all of them) is a major detractor.

The other thing is just the obtuseness of the puzzles. I've played every non-CDI Zelda including all shrines in both Switch titles, and yeah, some small % of those were stumpers, but I felt a lot more frustrated by the puzzles in Gris. For example, you may need to smash a vase to reveal something that will let you jump very high, but the vase is next to impossible to see, especially because the game likes to zoom way out at times for cinematic effect, rendering your character at maybe 1/32nd of the screen height.

So, again, is this a good game? Yes. It is worth playing? Maybe. It's short, and to a degree I can forgive permanent misables when a 100% speedrun is probably ... (actually let me google that for you... a little over 90 minutes (doesn't seem like an active category). It's free with Game Pass of this review (January, 2024), so it could be worth a try.

GRIS

This game makes a case for games as art. Very moody game.

GRIS

Just wow. I took 3 hours to play through this game. The colors, the music, the play style. This game is tragically beautiful and emotional. This is a game to show people the level of depth and emotion a game can provide without saying a single word.

GRIS

One of the more beautiful videos game experiences I've ever enjoyed. What a work of art. Simple, clean, intriguing, and fun. Brilliant from start to finish.

GRIS

IMO, this is the epitome of an indie game. It's one of the most beautiful, interesting games I've ever played. It's weird. Unique. Does whatever it wants. Takes risks. Doesn't bore you with unnecessary side stuff. I've completed it 3 different times because it's only about 5-6 hours in length and I know I can always go back to it and each time and still be impressed and blown away by this game. I had no idea what to expect the first time I gave it a try but it sucked me in immediately. Highly recommend this to anyone looking for something different. It's on every platform by now I think.