You don’t really play GRIS; you experience it. If you’re after a fast-paced, challenging platformer then this isn’t the game for you. What you will get with GRIS however, is a unique and beautiful experience unlike any other.
GRIS with pretty much no colour, everything either black or white. As you progress through the story though this will quickly change as you unlock various colours; red, blue, green, yellow and all of the shades in between. The way you bring these colours back is by collecting some kind of orbs that, once altogether, will make a constellation that use to walk over into new areas like a bridge. After each section you will find yourself in the palm of a statue and there you will unlock one of the colours each time.
There is no dialogue throughout the game. Instead the story is told through various, meaning some of the story is left up to your interpretation. Some things are made clear however. Gris, the young girl you play as, has lost her voice. As well as this, she is struggling with issues such as fear, anxiety and/or depression and these feelings manifest into creatures such as a giant bird or eel that chase you. It’s an effective method of storytelling and gets her feelings across wonderfully. As well as Gris you’ll meet a couple of cute creatures that will serve as companions for a little bit.
As you begin the game, you start off with limited abilities, namely being able to jump and walk. However as you discover colours you also gain abilities. For example you can transform into a block that will help you push past the angry winds of the desert or be able to swim or perform a double jump. Each of these abilities feels as if they’re worth something too as they all have their own practical uses throughout the game.
Ultimately, the thing that sets this game apart from any of its counterparts has to be the absolutely gorgeous artstyle. Stop at any given moment as you play and chances are whatever is on your screen looks like a painting (as I’m sure you’ve gathered from the screenshots I have posted here). Combined with the music that can switch from peaceful and serene to atmospheric and slightly unsettling at a moment’s notice, the game will command your full attention. Every motion is fluidly animated and the backgrounds are stunningly drawn. Lighting is also used to brilliant effect.
The journey of Gris to get her voice back and confront her inner demons along the way isn’t like any other. It isn’t too long, maybe coming in at 4 hours to beat, and if it’s possible to die it isn’t easy to do so. This suits the game to a tee though, as it doesn’t drag on and it doesn’t take away from the story by frustrating you. The level design is also surprisingly intuitive. It never exactly gives you a clear direction to go and multiple times throughout the game I found myself uncertain of where I was. However, every single time I ended up in the correct place. Between this and the puzzles, which are at a solid level of difficulty, the game is very satisfying to play too.
I highly recommend GRIS, particularly if you can play while in bed at night and just let the vibes take you as you explore the world. A magical game.
Occasional Video Game Reviews 