Gris Review
Played on: Switch
Available on: Switch, PC, Mac
Developer: Nomada Studio
Publisher: Devolver Digital
Time played: 3 hours
There’s a short list of games that hold a special place in my heart, and they don’t get on it by just being one of my favorites. In order to access that special place in my heart a game has to do something important with the medium and affect me in a way that a video game has never done before. Games that have made it onto this list include Journey, What Remains of Edith Finch, Gorogoa, Braid, and The Witness. With more time I could probably think of a few more, but it’s a deliberately short list. Like most people, I am guarded with my heart.
However, that list grows by one today as there’s a new game whose experience I will never forget. That game is called Gris.
Gris is a 2D side-scrolling platformer where you play as a young woman. The plot details after that are pretty abstract, but my interpretation is this young woman is recovering from some sort of a traumatic event.
After collapsing from the hand of a statue in the sky, you plummet and are thrust into a barren world of white, black, and grey. The hand-drawn, watercolor art style is immediately striking and beautiful, but it’s bleak and barren at the same time as you’re surrounded by not much more than rubble of buildings. As you navigate the land you eventually restore one color to the world, which splashes through the landscape like a used paintbrush in water. At this point it becomes clear your goal is to restore them all and return life to the world.
Those looking for a traditional video game experience will be sorely disappointed. Most of those elements are pretty light. For example, you do a lot of platforming, but it’s pretty easy and there is no risk of dying. You’ll also unlock a few abilities as you progress, but they are fairly simple and there’s not any depth to your moveset. And finally, you will solve environmental puzzles, but they’re very straightforward and not meant to significantly impede your progress.
So then what the heck makes Gris so great? The answer, is that the gameplay gets out of the way so you can enjoy the best parts of the experience.
A big part of the enjoyment of Gris comes from the ridiculously beautiful settings. Throughout the entire game I was in awe of the picturesque scenes laid before me. Color obviously plays a big role because the world comes alive the more you restore it, but the way it’s applied with a watercolor effect is simply stunning. The intricate, hand-drawn buildings are amazing and even the close-up animations of the girl are smooth and lifelike. I took 217 screenshots of the game on my Switch while playing, and I truly feel like each one could be printed, framed, and put up on my wall.
Another big element is the soundtrack. Gris is a fairly silent game as there’s no dialogue and very few sound effects. It’s largely just you, the art, and the music. The soundtrack will often times take center stage as it perfectly punctuates an emotionally charged moment. The mix of piano and strings by Berlinist is just begging to be brought to vinyl in a collectors edition, and once it is they will instantly have my money.
The camera also helps to create these beautiful moments as it’s constantly zooming in and out to communicate different emotions. It will zoom out to show how insignificant you are as you climb a large structure, or zoom in to emphasize your character’s struggle as you push through an obstacle. Cameras are typically static in 2D platformers, so it’s dynamic nature here added an unexpected layer of enjoyment to the experience.
By the end of the game I had hit an emotional crescendo. The music captured every feeling of the journey perfectly, and I was proud that this breathtaking world came to life as a result of my work. The ending sequence left me speechless, as the combination of visuals, emotions, and music was almost too much. I felt whole by the end of the experience, and I walked away feeling like everything was perfect. But that being said, I’m sure a lot of people will find Gris to be slow and boring.
But that is why I think Gris matters. It can create a deeply personal experience, or it can fall short in every aspect of what a game should be. Like all good art it will create highly charged discussions about its merits, and will not be universally praised. It attempts to speak a very specific language, and for those who understand and appreciate it, they will be blown away with what it says and how it says it.
Gris spoke directly to me. I understood its intent, and it left a lasting impression on my heart. I can’t think of a single thing I would change to make the experience better, so in that way Gris is perfect to me and more than deserving of a perfect score.
