MDA for Gris, a beautiful game about loss and rebuilding
I love any game starts with the note, “This game is best played with headphones.”
Gris (which translates to “grey” in Spanish) centers around the story of a girl who is inundated with grief. There is an intentional, clever interplay between the mechanics, which initially limit the character’s actions in the game, and the storyline — at the start of the game, the character, Gris, is so overcome with sorrow that she is barely able to walk. Overtime, as the storyline develops, new mechanics are introduced, including jumping, crushing things, and flying. The game is set up as a series of light puzzles, free of danger and death.
If this sounds like a setup for a not-super-exciting game, well….it could be, if it weren’t for the evocative narrative and beautiful art/music combo that will make you weep. In her pain, the world around Gris crumbles and loses all of its color, as the grayscale art suggests. Players are drawn in to help Gris literally and metaphorically restore color back to her life. The puzzles, while light and repetitive, symbolize the process of recovery, both the work and the wait needed to return to normalcy after we experience pain.
Gris is the type of game you want to screenshot over and over again, especially during the wondrous moments you succeed in bringing back a color. When this first happened for me and I restored the color red, I teared up, much to the concern of my apartment-mate.
Somewhere immersed in the story, art, and dreamy original score, you’ll find that Gris’s story becomes your own. I first played this game at the start of shelter-in-place, when the grief of our situation was still fresh. I grieved for the loved ones I missed, for the distances between. I grieved over simple things: the the loss of springtime, the sound of chatter at the local coffeeshop. I grieved for those dying and suffering from our broken systems. I could do nothing else but grieve. Playing Gris became an act of self-care, a daily meditation of sorts. And, a month later, here I am, somehow moving through this bizarre “new normal” with the colors gradually restoring.
Ultimately, Gris is a game about rediscovering hope. As you help Gris navigate her way through her grief, you just might help yourself do the same.
(A HUGE thank you and hug to my friend for the recommendation!)
