GRIS - Video Game Review

In a world where video game companies are trying to stuff their games with endless amounts of overpriced microtransactions... Oh wait, that's our world. Sad really. Did you know that the new game from Riot Games, Valorant, has a weapon skin that costs almost $300 USD to purchase? What dark times we live in. When they're done fairly, MTs can be just option. I look at games like Warframe, which has been very fair with its use of microtransactions (in my subjective opinion), as games we need more of in these times: Games where the studio and developers actually care when they have a game that has a long-lasting community.

But sometimes we need to get away from these games with continual or intense content. There are days where we need to stop hunting for rare monsters and treasure or stop shooting our way to the top of leaderboards. The stress and addiction of these games can give us negative thoughts and at times wrap us in their "ever important" events and activities. Sometimes we need to sit down and watch the sunset, go out for a drink, or just lay back and take a breather. Sadly in these times, where we're supposed to stay in our houses and keep contact with others to a minimum, those options are no longer available or safe. But I give you hope everyone, for there is a game where you don't die, you don't have to farm for certain enemies or loot, and where people aren't shouting at your or screaming abusive words. All while delivering a unique, enjoyable experience. That game is GRIS.

GRIS is the story of a mysterious girl who has lost her voice. In her despair she is plunged into a lifeless world below her. You must now guide her to help bring life back and restore her voice. Sounds familiar in a lot of ways, there are a lot of indie games that try to be very emotional and talk about depression or how there's no hope and any non-experienced gamer might be easily swept up in them and call their experiences playing these games as mind-blowing and tear-inducing. I get that, I've played some of these. Hell, one of my favorite games is Journey, a game about a mysterious traveler basically traveling the land to reach a mysterious place and it's a very emotional game.

GRIS though... it has some elements that make it stand out from the rest. The most noticeable of these elements in the art style. I'm not exaggerating when I say this, but this game is like an interactive mural. It is incredible beautiful to look at, like a living painting, and when I first started the game I was immediately captivated. The main character is very interestingly animated and the backgrounds and levels... it's like somebody painted them with a physical brush instead of a digital tablet for a computer. I immediately became quiet and watched the screen, in awe of the art in front of me. This is especially true when it comes to the use of colors. When you start the game it's all black and white. As you progress through the game you bring more color to the world and it feels like you really are bringing life back to a wasteland. It's incredible. And even at the start when there's only black and white or just a few colors the world looks stunning, which fantastic uses of shading and art style making the world feel alive.

Additionally, the level design is very good for GRIS. It's very Metroidvania in design, which for those who don't know means it's like a 2D side-scroller with checkpoints that when completed unlock new areas of the map that were before inaccessible due to lack of proper equipment or an obstacle preventing progression. It's hard to get lost in this game and even if you do it'll only be for a minute or two. It's not a hard game at all, but designs of the puzzles throughout the game will make you scratch your head a little. However the aesthetics of the levels can indicate what you're missing. For example there's a level in a forest and some of the trees change shape. You have to time your jumps and movement for some trees and your movement can trigger what shape the trees are. It's both clever and beautiful at the same time.

When it comes to story though some might find it to be a bit dull, citing the information earlier about a lot of indie games dealing with emotions and depression. I can agree we aren't told much about the world, the main character, or the importance of everything you're doing. That is a small bother for me to be honest, but adding a lot of information would pull this game away from being something very relaxing to play through. Plus it's visual storytelling, using minimal amounts of words to tell the viewer what's happening. With this style I experienced some very emotional moments, even if they were something simple like giving an apple to a small robot. My actions throughout the game had a sense of worth to them, which can be, if done right (like in this case), much more powerful to the user than just being told things.

Saying all this though, I do wish there was a bit more world fleshing. With how beautiful the world was becoming as I continued to play I was hoping to maybe have a few more levels to just explore and maybe have information shown that explains a bit more about what happened. It wouldn't be directly relating to the conflict in the game, just little tidbits on what happened. Maybe the reason this isn't done is to leave it vague and allow the user to come up with their own theories on the game. I had one that I was really believing in more and more, but then the ending happened and I'm just like, ".... What? That's it?"

Speaking of the ending, it wasn't as exciting or climatic as I was thinking. I was not expecting or hoping for a giant clash between good and evil or fighting some giant monster, but how it was handled, in my subjective opinion, was that it felt too much like a bunch of cutscenes. Granted they were very beautiful to watch and I felt very concerned about what was going on, but I think it would have been better have it more playable in some way. It would feel more triumphant that way. I felt like I did win and that felt really good, but I also would have like to be a part of this victory.

There is one other major thing though balances this game out onto the positive end: The audio. The soundtrack is incredible, it's very peaceful and orchestral, just the right amounts to make you feel relaxed in GRIS. But many games have great music to them. There's so much that little noises like footsteps and breezes can do to enhance the player experience and GRIS gets that! Running through the woods and swimming in pools made me feel at ease with the world because the sounds in these areas and all the other areas sounded very natural. If you can balance that out with the right music, you got something to not just play, but also feel tranquil experiencing as more than a game.

Honestly I can describe it in as much detail as I want, but GRIS is something you got to experience for yourself to really understand how beautiful it is. You can look at a small clip I recorded for one of the worlds here: https://youtu.be/01sjcgvaXDk. Hopefully that, will truly show you how stunning of an experience GRIS can be. I might one day go back to this game in 6 months or year just for a fun time. It's not too hard, wonderful audio and music, and short enough to feel just right. When you got to escape reality or your intense games for a while, GRIS is just the thing.

Tentative Score: 8.25/10

Definitive Score: 8.25/10

I'm so glad I picked this up during the Steam summer sale. It's a quick 3-4 hour game that'll wash your stress away.