Gris

Gris is a gorgeous game. The detailed animation and stunning art style will reel you into the game. The trailer which was released about a month or two before the game’s actual release is the perfect tease. Unfortunately, worry began to surface on whether the game was going to be another visual showpiece and would inevitably fall through the cracks in all other aspects.
If you have not heard of Gris yet, Gris is a lovely puzzle platformer developed by Nomada Studios. Before we deep dive into this game review though, I kind of need you to watch the trailer (youtube.com/watch?v=YFjh7wzTfxM).

Now, it doesn’t really come as a surprise that this game was and is a showstopper. It had unsurprisingly made its way into the top 10 games of 2018 and everyone was playing it if not wanted to. Granted, game design on the get go hits it right on the nail, it was a disappointment for a few, but we’ll get to that later.
Since the launch of its trailer, I had my eyes on this game. I mean, how could anyone not? With what little of plot on what this game was about, it was undeniably stunning and meticulously designed. It had beautiful sceneries and unbelievable animation, even with almost no story, it peaked interests. For some, it wasn’t an issue but for others, the fear began to seep in: will this be a game so stunning that every other element falls through. Will the game be just an embellished puzzle platformer with little to no depth or substance? 

I was torn. To Nomada’s credit, Gris is an indie game that may baffle some and potentially force others into a stretched rhetoric. The game has no words nor audio narration to cue players into a single story and plotline, so it can leave some people feel a bit lacking while others, overinterpreting. 

You can squeeze out metaphors in this game if you tried hard enough, but one would argue that you could do that with anything--if you just manage to find something you can somewhat tie it to a relatively significant context. Here’s my issue with Gris: despite it’s large and unfathomable potential to be a game that not only sustains an jaw-dropping experience, it fell flat. Following the sequence of events in the game, Gris begins with her losing her voice. Your journey is filed with obstacles and puzzles as well as two creatures: a bird and an eel. Now, I wish I knew what the game was inspired by and the symbolic significance of a turtle and the other items within the world of Gris. But, we’re left with too much to interpret and so little facets to inspect. I’d hoped at the end of it all, I would find out more about Gris: how she lost her voice, what took it, how she found it, her significance to the statue that kept her and yet in the end, she obtains her voice again by the same means she gains another skill in the game.

If you love a wonderful eye-catching game that leaves you thinking and exploring the wonderfully designed world even if it means being left with no clear and precise narrative, this game is definitely the perfect game for you. If playing a puzzle platformer with soothing music and stunning visuals isn’t quite what you’re looking for, this isn’t quite it. Regardless, I think there's always a perfect time to wind down and play Gris.