While I was perusing for deals on the Playstation store, I just happened upon Gris and after gazing upon the ethereal beauty in artwork, my jaw hit the floor. How could you not be arrested by the style and care that was weaved into the visuals of this game? I'm probably repeating other reviewers but platforming through Gris, it felt like moving though a painting. The environments are varied and all of them are stunning in their own way. There were so many moments where I would stop to better process the intricacies of how this world functioned or to catch something new in the background. I understand a game should have more than standout visuals but I can't imagine anyone's interest not being at least piqued when taking Gris in for the first time.
Gris doesn't feature wall-to-wall action. It functions as a puzzle -platformer and I also think it does a good job of flirting with the line of being too difficult. Most of the puzzles aren't too precise or require too much from the player. Our protagonist gains new abilities from stage to stage and you use those to manipulate the environment to progress. These abilities all function as intended and are fun to use. The key is if you'll be okay with the lack of direction the game gives you. While some gamers instinctively know where to go and what to do, I'm not blessed with that kind of foresight. Getting from one side of the level to the other required a fair amount of trial and error and while I never got too frustrated, I could seeing it being an issue for some.
The stumbling point for the majority of prospective players with Gris is the way the game chooses to tell its story. Gris has a larger narrative about the protagonist processing grief over the loss of a loved one but the game almost has a complete absence of a story. It's told through metaphor and subtext and I think that will divide people. I get both sides of the debate, if I was making the game, I might have approached it different and tried to make it more accessible. But I can also respect the decision the creative team made to have it unfold this way.
I think some people will adore Gris and others will despise it. I liked it a fair amount and while it won't appeal to the whole spectrum, it's going to make a certain demographic very happy. I don't know if I'll ever replay it but Gris is an experience for sure and if you want to play something that will leave you awestruck after even just a couple of scenes, it's absolutely worth playing.
