A Piece of Art, An Okay Game (GRIS Review)
Breathtaking Start
Gris is an absolutely gorgeous platforming adventure game developed by Nomada Studios and developed by Devolver Digital. You play as woman named Gris, Spanish for Grey - yes this is relevant, who begins the game standing upon the open palm a giant statue of a woman. After attempting to sing, the statue crumbles and she falls to a world devoid of color. From here the player can began exploring the 2D world, collecting small orbs of light. Right away the player is never given any deliberate direction. The game uses it's beautiful art design and sound cues to encourage the player to explore and collect these orbs of light.
These orbs of life are the clear objective of the game. Collecting the balls of light allows Gris to move forward through this colorless world, often giving her physical bridges to walk across. After collecting enough of them, Gris finds herself in a sort of hub world - an elegant fountain sitting inside of a dome temple. The lights shoot off into the sky, beginning to form a constellation. Having used the orbs as bridges earlier, it's easy to assume ascending into the heavens is our ultimate objective. Throughout the game you gain a few power ups that allow to progress through the game easier and grant you access to new areas. These powers are easy to use and have used effectively. Never once did I have trouble understanding a puzzle or misunderstanding what a new ability could do.
Without spoiling anything, though I could make the argument that there is nothing spoil, the above paragraph describes how this short three to five hour experience plays out. The story goes mostly unexplained, though not much needs to discussed. The game is an artful look at how one deals with grief and urges players to always walk towards the light. To regain their voice, an ability that Gris has lost at the ability of the game. To find a way to face the darkness and to sing out. The story is sweet, simple and ultimately not much to talk about. The story is not the reason one should pick up this game. Gris truly depends on it's wonderful soundtrack and incredible visuals.
Seeing as gameplay is the main focus of this game, it should be noted that Gris controls very well. I never found myself struggling terribly much making jumps or navigating through an area. There were several moments, however, that certain things were a little hard to see. There are red birds that are often trapped inside ceramic pots that you need to free in order to progress. Often I found myself having trouble seeing the little plume of red that would puff out of the pots. There was also an underwater segment about halfway through the game that I had trouble navigating. The camera would pan out, giving a grand view of a huge structure. However, with the camera panned out, it was rather hard to see Gris and move her through the water. I find this to really big my biggest complaint of the game.
So what more can I say about Gris? I would definitely recommend any person play the game, though the $16.99 price point may be a bit too steep for the experience. A beautiful looking game, an angelic soundtrack, wonderful controls and a story that is - for lack of a better complaint, a bit too artsy - I can confidently give Gris a 7/10. I certainly think you should play it, but maybe only after it goes on sale.
Have you played Gris? What are your thoughts on the game? Let me know in the comments below. Want to stay up to date on this blog? Be sure to subscribe so that you get free email updates. Thanks for reading and as always, Good Night and Joy be with you all.
These orbs of life are the clear objective of the game. Collecting the balls of light allows Gris to move forward through this colorless world, often giving her physical bridges to walk across. After collecting enough of them, Gris finds herself in a sort of hub world - an elegant fountain sitting inside of a dome temple. The lights shoot off into the sky, beginning to form a constellation. Having used the orbs as bridges earlier, it's easy to assume ascending into the heavens is our ultimate objective. Throughout the game you gain a few power ups that allow to progress through the game easier and grant you access to new areas. These powers are easy to use and have used effectively. Never once did I have trouble understanding a puzzle or misunderstanding what a new ability could do.
Without spoiling anything, though I could make the argument that there is nothing spoil, the above paragraph describes how this short three to five hour experience plays out. The story goes mostly unexplained, though not much needs to discussed. The game is an artful look at how one deals with grief and urges players to always walk towards the light. To regain their voice, an ability that Gris has lost at the ability of the game. To find a way to face the darkness and to sing out. The story is sweet, simple and ultimately not much to talk about. The story is not the reason one should pick up this game. Gris truly depends on it's wonderful soundtrack and incredible visuals.
Seeing as gameplay is the main focus of this game, it should be noted that Gris controls very well. I never found myself struggling terribly much making jumps or navigating through an area. There were several moments, however, that certain things were a little hard to see. There are red birds that are often trapped inside ceramic pots that you need to free in order to progress. Often I found myself having trouble seeing the little plume of red that would puff out of the pots. There was also an underwater segment about halfway through the game that I had trouble navigating. The camera would pan out, giving a grand view of a huge structure. However, with the camera panned out, it was rather hard to see Gris and move her through the water. I find this to really big my biggest complaint of the game.
So what more can I say about Gris? I would definitely recommend any person play the game, though the $16.99 price point may be a bit too steep for the experience. A beautiful looking game, an angelic soundtrack, wonderful controls and a story that is - for lack of a better complaint, a bit too artsy - I can confidently give Gris a 7/10. I certainly think you should play it, but maybe only after it goes on sale.
Have you played Gris? What are your thoughts on the game? Let me know in the comments below. Want to stay up to date on this blog? Be sure to subscribe so that you get free email updates. Thanks for reading and as always, Good Night and Joy be with you all.
Comments
Post a Comment