GRIS

Almost universal admiration for Gris says a lot about the condition of video games industry. It’s just a 2D platformer devoid of any challenge, and instead of evoking true feeling it makes a good first impression (“wow, it’s beautiful!”) and then just glides for a couple of hours using that momentum. It doesn’t actually have anything important to say, it’s just pretty. [02/2019, p.56]

While the story is loose and can leave players feeling a little lost, there are emotional cues that symbolize this as a journey of loss and healing. The excellent soundtrack, level design and commitment to themes make Gris a memorable title for all. With fun, adventurous platforming and puzzles that are both challenging and intuitive, its playstyle keeps things simple by placing player cognition at the forefront. Gris is a true work of indie art that prides itself on attention to details. Fans of works of art and video games will find a relatable home in Gris. Although this is Nomada Studio's first title, it has hit every possible note out of the park.

Gris is a beautiful puzzle-platformer about making it through the ordeals of hardship, and it’ll likely stay with you long after the credits have rolled.

Like a playable painting of ink and pigment, GRIS is a powerful and significant game, even if the visual art often overshadows the actual play.

Gris is a masterclass in aesthetic design in games. The vibrant watercolour visuals, the astounding animation quality, the impressive attention to detail and the gorgeous landscapes all combine to produce a truly breathtaking experience. The gameplay isn’t revolutionary, but it is satisfying and offers more than simply a means of delivering the fantastic visuals and terrific soundtrack. Do yourself a favour and play Gris on the biggest screen you can find and let the magic wash through your soil.

Magical atmosphere, stunning art direction, beautiful music and clever design all come together to create an extraordinary experience.

It is very complex to be able to start talking about GRIS since it is a unique experience that pushes the narrative limits of the game as a medium. It is one of those works that make a difference, perhaps not with commercial success and recognition of the general public but in its nature of art has the quality that gives "What to think", that is, encourages critical thinking while leading to player to find emotional resonance in the journey of his trip. And there comes a point where it becomes almost impossible to discern between a dream and its game mechanics.

Though its narrative could use more teeth, as a sensory experience GRIS is hard to beat and the most striking looking game of 2018.

GRIS is best experienced as single-sitting five-hour adventure and after that there's nothing more to do really do with the game. The puzzles are a lot less engaging on repeat and the world is very linear. In every other aspect though GRIS is a masterpiece in visualization and atmospheric storytelling.

Other games may have it beat in terms of pure gameplay, but GRIS is in a league of its own as a gaming experience.

GRIS captures imagination, the beauty of movement and the lustre of a sumptuous piece of art, all the while letting the player interact with it, making us feel both insignificant and yet ever more important.

A beautifully designed platform adventure with quite a few surprises and good ideas, making this a playable artwork that will not leave you untouched.

GRIS is a wonderful and essential game about loss and pain that tells a cryptic story about a girl in search of herself. It is another success for Devolver Digital.

GRIS is a beautiful game, but it is much more than that. It’s an excellent puzzle platformer, with a great level design and a soundtrack that works beautifully with the art.

A stunning visual achievement and a mediocre Metroidvania but despite that unevenness this is still an affecting interactive journey with real emotional resonance.

GRIS is an emotional journey through a beautifully crafted world. Featuring one of the most gorgeous art styles we've seen this year, GRIS deserves your attention. Nomada Studios has crafted a truly memorable experience and as the developer's debut game, they've set the bar extremely high for whatever comes next.

Gris doesn't offer anything particularly exciting gameplay-wise but its awe-inspiring world will be more than enough to suck you in.

Gris is an immensely important game, one that is another shining example of how much can be done with the medium. The visuals and the sound design are both complemented perfectly by the intense story and serve to create an incredible experience. Gris is a must play and shouldn't be missed for any reason.

The combination of imagery, art, music, and storytelling make GRIS understated but exquisite.

Among these sorts of games (see Pinstripe and Forgotten Anne), GRIS is perhaps the least developed in terms of gameplay and its more ambiguous approach to storytelling might turn off those of you who prefer a more concrete story. However, it also happens to be incredibly gorgeous and features a fantastic soundtrack that helps sell the emotional weight of its wordless narrative. So, personally, I found GRIS to be a worthwhile experience but I can also fully understand those who won’t see the appeal.

In its 3-4 hour playtime, GRIS won’t change the way you think about platformers, but with such a beautiful hand-painted art style and haunting score, it’s an exquisite mini masterpiece that heals the soul.

In the moments that I played and experienced Gris I believed it was the most dazzling and elegant game I had ever seen. It was the most I’ve been in to a game in the current calendar year. Astonishment is temporary and hyperbole rationally fades into coherence, but I hope the strength and singularity of Gris stays with me forever.

The true beauty of a minimalist story tied with absolutely stunning visuals and emotionally resonant music make for a genuine masterpiece. Gris is an absolute gem of a work that definitely deserves your attention.

I loved looking at GRIS. I loved playing GRIS. I loved watching GRIS in motion. Is this the next industry breaking game? No, it’s a standard puzzle platformer at its core. It is, however, an emotional and beautiful journey, an adventure where every event is up to the player’s own interpretation.

Sometimes you do not need hyperrealistic graphics or eternal stories to enjoy a video game. GRIS is a good example. It is an original, intimate, short and audiovisually-great proposal. A title that you should not miss if you like video games, animation and art.

GRIS is an evocative experience and from now on, an completely must have. It's an essential video game like titles such Journey or Limbo. It shows that videogames are art through audiovisual elements, as a spectacular artistic environment or a perfect game design. This game make us feel indescribable feelings.

GRIS is a true work of art because it isn’t only beautiful, but also meaningful. A game with exceptional design that, despite some minor flaws, will definitely get to your heart and make you feel. This is the closest to poetry that any videogame has ever come.

A tranquil and serene game in the flavour of Journey or Inside, one that is as beautiful as it can be.

Gris plays to your aural and optical senses by delivering something exquisite in that area, but lacks a compelling story to prop itself up alongside equivalents.

As a one-off experience or one-time playthrough, GRIS is certainly one of the most artistic and provocative experiences I’ve seen in video games. While I would’ve liked to see a more fleshed out world, with meaningful collectibles and more puzzles to solve, GRIS is still worth a look for anyone who has an interest in platformers or silent stories

Gris is a game about loss wrapped up in one, truly stunning package that should be experienced by everyone.

GRIS is a wonderful artistic achievement, with a simply sublime visual style and soundtrack that grows and evolves through the course of an emotional story.

Far from all the AAA games we've played in the past weeks, GRIS offers a simple, artistic and yet mesmerizing experience, that blows your eyes with wonderful drawings and your ears with a magnificent OST. Yes it's short, but its intensity makes it one of the best games of the year.

Gris is, at times, a meditative, affecting exploration of complex emotions that uses its levels as a canvas for some of the most beautiful visual design in any platformer, backed by a fantastic score. At others, it’s a maddeningly simple and confusing game that lets its artistic ambitions run roughshod over its gameplay.

With its first game, the newborn Nomada Studio hits the sky. With its striking evocative force, GRIS not only pleases the eyes, thanks to Conrad Roset's beautiful art style, but speaks to all of our senses. Revealing its numerous tricks one by one, the game succeeds in delivering both splendid and complex visuals without ever getting frustrating. Adorned by a sumptuous soundtrack which tells the story as much as the background, GRIS is nothing but a true masterpiece.

With an arresting art style and admirable commitment to minimalist game design, Gris manages to turn a straightforward, often derivative platformer into something that feels far more special and important.

Gris takes you on a relaxing yet emotional adventure, encouraging you to take your time and soak up its world along the way. The gameplay may be simple, but it provides a strong enough bridge to engage with this enchanting world. It’s an inspiring work of beauty that’s well worth the journey.

Between the gorgeous artwork, haunting score, and increasingly abstract world, it manages to take you on a journey through depression that words alone never could. If it's something you've experienced yourself, you can probably guess where it's going and what those shadows might be, but Gris is no less powerful for it. In fact, it's quite the opposite: at least for me, the familiarity of Gris' journey is what made it so impactful, like it was reaching out a hand and saying "I understand."

Gris may feel sluggish to control at times, but for the most part, you’ll want to take it slow anyway, to take in the game’s beautiful environments. When you reach a new area, or unlock a new colour into the world, you’ll soon forget about that annoying platforming section; you’ll be too busy being mesmerised by how beautiful everything is.

GRIS is an amazing experience, with a brilliant artistic philosophy. The music fits perfectly but we would have appreciated some more original ideas for the gameplay and a more explicit scenario to guide us during the game.

GRIS is not only a perfectly designed puzzle-platformer, it's a title that whisks the player away on a journey of colorful catharsis. Surprises are waiting around every corner of this ever-evolving world, and its stride remains strong, from the onset until the very end.