GRIS

 Switch
User Score
8.5

Generally favorable reviews- based on 356 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 290 out of 356
  2. Mixed: 39 out of 356
  3. Negative: 27 out of 356
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  1. DistantKingDumb
    May 3, 2021
    6
    Aesthetically it is beautiful, but playable it is very mediocre, its impossible to die, and the difficulty is so flat that it is only about moving forward on a series of beautiful wallpapers.
  2. b00lpr0p
    Jan 7, 2019
    7
    It's not even a game, it's more like an interactive screensaver. I don't think it is so amazing beautiful as people use to say, I think it's just O.K.. However, you can get some fun...
  3. DatPhatBoi
    Dec 24, 2018
    5
    I often see people refer to this game as a masterpiece, and that it's an exceptional experience. When I "experienced" this game for myself, I was left wondering why it's worth the price tag. While Gris offers some of the best in sound and visual design, it still has a hollow narrative with no defined goal and shallow gameplay that is remarkably unforgettable.

    Gris is about a young woman    I often see people refer to this game as a masterpiece, and that it's an exceptional experience. When I "experienced" this game for myself, I was left wondering why it's worth the price tag. While Gris offers some of the best in sound and visual design, it still has a hollow narrative with no defined goal and shallow gameplay that is remarkably unforgettable.

    Gris is about a young woman who went through a "painful experience." When the game starts, she is singing on a female statue's hand, but then she loses her voice and the statue crumbles, making her fall down to the ground. As she progresses, she brings back color in the world she lives in. Along the way, she encounters a black ooze that wants to "stop" her.

    What was this statue? Why did she lose her voice? Why does she need to bring back color? What sort of world is this? What is this black ooze, and why does it want to stop her? These questions are never answered, not even paid attention to throughout the game. While it's fine with narrative taking a backseat for the player to create interpretations, there's no basis or foundation for any of those interpretations to begin with. There's no backstory, no exposition, or any sort of basic understanding of themes present in the game. While it is up to the player to come up with many kinds of meanings, this ends up with no true meaning to the game, making it almost unimportant. It is the equivalent of looking through an art book with no thematic lens to see it through. It's pretty, but it means nothing.

    The "gameplay," if you can call it that, is composed of basic platforming: jump, fly, glide, and swim. There are two powerups in total, such as transforming the woman's dress into a block or regaining one's voice to sing and affect the environment, but there's no real creative way in using any of these mechanics to begin with. The most convoluted it gets for GRIS is gravity-shifting, but that's it. There's nothing too complex about using the block to crush things, use the glide to fly, and swimming to different places.

    There's no real obstacle in the player's way other than a few light puzzles, and there's very little interaction when it comes to the game to begin with. In fact, the two "bosses" of the game aren't even bosses, but just more puzzle elements that add little to nothing. I'm fairly certain there's no death mechanics in this game, or no real danger to begin with, making the black ooze come off as nonthreatening.

    There's no real defined goal other than bringing the world back into color, but there's no real reason why. There's no defined reason to interact with these statues, who these statues represent, or what it all means. If it was intentional design leaving it up to the player, then the "meaning" of this game is lost.

    There's no real point to experience this "experience" if there's nothing of value to pull away from. The visual watercolor design is fantastic, and it is one of the best in graphical design. The colors are used to good effect, and it has beautiful animation, the character and the environment moving fluidly in the game. The soundtrack is phenomenal, but it does make one wonder why people should buy the game when you can get the same experience with the soundtrack instead at a lower price.

    In truth, the overall value of GRIS is like enjoying the gift wrap of a gift instead of the gift itself. It offers little to no control toward making whatever decisions you'd like, and instead trudges you along. There's nothing truly unique about its gameplay mechanics, nothing noteworthy about its narrative, if it has one, and it lacks any thematic pull. It offers the least amount of interaction or choice to the player, making one wonder if it can even be considered a "game" in the first place. While it excels in sound and visuals, everything else rings hollow in GRIS. GRIS doesn't want you to play. It wants you to watch.    … Expand
  4. yusep
    Aug 22, 2019
    5
    "Not great, not terrible"

    -Mediocre level design and puzzles
    -Excelent art and music.

    If you look for challenge or meaningful experience look elsewhere. It is not bad, it is just mediocre as a game and acceptable as a mean to spend some time.
  5. EdwardG
    Nov 9, 2019
    7
    Gris is a beautiful game, with every frame looking like a work of art. I've never taken so many screenshots in such a short time, but it's hard not to when everything in Gris is so pretty. The use of colour and all the animations set Gris apart in the visuals department. The music fits perfectly, and the parts of the game involving singing are just amazing.

    The art of the game is what    Gris is a beautiful game, with every frame looking like a work of art. I've never taken so many screenshots in such a short time, but it's hard not to when everything in Gris is so pretty. The use of colour and all the animations set Gris apart in the visuals department. The music fits perfectly, and the parts of the game involving singing are just amazing.

    The art of the game is what makes it worth playing, but it's got decent gameplay too.

    Gris is definitely worth experiencing first hand, but when all is said and done, you'll remember the art of the game more than what you get to play.    … Expand
  6. EddieDoeMet
    May 6, 2019
    7
    Juego muy bonito, pero en mi opinión sobrevalorado. Las mecánicas de juego son limitadas y la segunda mitad del juego (de 3-4 horas de duración total) se hace incluso aburrido por repetir las dinámicas de juego.
  7. ARGzelder
    Jan 16, 2019
    7
    Uno de los grandes indies del 2018 es sin lugar a dudas "Gris", un juegos de plataformas y puzzles que narra una historia abstracta pero hermosa de ver. Con un arte en acuarela viviente vemos como nuestro personaje evoluciona junto con su mundo.
    En cuanto a controles es sólido, los botones son responsables y la movilidad se siente muy natural. La música esta bien orquestada para que en    Uno de los grandes indies del 2018 es sin lugar a dudas "Gris", un juegos de plataformas y puzzles que narra una historia abstracta pero hermosa de ver. Con un arte en acuarela viviente vemos como nuestro personaje evoluciona junto con su mundo.
    En cuanto a controles es sólido, los botones son responsables y la movilidad se siente muy natural. La música esta bien orquestada para que en cada capítulo el sonido responda a nuestro progreso y al ambiente que nos rodea. Los detalles están bien cuidados y ayuda mucho a que uno se compenetre con la historia.
    No es un juego para todo el mundo, pero sin lugar a dudas si estás abierto a explorar el lado más artístico de los vídeo juegos "Gris" es una de mis mayores recomendaciones, es atractivo a la vista, fácil de aprender y no tan difícil como para estancarte.
    Mi experiencia en Switch fue casi perfecta, hay un punto en el segundo capítulo donde la música se perdía, no estoy seguro si era a propósito o un error. Pero en general el juego es tan vibrante que compensa ese momento de intriga.    … Expand
  8. iMustang
    Jul 12, 2019
    7
    Normally I don't go for those simple platform games where small puzzles are the only gameplay involvement you have, but GRIS on Nintendo Switch seemed to have a charm going for it with it's unique art style and claims of amazing music. On both accounts, I was not disappointed. This game that will only last you a few hours or so feeling like you're playing a video game version of Fantasia,Normally I don't go for those simple platform games where small puzzles are the only gameplay involvement you have, but GRIS on Nintendo Switch seemed to have a charm going for it with it's unique art style and claims of amazing music. On both accounts, I was not disappointed. This game that will only last you a few hours or so feeling like you're playing a video game version of Fantasia, with no spoken dialogue the entire game. You feel like you're playing a moving picture with the soundtrack itself coming to life with your every step. Despite the fact there are no game overs in the game, there are still moments of intensity and fear and emotions you have that never takes away the feeling of danger. The story is also very subtle, to the point I had to google afterwards what it was to understand the journey I just went on. If I had a word for this game, it's simply "beautiful", and with only a $16 price tag (or less if you get it on sale like I did) it's a game worth getting, especially if you want a nice chill game that will help you unwind before bed or put you in a relaxing mood.… Expand
  9. rookfire
    Dec 25, 2020
    6
    There's not a lot to do and you can't really replay it, but this is a beautiful and atmospheric game. The soundtrack and the watercolor backgrounds are really beautiful.
  10. Daisuk
    Mar 4, 2021
    5
    The artwork is simply stunning - gorgeous beyond belief, but the gameplay in this is just ... there's nothing to it. Walk simulator. I really hope the developer will make a more challenging sequel to this, as the artwork is simply stunning.
  11. bingbang
    Jun 22, 2020
    5
    Beautiful art style and music but I'm afraid GRIS didn't offer me much more than that. Its parable of grief is a great theme but executed too abstractly for my tastes.
  12. ironfoam
    Apr 27, 2022
    6
    A beautiful game with lovely artwork and music. Simply a nice experience to play through. To me, this is more of an experience, almost a piece of art, than a game. The gameplay and puzzles were good, but not good enough for me to consider this an overall truly great game.
  13. BetaPlayer
    Jul 31, 2022
    7
    This game it's amazing when it comes to the artstyle, everything looks beautiful, the colors, the main character, the statue, it's outstanding, the story is great, the music is good, it doesn't hit so hard, but it's welcome, the puzzle however are a little too easy and the game is too short, it lasts for about 6 hours, but if you want a peaceful game, well, this is a go-go

Awards & Rankings

53
#53 Best Switch Game of 2018
18
#18 Most Discussed Switch Game of 2018
7
#7 Most Shared Switch Game of 2018

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
83

Generally favorable reviews - based on 43 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 38 out of 43
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 43
  3. Negative: 0 out of 43
  1. Nintendo Force Magazine
    Aug 28, 2019
    80
    An absolutely gorgeous work of art that everyone should experience at some point. [Issue #39 – May/June 2019, p. 23]
  2. CD-Action
    Mar 25, 2019
    50
    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]
  3. Worth Playing
    Jan 14, 2019
    90
    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.
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