I love artsy games. Some times it's nice just to sit back and play a casual game that is a visual treat. Gris is one of these games. Like many other games before it, it offers tight gameplay, but short and sweet experience. There's really no story here, and you have to make what you can of the story based on context only. You play as a woman who loses her voice to a dark force that seems to swallow up all the color in the world. It's your job to get that color back and your voice. That's the only thing I got out of this entire game story-wise. I wanted something more, there are games that have told breathtaking stories on just context alone such as Journey, but what's here is fine. The game is broken up into three levels based on colors. In the color Red, you gain the ability to weigh things down. You jump around platforms and have to figure out various platforming puzzles. Using your abilities you must navigate the area to acquire stars to unlock the next section and finish the level. These are rather clever and I never got stuck, but I was challenged. I had to think and it quickly clicked after a few tries throughout the game on most puzzles. The controls are great and not floaty or slippery. The girl has a nice momentum with the ability to glide, double jump, and swim which is all acquired throughout the game. The second level, Green, is probably the easiest and most laid back level. There aren't many platforming puzzles, but there are challenges instead that require good timing. You find a woodland creature companion part way through and you use him for a few challenges, but this level was not difficult. I acquired the double jump ability here and this opened up more challenges. The final level, Blue, is a mixed underwater and upside down platforming and the levels are labyrinthine and challenging. I didn't get too lost in this level, but I did wander around a little more than I wanted to. You have to use everything you learned to beat this level and that includes platforming challenges that combine all of your abilities and precise timing. This game isn't quite a breeze as it did work my brain a bit which is nice. Throughout the game, there are a couple of scripted chase scenes with the dark void that took your voice which changes the pace up a bit, but overall it's very nicely paced and I was able to play all 3 hours in one sitting and was sucked in. While the game lacks in story it makes up for in gameplay with challenging platforming, some puzzles, and a gorgeous watercolor art style that is just a joy to look at every second you are in the game. This is Gris' main draw is the eye-catching art style. I wanted to know more about this mysterious girl, but we just got platforming instead. Oh well, as it stands it's a must-play for fans of games like Journey or The Unfinished Swan. I had a blast, and while the game itself wasn't memorable, the art style is striking enough to remember.

GRIS is about a girl who has lost her mother and her world is falling apart—she is depressed and in grief. Throughout the game, she travels across these gorgeous painting-esque structures and environments on a journey to cope with her grief; to not be consumed by it. The gameplay loop involves you solving small puzzles with some light platforming as you travel the world and

GRIS is about a girl who has lost her mother and her world is falling apart—she is depressed and in grief. Throughout the game, she travels across these gorgeous painting-esque structures and environments on a journey to cope with her grief; to not be consumed by it. The gameplay loop involves you solving small puzzles with some light platforming as you travel the world and bring back its color. This entire game is one extended metaphor and understanding how the narrative is weaved into the gameplay in such a subtle way is brilliant; like how the colors returning represents the main character getting over her grief step by step and becoming "alive again" in the process. The music is exquisite and accompanies each event competently. Overall GRIS is a chill and somber, yet encouraging piece of art that feels memorable to me despite it being only a few hours long. There are a few small flaws, like how I got stuck a couple times toward the end and middle of the runtime because of there being almost zero communication from the game on what to do—The slight annoyance made me forget about the story the game is trying to tell for a bit, but I understand that the lack of communication was a conscious effort to make you immersed in the experience. I'm just retarded sometimes. It might not be an issue for you. 9/10 It beautiful and relaxing.