GRIS Reviews
Some people can tolerate vague metaphors in the name of artiness, but what frustrates me so much is that GRIS managed to provide me with a real attachment to a minor companion character over the course of 10-15 minutes.
Beneath a sumptuous, absurdly beautiful surface, dark beasts haunt a troubled girl's crumbling fantasy world
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.
A week or so removed from playing Gris, I don't know what I'll remember it for, if at all. Gris feels like it almost belongs in a museum, with crowds marvelling at its art and sound for a few minutes, before moving on to something else. There's moments of beautiful brilliance in Gris, all of which is dragged down by a decidedly average platforming game.
As an audio and visual package, Gris is stunning. However some missteps in gameplay prevent it from being something special.
Gris's beautiful exterior hides a simple, at times confusing, platformer.
Gris's visual appeal hinders as much as it helps its exploration of grief.
Gris is a game primarily defined by its style and beauty. The game starts with a woman who appears to have lost her voice sitting on a stone statue’s hand and then falling as the statue collapses. It’s a strange opening that defies explanation at first, but it exhibits so much of what Gris is about. Gris is a game designed to be more about the visual environment connecting with the player rather than a deep gameplay system.
While visually stunning at times, the simple gameplay of 'GRIS' often lacks color, resulting in an experience that is aesthetically stimulating but surprisingly passive. There is breezy fun to be found in the cute platforming puzzles, but players who value gameplay over graphics may be disappointed in the simplicity and brevity of the journey.
A gorgeous yet ultimately shallow platformer, which tries its best to connect emotionally but disappoints almost as much as it dazzles.
If GRIS goes on sale I would say pick it up if the art style seems appealing, but otherwise don’t look to GRIS to be the new LIMBO or INSIDE because the puzzles aren’t as deep and the gameplay isn’t as prevalent.
It looks great, it's smooth, and you sure can jump a lot – but it's unsatisfying in so many ways that make it difficult to recommend over more competent and feature-rich games in the genre. After all, you know the old adage: beauty is only skin-deep.
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 exactly what gaming needs more of.
Despite some underwhelming puzzles and unused potential in its mechanics, GRIS is a charming platformer. It has some of the best art seen in indie games, and its soundtrack is brilliant. GRIS succeeds at creating a mesmerizing, enchanting experience that is sure to pull on your heartstrings. The length of the game is incredibly short and shouldn’t take more than a few hours to complete, but the other great elements of the game more than make up for this. It is a must play for fans of atmospheric titles such as Fe, Aer, Abzû, and Journey. On those quiet, rainy days when you just want to relax, GRIS is a perfect accompaniment.
After Journey and Abzu, Gris is another extraordinary trip into a fascinating virtual world, which will stay in your head long after the finale - and, unlike the other two, also has playful qualities. Congratulations to Nomada Studio on this great debut project and a worthy end to the game year! Gris takes us on a four-hour emotional journey into a magical world whose colours, images and sounds hypnotize - and which, in addition to its audiovisual attractions, can also entertain us with interesting puzzles and games.
Review in German | Read full review
GRIS is relaxing and visually stunning. It's like a watercolor painting come to life. Much like any piece of art, what you make of it is going to be intensely personal, however if you enjoyed the experience of games like Flower and Journey, you should probably play GRIS. My three hours with the game flew by and I felt reinvigorated at the end, as if I'd just awoken from a good night's sleep (or so I imagine).
Gris is a relaxing, artistic experience that emphasizes its atmosphere over its gameplay. While it only lasts a few hours, fans of surreal worlds and symbolic storytelling should find it to be an enjoyable journey.
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 a masterpiece: stunning art direction, beautiful music and clever design all come together to create an experience you won't soon forget.
Review in Arabic | Read full review