GRIS
• Nintendo Switch • Puzzle, PlatformerGris is a hopeful young girl lost in her own world, dealing with a painful experience in her life. Her journey through sorrow is manifested in her dress, which grants new abilities to better navigate her faded reality. As the story unfolds, Gris will grow emotionally and see her world in a different way, revealing new paths to explore using her new abilities.
Thoughts
Rather than a conventional video game, Gris plays like a wonderful cinematic experience. Paired with the excellent soundtrack, the game’s visual storytelling is out of this world. From the environment design, to each little sound effect, every detail has been meticulously crafted and adds something to its special atmosphere.
Throughout this trip portraying the five stages of grief, we are tasked with returning colour to the protagonist’s world, which has been rid of it by a painful event in her life. Since there is no text in this game, we can only assume that Gris has lost someone of great importance. Based on the opening sequence in which Gris sings while standing on a female statue’s hands, and the recurrent female statues scattered across the protagonist’s world, I drew the conclusion that the grief she feels is tied to the loss of her mother. As we progress through the story, Gris’ grief transforms from sadness into anger, from depression into hope, until her world is full of colour and she comes to accept her painful loss.
Although the twists and turns of Gris’ journey to acceptance made me anxious at times, it was truly a heartfelt portrayal of loss, translated into gorgeous art, animation, and music. Moreover, Gris is one of those pieces of media that could be interpreted in many different ways, making it an experience that every player will be able to take something from. Another one of those masterpieces that remind me what it is that I love so much about video games.
Sneak peek
