Gris is an enjoyable platformer with a melancholy atmosphere and a sense of wonder. It’s absolutely GORGEOUS, with an evolving look as color slowly comes back into the world as the player progresses. I found the controls, evolving abilities, and game design well implemented (for the most part) and most importantly, fun.
On the flip side, there’s a touch too little exploration to be done of/in the engaging landscape, particularly in the wonderfully stark early section. The game will kind of railroad the player around at certain points, making it hard to get a sense of geography. When the visuals change dramatically and the game spins me around rapidly down several unclimbable slopes I often couldn’t tell if I was re-exploring an area I’d already visited or not. It didn’t significantly impact my progression, but did break immersion a bit. Also, some dramatic moments have their impact pretty much killed when control is either forcibly (by turning things into a cut scene in the middle of a pivotable moment) or subtly (having the player apparently in control but without their actions actually making a difference in outcomes) taken away.
So it’s not without its drawbacks, but there’s still a solid, engaging game in Gris well worth checking out for anyone who likes the idea of an “artsy” platformer shaped by its underlying themes.
Derailments of Thought 