Video Game review: ‘Gris’ is the artistic indie game of the year

Zach Carioti
Fri, 12 Apr 2019 00:52:31 +0000
Arts & Life, News, Opinion, Video Games

Gris was released on Dec. 13, 2018. Courtesy: Screenshot of Gris video game footage

Introduction

“Gris” is an emotional, artistic, platformer-adventure indie game developed by Nomada Studio and published by Devolver Digital. The game came out on Dec. 13 and probably flew over most people’s heads because it came out a week after the blockbuster game “Super Smash Bros. Ultimate,” but it has slowly been gaining steam since its release.

Gameplay

The word “gris” is the Spanish word for gray. You play as an unnamed girl that is trying to bring back color to the world: specifically red, green, blue and yellow. The levels are full of challenging puzzles and themed by the five stages of grief: Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression and Acceptance. The puzzles themselves are challenging at first, but once you figure it out, it’s easy.

Music and Art

The art is made by Conrad Roset, and the music is done by Berlinist. There were times through my playthrough where I would stop playing just to listen to music, which consisted of a variety of piano, violins, xylophone and choir, and admired the landscape of “Gris.” The visuals of this game are gorgeous, and the art is inspired by Spanish paintings.

Conclusion

“Gris” is an emotional game that leaves you crying at the end. Although the game is two hours long, the art is breathtaking, and the music is relaxing. This is available on Steam and Nintendo Switch. If you have two hours in your day and you just want to play a quick indie game, I highly recommend “Gris.”

Rating: 5/5