GRIS
Title: GRIS
Developer: Nomada Studio
Publisher: Devolver Digital
Website: https://nomada.studio/
Genre: Adventure, Action, Platformer, Puzzle
Platform: Nintendo Switch
Audience: 3
Release Date: 13/12/2018
Price: £14.49– Rapid Reviews UK was very kindly provided with a review code for this game.
What the Developers say
Gris 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.
GRIS is a serene and evocative experience, free of danger, frustration or death. Players will explore a meticulous designed world brought to life with delicate art, detailed animation, and an elegant original score. Through the game light puzzles, platforming sequences, and optional skill-based challenges will reveal themselves as more of Gris’s world becomes accessible.
Introduction
When I saw the artwork and the trailer for GRIS, I knew that I was in for a unique experience. The game is set around the theme of grief, never an easy subject to tackle. Read on to find out how Nomada Studios approached this subject, and how I got on in the stunning, watercoloured world of GRIS.
Looks and Sounds
GRIS is a visual and auditory masterpiece. I found myself stopping to take a screenshot at almost every turn. The music, sound effects and gameplay all work in perfect synchronicity and immerses you in the game. Usually, the soundtrack serves to complement the onscreen action. However, in the case of GRIS, the soundtrack is a critical part of the game which adds to the experience.
The soundtrack by
Gameplay and Replayability
The controls are straightforward and easy to pick up. Only a couple of buttons are needed to accomplish all tasks. The challenge arrives when skills need to be combined to complete puzzles. As the character makes her way through the world, she acquires new abilities. These are then used to reach different parts of the world and complete a variety of challenges which grow in complexity. The main character finds her voice again, and in turn, she discovers her power and rediscovers her inner strength.
After playing GRIS for a little while, I was slightly concerned that the game and puzzles would become a bit repetitive. However, the developers have been very creative in their level design and somehow keep the puzzles fresh. This is achieved through ever-changing scenery and the need to use newly acquired skills and abilities.
A tip that I would give any new player would be to listen to and look carefully at the game. Puzzles which seem difficult can always be solved, there are lots of visual and auditory hints which will help you.
You can’t die in GRIS, but this doesn’t take away from the experience at all. There are moments of suspense and tension throughout as well as pure joy and happiness.
Regarding replayability, there are challenges which you can complete throughout the game. For example, I avoided being bitten by an eel, and this led to an on-screen notification to say that I had met this challenge. Completionists will want to try to beat all of the challenges.
GRIS is such a stunning game. Even if I didn’t want to play the game through again myself, I would be more than happy to watch someone else playing the game and enjoy it just as much as when I played it.
Conclusion
GRIS is unlike any game I’ve ever played before. The game feels like a journey from some of the darkest moments in your life, the pain and suffering that you feel, to knowing that you can eventually overcome pain and become happy again. Nomada Studios have created a little gem of a game, and I would suggest that it is a game worth experiencing.
Rapid Reviews UK Rating
You can purchase GRIS at the Nintendo eShop on the following link, https://www.nintendo.co.uk/Games/Nintendo-Switch-download-software/GRIS-1483920.html
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