Gris Nintendo Switch Review

A Beautiful Journey

The beginning of Gris is comparable to that of the 2017 masterpiece The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. If you’ve played Breath of the Wild, you’ll be familiar with the moment Link steps out into Hyrule for the first time. As he starts sprinting, the music builds and the camera pans upwards from the edge of a cliff showing the expansive first area and Hyrule castle in the distance. This moment feels like the beginning of a great adventure, and that’s how many moments of Gris feel. Although the journey in Gris is a more personal one, it feels massive. This grandeur helps convey story elements – particularly in boss fights which are less combat oriented.

Gameplay

Gris didn’t need a compelling story or exciting combat to hook me. This was a game I completed in a few sittings due to its compelling environment and sound which absorbed my attention.

Gris’ core gameplay elements are nothing we haven’t seen before, however, these elements are wound together well. The game typically follows a linear progression from puzzles and collectables, with the player choosing which to obtain first and last. These collections typically end with the restoration of colour into the world. With this progression, the world becomes more beautiful and the change in scenery helps keep things fresh.

At the beginning Gris can come off as a walking simulator to some. However, these moments of narrative pause are essential in letting the player experience what Gris truly offers in its environment and sound design. When playing, I, like many others, in no way wanted to rush these moments. These moments spent in downtime are just as important as the vibrant boss battles – but Gris never truly strays from its slower gameplay as even these boss battles consist of the simple repetition of mechanics.

In Gris, there is no threat of death – in comparison to similar platformers like Inside and Celeste. This means there is an inherent lack of challenge, even in most puzzles. This does not hinder the game unless the player is someone who needs to be stimulated by some kind of challenge or difficulty. Gris instead is aimed towards a different player base and offers an experience similar to Journey and those like it.

The game mechanics are learned naturally through the environment and camera positioning. Few prompts are displayed when a new ability is unlocked, but these are never much more than ‘press B’. Allowing the player to discover and understand the world themselves is an important distinction. This forms a connection that we are with the protagonist on this emotional journey and we too are experiencing these hardships.

The player typically follows a linear path. Most areas were made up of a centrepiece indicating how many ‘stars’ are needed to collect. From here the player would travel left or right to collect the corresponding pieces.

Gris borrows its tranquillity from Journey, and its ambient puzzle soundscapes from Monument valley – however, Gris manages to stand out as a piece of art that is completely its own. In comparison to Journey, Gris more so understands the value of its medium – that is not to say the games are in contest with each other though they use their medium differently. The player feels they are responsible for the world’s exploration, unlike when watching a movie containing a more distant character than a playable character tends to be.

Sound & Visuals

The music, especially towards the end half of the game really drew me in as a sense of tension and conflict was conveyed. This music aligns with the game’s themes which aren’t explicit but can be generally understood by players. As a game with no dialogue, Gris truly utilises the effects of sound and visuals. Gris conveys its story by showing the player without explicitly telling them, letting them decode the message for themselves.

Interpretations

Gris leaves itself open to the interpretation of the player, so I won’t spoil your experience with my full thoughts on the underlying message. The game explores the protagonist’s struggle, whether you interpret that as healing from trauma, grief, mental health issues or something else.

Replayability

The world and beauty of Gris are what provides most of its replayability. The puzzles and challenges don’t stand out on their own to draw the player back in – despite initially being very fun. However, the fluidity and open-to-interpretation storyline (and the emotionally moving world) is what will encourage the player back into Gris after a while.