Yesterday, with some lovely company, I finished Gris by Barcelonian indie developer Nomada Studio. I was so absolutely awe inspired by the game that I wanted to provide a brief review and endorsement.

By my estimation, GRIS’ primarily composition goal is the utilization of aesthetic evocation to illustrate its central theme: coping with trauma, loss, and grief. So, while there are platforms to leap and items to collect, GRIS definitely feels more like an interactive audio-visual psycho-therapeutic aid than a “video game.” To be cute, the game definitely aims more for “musikdrama” than “Mario.”

Setting aside its compositional goals, any discussion of GRIS really should start with its aesthetic accomplishments. I’ll be blunt, GRIS is one of the most beautiful and engrossing pieces of media I’ve ever expierenced. Even “desensitized” by several similar and immaculate offerings — Hyper Light Drifter, Transistor, et al. — I was absolutely spellbound from beginning to end by the games expressive, coherent, and perfectly integrated audio and visual art. Actions being more persuasive than words, I will state that I (a) started listening to Berlinist’s exquisite score immediately after finishing my first play session; and (b) paged through the game’s expansive art / design extras immediately after completing the game. However, as always, the two are better in tandem than isolation.

Notwithstanding the forgoing, GRIS’ stunning content and concomitant themes are doled out like any other game within the puzzle / platformer genre; i.e. you solve simple visual puzzles with the limited tools available to you to progress. This part of the game, which truly is its minority focus, is also excellent. Even in the absence of a fear of failure (I don’t believe you can “lose” the game), every single puzzle, stage, and challenge within this game was remarkably rewarding to complete. My company and I would “ah-ha!” frequently as we figured out how to progress through the game’s various stages, which is, I think, universally accepted as a virtue in puzzle games.

Simply stated, GRIS is a game that must be seen, heard, and experienced to be understood. Further, the game is so accessible — consisting of a few hours play time and a handful of simple commands — that I struggle to imagine anyone I would not push to try this game. That said, I might especially recommend it to (a) people who “don’t like video games;” (b) artistic / creative types; and © children / the young at heart.

5/5 — GRIS will make you weep in awe at its beauty and sob in shame that it shares a medium with Carmageddon 64.