Artsy games have never been something I have really played all that much. Sure I’ve heard down the grapevine that Journey is a breathtaking masterpiece and Child of Light is an unforgettable experience but never I’ve never felt the need to sit down and play these games for myself. So it’s pretty strange to me that I just decided one day to sit down and play the stunning work of art that is GRIS.

GRIS’s obvious main allure is its brilliant art style. The game takes on a beautiful watercolor aesthetic that feels like a moving painting. The animations are wonderfully crafted, making it sometimes hard to believe that this game is even a game at all. At times during my playthrough, I honestly had to stop and just admire the breathtaking scenery. The attention to detail is exceptional, with little critters moving about the environments making the world feel so much more alive. The aesthetic even plays into the game’s central theme, with the player unlocking more and more colors to the world as the game progresses. Not only do these colors enrich the environments, but they also tie into the mechanics of the game. When you unlock Yellow, light fixtures glow to reveal the path forward. When you unlock Red, powerful sandstorms whip up and push back at you, impeding your progress. This perfect blend of gameplay with visuals elevates the game even further, creating a truly unique experience.

The gameplay is of a simple side-scrolling puzzle-platformer where your character navigates the four distinct landscapes. No dialogue is given throughout the entire game, letting the player figure out solutions to its simple yet-neat little puzzles it presents when traversing its gorgeous environments. Its almost Metroidvania-like in a way, where your character gains new abilities and has to use those abilities to traverse the game’s landscapes. This simplistic gameplay makes you enter this almost zen-like state letting you just absorb the visuals and music and taking in everything the game has to offer.

GRIS’s captivating art style and serene gameplay offer a cozy experience perfect for anyone to jump in and play. This perfect blend of visuals and gameplay really emphasize GRIS’s message without taking away from either. While its meager four-hour playtime may turn off a few, it more then makes up for it by providing a stellar experience for all. Even as a non-artsy game fan I can still recommend this game to anyone and highly recommend it to anyone looking for a cozy adventure to play through for a night.

Gris is an excellent and short game. The less said about the experience, the better. So briefly, I loved my experience with it, this is basically an arthouse painting coming to life and you have various interpretations of the subject. To me, I felt it explored depression and a person who is truly broken. Of course, there is more than that, but I believe that's best for the gamer to decide. It's a game that uses its medium quite effectively to explore certain ideas. The gameplay was never intrusive and felt intuitive the entire time and it has some good level design. There was one section I was a little bit stuck on, but you can figure it out quite easily. The controls and gameplay do take a step back to take in a wonderful atmosphere. The music was bloody fantastic and complemented the visuals in creating an immersive experience. It is no exaggeration to state every frame can be a painting. Overall, Gris is an excellent game and worth 3-4 hours of your time.

Note: Either 8 or 9/10, I'm unsure.