Effective in so much its core sensory experience rather than as a narrative on grief. The latter aspect being considered critical (as brought up in the game’s marketing and positive/negative reactions to the actual game) is strange because I do not think it registers in any method where it significantly impairs or uplifts the experience. Rather, it is something that is occasionally gestured to but never capitalized on, making it feel as if it were added last-minute to the narrative. The five stages of grief structure to the narrative, for example is not something deeply woven into each level, but only existing as a peripheral analogy alluded to with color and broken buildings. I also find it somewhat questionable to find agreement in the developers’ idea of the main character’s inability to jump or walk cleanly at the intro as a “shocking” experience that is deeply resonating in regard to depicting the character’s mental health.

I do not write this to ultimately claim that the game was not built on the theme of mourning in the first place (especially considering the sincerity found here overall). Rather, it calls into attention how much media language surrounding mental health remains limited and often vague without a deeper understanding of how to truly elaborate on individual struggles. I think trying to incorporate universality and linearity in depicting mental health in games such as this, as much as it is a noble intention in attempting to find resonance with as many players as possible, ultimately kills any potential for creating a powerful artistic product. Grief and depression as abstract ever-shifting black creatures that are “defeated” (see Sea of Solitude as another example of this) is a kind of idea attached to the broader structure of gaming: conquer the levels, defeat the boss and save the day. Even as developers attempt to not explicitly depict depression as something that is “cured” in material like this (and I believe they are sincerely attempting to make sure this does not occur), the structure of something like Gris prevents looking at mourning from a more holistic (or life-long) context and instead only does so as an immediate crisis resolved linearly. Perhaps this is something that does apply to some people who have gone through this, and it’s good if something like this relates to them. However, the limits of this structure remain clear to those whose issues cannot be treated in a manner as Gris does.

It’s especially clear seeing how limited Gris’s language is in regard to mental health in comparison to its competence as a platformer. As much as there are mechanical limits to what can be made under a structure which does not desire for frustration on behalf of the player, the limitations also feel matching to the aforementioned sensory experience. What is enriching to Gris is not so much the intended thematic ideas but rather the underlying flow of being subsumed into the watercolor environments. This flow, though, almost never really matches the game’s themes outside of key moments related to the “creature” of depression; to a degree, the lack of tension is what perhaps hollows out any intended thematic depth. The dissonance showcases the ultimate challenge of attempting to integrate aspects of mental health into gaming, a kind of challenge that I ultimately don’t have any answers to other than to consider paths besides universality.