Pax West Spotlight: Gris

By: TheJewphin

Gris. What Even Is?

Gris is a 2-D sidescrolling platformer developed by Nomada Studios. Gris follows a young girl's emotional journey through a watercolor landscape as she deals with a painful event in her life.

The primary focus of Gris is the art, featuring hand-drawn watercolor environments which become more vibrant as the game progresses. The music is subtle and light to match the softness of the environments and there are neither enemies nor combat.

Gris. Why Cool?

Gris is very literally a work of art. While I believe that all games are art and should be treated as such, Gris is a game that makes the argument for you. The environments are beautiful and lovingly designed. Your main progression path sees you unlocking new colors for the world, adding new gameplay elements for each. For instance, when you unlock blue, the level adds water sections.

The game is also a very relaxing emotional journey. There is no death or fighting and the challenges are rarely hard enough to be frustrating. Instead, the soft piano music and the watercolor environments keep you fully engaged in the experience while also reaching into your chest and giving your heart and gentle pet.

Gris. When is?

Gris will be released for PC, Mac, and Switch on December 1, 2018. If you're looking for proof that games can be works of art or just want a break from high intensity high stress games, I highly recommend picking this one up.