Saturday, October 24, 2020

October 24, 2020
20

Art evolves, as nature does. It all started humbly with cavern walls and charcoal, still discovered thousands of years later. We learned how to make paper, and that too became a medium for art. Paints and the canvas we used got better and brighter. In this digital and interactive age it's only natural that art too shall evolve and grow upon this new medium we call computers. 3D painting is already a thing in the novel VR systems.

Interactive art seems a foreign concept to many. Art is something you look at, but never touch after all. We were taught this from a young age. But, computer games bring a new dimension to these fragile things. Anyone can appreciate, interact and experience first hand.

Gris enters the stage.


Interactive

We've recently reviewed Sundered. A hand drawn metroidvania action-platformer. (Great game, do check it out)

Gris, features a ton of hand drawn and watercolor art. It's not an action hack and slash like Sundered, but deserves praise for the style and art nonetheless. You play as a young girl dealing with emotions. As she grows, so do her powers, and with it the game world around her. New abilities such as stomping, double jumping, swimming and song will increase your ability to navigate the world. Much like any metroidvania.

Short, but beautiful

As far as the game goes, Gris can be completed in under 3 hours. It's not super long on it's own. You can hunt achievements and take about twice as long and get your money's worth. The game was recently in a Humble choice as well as a Fanatical Bundle. So if you're looking for it, you shouldn't have much trouble trading for it.

As such, it's an experience more than a game. It feels like a walking simulator for the first 5 minutes, but quickly gains more interactivity and jumping/puzzles. Nothing too challenging - your 8 year old sister could probably complete it with a few helpful directions. The main selling point for the game is the art and music, as you'll quickly find while playing it or browsing the screenshots. Gris is in essence an interactive work of art. It will amaze you with it's fluid colors, and serene music.

Gris can be found on Steam, Humble bundle, Fanatical and likely more stores. It's got "overwhelmingly positive" reviews on steam.

Release date: 13 Dec, 2018

Minimum system requirements: Windows 7 or later, Intel Core 2 duo or better, 4 GB Ram, Geforce GT 430 1GB, 4 GB Disk space.

20 comments:

Ylthin said...

"Gris" isn't the only game I would consider more as a piece of art than a game, give a try to "Florence", "Gorogoa" or to "When the Past was Around". Gris has a nice gameplay and some neat Easter eggs which will certainly get your heart warm, especially the hidden Ending (or beginning ?) cutscene.
If you're looking for something more akin to exploration, give "RiME" a try, it's one of my favorite games which manages to relax me while having a story told through the art rather than the words.

GinaTonik said...

Good article. I've been wondering what all the fuss about this game was and I think you finally explained it for me. It's moved.. nearer to the top of my backlog 😅

sosich said...

The game gets my recommendation as well. It's a short experience that will leave you with more memories that longer, more mainstream games. You can take your time playing it one rainy afternoon and still have enough time to go back for collectibles.

Credipede said...

Great article!

EleonoraFalcon said...

Very nice article. Thank you 💜

Ajax said...

Nice

Marcio said...

Sounds good, but I prefer when the game is both very artistical and allow a lot of space for exploration, like in RiMe and (with a way wider budget) Nier: Automata.
Nice review!

Nat4an said...

Very Interesting, but aren't all games art?

LMarchesan said...

i thought this game would have more "gameplay"

Omar said...

Nice article, would like to give it a try

enigma9 said...

Gris is my next game to play :)

MrWoodenSheep said...

Had no idea this was so short. Might actually push me to finally start it

rahonejm said...

I truly appreciate games that can be considered "interactive art", such as Gris, but they're not for me. I just get bored.

Shinobi said...

NEKOPARA is art too ;)

Silent92 said...

yeah i had played this game includes so many arts and colourful. I liked it

bbr said...

I see you are a man of culture.

Shinobi said...

Indeed ;)
https://media1.tenor.com/images/cd1a04073b2508751f4202e1f415616c/tenor.gif

Behemoth said...

GREAT BUT A SAD GAME

eeev said...

Eh, I was so hyped for this game. And when I finally got around to playing it, it was sooo boring, and the gameplay so stale. It truly was my biggest disappointment in gaming for a long while. I wish they would have made it as good a game as they made it a piece of art, which it undoubtfully is.

wttkjfd said...

Nice