GRIS+ (2022) [+]
Jul 07 2025
GRIS is a platformer puzzle game where you play a nameless girl in a grey post-human post-apocalyptic Earth (maybe it's Earth). You travel around collecting glowing orbs which can open paths and when you get enough you finish the section and two or three sections is a level in as much as you get this big cut scene where you bring back a color to the world.
As the game goes along you get more powers though slowly. First is you can turn into a big block of stone. Useful in that you can jump then block then fall and break through weak areas of floor or break open vases (which might be important in some sections). Also less obvious use is to resist strong winds and to move a balance (like if you're a giant weight).
After that there's double jump and then enliven (you stand still and emit a circular aura that brings plants to life which has some uses) and that's as far as I've gotten. Oh eventually you can jump into water and turn into a stingray or something to move around in water sections.
The different levels are fairly varied. Besides underwater I hit an area where it's dark except when you get close to a light plant so easy to get a bit lost. There are colored cubes: green appear and disappear at regular intervals, red do so whenever you jump. There are floors and stairs that are invisible unless you light something and sometimes that light only lasts a few seconds. I was just on a level where if you go high enough gravity flips so you do the upper side upside down.
Meanwhile there's nice mood music, appropriate sound effects, no narration or text so you kind of discover the world by playing it. It's a nice game and at least it's not a platformer where there are areas you can't get to until you have a power so you end up running around the same areas later on. This game you don't go back to an old area — you're always moving forward and the puzzle can be solved by exploring your limited immediate area and maybe using a power in a way you didn't expect.
Overall entertaining so far. I guess the only negative is when you restart you start at the last checkpoint and it never tells you the checkpoints. I'm assuming cut scenes (long or short) are checkpoints though I think I've been wrong at least once.
Next day: Turns out I was pretty close to the end. About one more hour-long session and I finished. It's like a 10 to 15 hour game though there are probably secrets I missed so maybe a little replayability.
As the game goes along you get more powers though slowly. First is you can turn into a big block of stone. Useful in that you can jump then block then fall and break through weak areas of floor or break open vases (which might be important in some sections). Also less obvious use is to resist strong winds and to move a balance (like if you're a giant weight).
After that there's double jump and then enliven (you stand still and emit a circular aura that brings plants to life which has some uses) and that's as far as I've gotten. Oh eventually you can jump into water and turn into a stingray or something to move around in water sections.
The different levels are fairly varied. Besides underwater I hit an area where it's dark except when you get close to a light plant so easy to get a bit lost. There are colored cubes: green appear and disappear at regular intervals, red do so whenever you jump. There are floors and stairs that are invisible unless you light something and sometimes that light only lasts a few seconds. I was just on a level where if you go high enough gravity flips so you do the upper side upside down.
Meanwhile there's nice mood music, appropriate sound effects, no narration or text so you kind of discover the world by playing it. It's a nice game and at least it's not a platformer where there are areas you can't get to until you have a power so you end up running around the same areas later on. This game you don't go back to an old area — you're always moving forward and the puzzle can be solved by exploring your limited immediate area and maybe using a power in a way you didn't expect.
Overall entertaining so far. I guess the only negative is when you restart you start at the last checkpoint and it never tells you the checkpoints. I'm assuming cut scenes (long or short) are checkpoints though I think I've been wrong at least once.
Next day: Turns out I was pretty close to the end. About one more hour-long session and I finished. It's like a 10 to 15 hour game though there are probably secrets I missed so maybe a little replayability.