Today I played GRIS. The game is a spectacular illustration of the so-called category of "Art Games" in the world of video games.
When talking about Art Games, we normally consider games that are about more than just an entertaining experience. "Art", in its pure form, has always been a means of reflection on life and diving deep into the ocean of meanings throughout history for human beings. In the category of video games, as one of the most recent forms of art, GRIS is most probably one of those games that hold a special place in your mind and heart. It's a game that sparks a wide range of strong emotions in you, with a series of seemingly "simple" elements. The game consists of fairly short gameplay, yet easily becomes a memorable experience for the player for its wonderful art, minimal narrative, and sensational music.
The art style of the game is simply breathtaking! It is relaxing, on point, and even sometimes light-hearted and joyful. The art direction of the game is so intertwined with the overall experience the game aims for, that one might easily overlook how carefully and masterfully it is done throughout the whole game! Each and every scene of the game, the levels and the structures, the environmental elements, and even the camera movements are designed and directed meticulously to reinforce the aimed experience as a whole. On the other hand, the brilliant utilization of colors and mixing them to create wonderful palettes and environments of magical beauty has made the game's visuals extremely pleasant. As a matter of fact, I took more than 130 screenshots during one playthrough of GRIS; I simply could not resist "freezing" the in-game moments of beauty in time! And the game turned out to have a gazillion of those moments.
When GRIS was released initially, I was very excited to experience it and immediately started playing it without hesitation. However, my experience was not as "amazing" as I expected it to be. Although the game's visuals were already so satisfying for me, I could not particularly relate to the design of some of the levels and the challenges comprising them. As a result, I dropped the game half-played. Now, after playing the game a couple of years later, I realize why I could not enjoy the game fully on my first try. The reason was that I was trying to play the game the way I normally do in other games: I was trying to aim for all the objectives and explore every corner, and I expected the game to support me by any means. However, to fully appreciate the beauty of GRIS, it is essential to understand that the game is not about "collecting objects" or "completing objectives" at all; it is not about performance and perfection. It is simply about savoring the experience and appreciating its beauty.
The narrative experience in GRIS is minimalistic yet meaningful and deep. The game does not involve many forms of direct narrative blocks: no elaborate cutscenes, no dialogues, no written information of any kind; only "Alice," wandering around in her own "wonderland." Nevertheless, it feels like a meaningful narrative experience in the end. What's more, it is quite open in terms of how players can interpret it. For me, GRIS is about a girl who is struggling with depression due to losing her "ability to sing" (a metaphorical conflict) and finally manages to go back to normal life by facing her fears and reaching a state of "acceptance" with herself. But is that the only narrative interpretation of GRIS? Absolutely not. Could video games strive for more open and deep narrative experiences? Absolutely; GRIS is a great example of that.
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