3.5/5 ★ – Count_Gamer's review of GRIS.

GRIS is the DaVinci of white bread, the Picasso of cardboard boxes. It’s a sublime and beautiful game with a boring monotonous core hidden within. In spite of the fact I liked this game, it’s tedium is an undeniable truth to everyone who plays it. Even by the end, with all your skills unlocked the game’s movement still manages to feel limited. Add to that the challenge, or rather lack there of, present in the puzzle sections, slow controls, monotonous structure and you got yourself a big ol snooze fest. This would almost automatically catalog the game as trash in my book, but GRIS doesn’t play by those rules. This game pushes the boundary of what it means to be game, sourcing its entertainment value not through its gameplay but its visuals, thus creating a one of a kind experience. The fact that a single aspect can elevate the games quality by a mile is a direct result of correctly using focus in video game design. Metal Gear Solid or GoldenEye 007 are two examples of hailed games that by today’s standards look like ass. It’s very clear however why these games are praised, in spite of their crappy and dated graphics the games play wonderfully, with amazing stories and a myriad of gameplay innovations only possible because of their initial focus; that is to create a fun game. When this focus is unfulfilled you get games like Far Cry 6, a game with the intent of being fun that manages to fail at doing so in every conceivable way. What Im trying to say is focus is important and the developers of GRIS understood this, crafting the game around the set pieces, epic ensambles but most importantly it’s stunning visuals. I can definitely see a lot of people leaving this game feeling empty, as if there time had been wasted. As much as it is a gorgeous game, not everyone has the desire to appreciate this aspect of the video game medium or the patience really to hammer through its slow tedium. But fuck that, I run my reviews on my own taste and I loved this game. GRIS excels at doing what it wants: delivering a spectacle. If sacrificing gameplay elements means getting an unforgettable experience filled with creative ideas and a visually stunning atmosphere then so be it, where do I sign?