The game follows a girl named Gris, who wakes up in the palm of a crumbling statue of a woman. She attempts to sing out, but quickly becomes choked up and the statue's hands crumble, dropping her to the colourless earth below. After landing, the girl continues walking forward and discovers a number of strange structures that seem to be powered by mysterious points of light resembling stars. The girl can collect these lights to gain new abilities, such as turning into a block of stone, and creating new pathways made of constellations. After reaching a central tower, the girl can travel to four new locations to collect lights and restore colour back to her world at statues resembling the broken one from the beginning of the story. These areas include a desert filled with windmills, a lush forest, underwater caverns, and a world with buildings made of light. Along the way she encounters various living beings, some of which help her on her journey, as well as shadowy bird-like creatures which manifest as larger monsters that threaten to consume the girl. The final power the girl obtains is the ability to sing again, which brings life to various plants and mechanical animals. The girl eventually collects enough stars to form a constellation path to the heavens, but the final pathway is blocked by the creature, who morphs into a monstrous form of herself and swallows the girl whole. She wakes up in an ocean of toxic black sludge and swims to the surface. As she climbs a tower rising out of the ocean, the creature tries to pull her back. However, the girl begins singing and the statue begins to reform itself through the power of her voice. Just before she is completely consumed by the black oil, the statue comes alive and begins singing as well, banishing the creature and the sea of despair. The girl and the statue tearfully embrace and she climbs the final constellation path as the world is shown to be restored in colour and light.
Reception
Gris received "generally favorable" reviews, according to review aggregatorMetacritic. EGMNow wrote that "with an arresting art style and admirable commitment to minimalist game design, Gris manages to turn a straightforward, often derivative platformer into something that feels far more special and important." GameSpot stated "Gris understands intrinsically how magical video games can be and continually pushes your imagination until you're almost bursting with joy. The ways in which it reinvents itself as you gain powers and dive ever deeper into this world is truly special, and just as it knows exactly when to pull back the camera or introduce a new song, it's keenly aware of when it's time to say goodbye. Like a comet streaking across the sky, Gris is full of wonder and beauty and leaves you with a warm glow in your heart." Apple stated "This spectacularly satisfying puzzle-platformer is a soul-stirring work of digital art — one that explores hope, grief and the triumph of piecing a life back together after tragic loss." and awarded Mac Game of the Year in 2019.
Sales
As of March 2019, Gris has sold 300,000 copies worldwide. By April 2020, sales exceeded one million units.
