It's been a while since the last time I broke down in tears right after finishing a game, sure, I've shed a tear or two now and then, but the sheer impact this story had in me, it's almost unparalled. So much than I didn't even cried right away but instead completely exploded soon after while trying to gather my words now that I'm writing this. Following Gris in her journey to pick up the pieces of her broken self, aiding her in taking back her voice, her colors, in escaping the impending grief of her depression, that hideous black goo that sometimes overwhelms us all, I just...

*sigh* I could just say I'm at a loss of words, but it's quite the opposite actually. There's just... There's just too many.
Instead, I'll be brief (I really won't be, but bear with me), I've been putting off playing this game, leaving it for "someday" for the sole reason of having heard its name more than once, and knowing of it's reputation, by coincidence, I got it with my girlfriend on a sale, and honestly I feel like I ripped Nomada off (I'm buying it again after this), I can't really express it, it's just something you gotta experience by yourself.
I didn't think it would hit me this hard, having lived a fairly calm life so far, but... We all have issues, even when we try to ignore them and just carry on, we do. We focus on everyone else's well-being and let ours behind, and it's this kind of stories that really bring it all out and show us that side of ourselves we all hide.
Facing that... It's scary, loss is scary, emptiness is scary, living... Is... Scary. But it's worth it. If only to experience stories like this one, how a "silly colorful platforming game" can put a mirror to your face and make you wanna both break and embrace it. To meet people that make it worth your while, worth your existence, knowing you'll be remembered, even when you're so insignificant in the grand scheme of things, those people can be your world, and you can be theirs, and that's enough, but for it to be really fullfilling, you need to come to accept yourself by who you are. That's what GRIS is about for me. Looking at yourself and realizing, you can overcome anything life throws at you. You just gotta have a little faith, be strong, and jump. Climb to the stars, and be whole.

Holy, that was corny. But so I'm I. And that's just great ;)

An engaging artistic experience that I really connected with. The story being told is somewhat abstract, but I think anyone who's experienced significant grief can find some level of emotional connection and satisfaction. The game's audio and visual design in particular is top notch, and really elevates the kind of the story being told. Highly recommend waiting for a sale though, as I would not feel nearly as positive if I paid anything north of $10 to play this.

Whether or not you would connect with this game depends on more than how you carry a particular trauma, though. While the game is beautiful on the A/V side, this is an extremely easygoing 2D sidescroller with hardly any "game" to chew on. The "gameplay" consists of mostly walking with some light platforming and puzzle solving that would make INSIDE look like a mechanical masterpiece. You could argue that was the intention of the creatives to further put you into that transcendental meditative state. However, I'd refute that by saying it goes too far. There's a better balance to be found here, one that ups the engagement without sacrificing any of the player's interpretive processing.

So overall I really enjoyed it despite its brevity and lack of mechanical ideas. More than anything else, I appreciate playing something fresh and inspired, and that's exactly what I got here. Here's to hoping "Neva" can achieve that same impressive feat.

Instead of enjoying the recommended artistic side of the game, I was irritated by the boring arcade platformer