GRIS, an artsy 2D platformer with light puzzle elements, is a peacock disguised as a black sheep, hiding among a flock of indie games that aim to be works of art and nebulous “experiences” at the expense of being fun to play: unlike most of them, it actually succeeds in all it attempts, and no aspect’s strength comes from another’s weakness—all its feathers are equally brilliant once revealed.

GRIS initially presents as a blank canvas, rather unremarkable and deceptively bland, until it gradually paints a visual and aural masterpiece as you explore its dreamlike world, unlocking colors which alter the environment and the means needed to traverse it. Although there is no traditional combat or risk of death, you will have to weather harsh conditions and brave the unconventional methods used to make you feel threatened as you battle and escape nightmarish figures.

The soundtrack is breathtakingly beautiful and impeccably timed to evoke feelings of peace, wonder and danger when appropriate. The sound effect design is equally impressive: attention has been given to the smallest of details like the songs of tiny birds as they fly away, the roar of the wind at high altitudes, the sound your footsteps make on different surfaces, and the faint grinding of gears in machinery; even objects which would simply be background decoration in most games produce the appropriate sounds when you pass and cause them to shift—nothing has been overlooked.

Progression comes from gathering wisps of light which unlock constellation platforms and traditional power-ups like double jump, ground slam, swimming and dolphin leaping; occasionally, you’ll have to work with inverted gravity, painting platforms into existence with light, and freeing or befriending creatures to aid you. The ratio of familiar platforming mechanics to ones GRIS lends a unique flair feels perfectly balanced.

Roughly halfway into the game is one of the most intense and memorable sequences I’ve played in a lifetime of gaming; even if GRIS wasn’t otherwise extraordinary, I’d be glad I played it for those five minutes alone.

While I can’t claim there is some profound philosophical meaning to be gleaned from playing it, or even guarantee any one person they would enjoy it due to the subjective nature of art, like all great art, it transcends any linguistic or cultural barriers and can be universally appreciated by anyone.

If you’ve managed to remain stoic and unmoved by any form of art until now—or don’t believe games can be art in the first place—GRIS isn’t likely to restart your heart; if you need action, adrenaline and/or difficulty to enjoy games, you won’t be pumped or challenged; and if you’ve already decided from the screenshots it’s another pretentious artistic endeavor and a waste of time and are here looking for confirmation, you’ll have the uphill battle of breaking away from personal biases and preconceived notions to enjoy it.

But, if you’ve ever been moved by something and couldn’t quite put your finger on why or identify what all the resulting emotions were, other than the sudden realization you were glad to be alive and human in that moment, GRIS deserves a few hours of your time for the mere possibility of making you feel that way again.

I’ve been pleasantly surprised by games before, but never have I been so biased against a game prior to its release then subsequently impressed by every aspect of it upon playing. “From the developers of Serious Sam, one of my least favorite franchises. I bet I will really enjoy this,” I sarcastically said to myself when the pre-order page went up. I did enjoy it. It is wonderful. It is easily one of the best games I’ve played.

The Talos Principle is one giant existential question that can be answered through solving over one hundred smaller, physics-based puzzles under the guidance of your maker, Elohim, whose intimidating voice attempts to influence you from above at every turn. This might seem a strange way to label the game’s genre, but it’s accurate and the story manages to never feel at all pretentious despite addressing philosophical subject matter. While the majority of your time is spent solving the smaller puzzles, it always feels as if you’re doing it for a higher purpose or to unravel the larger mystery looming overhead, so the game successfully maintains a careful balance where both the story and puzzles are one and equally important.

This journey takes you through several temple-like environments, each containing a number of doorways leading to distinct worlds. In each of these worlds, you’ll find several self-contained puzzle areas that can also occasionally interact with each other in an advanced way to reveal secrets, and you'll access computer terminals to gradually uncover lore, important context and bits of the story. Completing puzzles rewards you with pieces used to solve tetromino puzzles that unlock doors to new environments, even more puzzles, and new tools used to steadily increase puzzle difficulty and prevent them from becoming stale.

Solving puzzles requires manipulating and avoiding mobile mines, turrets, laser beam connectors, fans and cubes, as well as cooperating with recordings of yourself replaying your actions, but it never gets frantic and you’ll never feel hurried. There’s no real dexterity or speed requirement here, so you can relax and figure things out at your own pace.

Initially, puzzles aren’t very challenging but you’ll come to appreciate how increasingly clever they are. At some point, I thought I’d outsmarted the game only to discover later this isn’t possible and it was always meant to be so open and unrestrictive. The most difficult puzzles are only required if you want to find all of the secrets within the game and discover as many answers as possible, which is highly recommended and completely worth the effort.

The Talos Principle takes itself seriously and explores concepts like faith, free will, humanity, loyalty and purpose, with your journey unfolding much like that of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden: In the beginning, you don't know or question much and simply follow instructions but, by the time you wander around and have your first taste of knowledge, you may develop a thirst for it and begin to question everything around you. It's easy to become completely engrossed in the setting.

If you don't enjoy reading in games and skip through text, you'll miss out on a lot of what makes The Talos Principle more than just another good game, but it's still worth playing even for the puzzles alone. On a technical level, the game is impeccable: graphics, sound, voice acting, controls and optimization are all top-notch, and there are even settings for proper AA and field of view. The environments are beautiful, as is the soundtrack.

On a final note, QR codes that reveal text are left behind on walls by NPCs and friends who have played the game before you and you can also leave these pre-written messages for your Steam friends. One of these messages claims you’ve discovered the most beautiful spot in the game and, as there is a number of beautiful landscapes, I had been trying to decide where to leave that message for quite a while. I had been playing in first-person the entire time and ultimately left the message somewhere I never expected to: next to a mirror I encountered late in the game. It’s something that will only make sense if you end up loving the game as much as I do, but it was completely appropriate.