Rated a 10/10 on Steam, Gris is a quiet, sometimes overlooked feel-good puzzle game launched in 2018. While it was nominated for several awards, it remained in the background of the gaming world. Despite this, the game has succeeded in acquiring a large and dedicated fanbase.
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Regardless of how many times you may have played the game, however, there are a lot of details within the story that are easy to miss. While they may not have jumped out at you at first, these details help shape the world you venture in, and the story you are playing out.
10 Grief
The biggest theme of Gris is grief. Although this theme may seem apparent in the first playthrough, there is a surprising amount of thought that went behind how grief is portrayed in Gris.
Throughout the game, you and your character will be subjected to an interpretation of the five stages of grief. These stages are denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. Each stage is subtly touched on through colors and the general tone of the levels as you pass through them.
9 Jumping
Within the first moments of the game, you may notice that Gris does not have the ability to jump. While this might seem like just a small inconvenience to work through, it actually represents the main character’s physical and mental state.
As you continue (and work through the grief) you will gain your ability to jump again. As Gris is trying to process their emotions, they are left weak and unable to move to the best of their abilities.
8 Colors Change To Indicate Emotions
One of the most striking aspects of Gris is its stunning artwork. The colors and style of the world and characters hold more than just an aesthetic value, though. The vibrant colors you encounter throughout the game are used to portray the emotions of Gris.
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These colors can also tie into the stages of grief. When the world is vividly red, Gris is moving through their anger. When everything is blue, it is safe to say that Gris is trying to stay afloat in their depression.
7 The Title
There is a lot of hidden meaning and symbolism throughout Gris. But even the title (and name of the main character) has its own meaning. Gris is also Spanish for the word gray. While the game itself is vivid in imagery and color, the character themselves often goes through bleak points, as well as a bleak mindset.
The name Gris indicates what the main character is feeling and going through. A great example of this is seen at the beginning of the game.
6 Symbolism
Apart from its intricate art style, Gris also features a lot of symbolism. This symbolism can be easy to miss in your first playthrough, as you are mostly trying to navigate the story and mechanics of the game. However, once you come back around to the game, it starts to jump out at you.
A lot of thought went behind the theme, and how to portray it in an artistic and tasteful manner. Next time you play, keep your eye out for the colors, design, main character, statues, and what they all might be trying to tell you.
5 Hidden Cutscene
Many people are not aware that Gris has a hidden ending that you can access. There are a variety of achievements you can collect, and once you collect all 28 of them, you can navigate yourself to view the hidden ending.
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This hidden ending involves taking a closer look at the main character’s childhood. While viewing this cutscene is not imperative to completing the game, it gives you more insight into what Gris has gone through in their life.
4 The Music
Gris garners a lot of attention due to its art style, and for good reason. However, the music of the game plays an important part in setting the emotional tone of the story. It’s easy to overlook the role that the soundtrack plays when you are first exploring the game.
If you are someone who plays video games on mute, make sure that you keep the volume up the next time that you play Gris. You may get an entirely different feeling this time around.
3 Ambiguous Ending
Since its initial release, there has been a lot of speculation on what the ending of the game is supposed to mean. There are many people who believe that the game is a representation of losing one’s mother, and the struggle of overcoming that grief.
On the flip side, however, there are many who say that the game is a representation of a mother losing her daughter. Both interpretations include the acceptance of death, but it’s ambiguous as to who passed away in this case.
2 The Statue
The statue that Gris initially wakes up in plays a pretty big role throughout the story. Regardless of who you believe is in mourning, the statue represents the one who has passed away. Gris has several interactions with this statue in various different states; sometimes whole, sometimes in ruins.
When you pick up the game again, pay a lot of attention to the statue, and when it makes an appearance. The way Gris responds to the statue is indicative of the connection between the living and the deceased.
1 Mother And Daughter
No matter what else you get through the game, one thing is clear: Gris has strong themes of a mother-and-daughter bond. This bond transcends life and death, and the game showcases what happens physically and emotionally when that bond breaks.
Besides the interactions between Gris and the statue, signs of this bond are sprinkled lightly within the story. Once you have this insight, these signs may become more apparent within your next playthrough.
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