If I were to play this game when it was released in December 2018, I don’t think I would enjoy it as much since I was still in the grieving process of losing my mother in September that year. I couldn’t enjoy any games until almost a year later when I picked up the Cat Lady. These days I am fine; however, I still find myself with teary eyes whenever fond memories of my mother slip into my mind. So, you might think I would be emotional playing a game like Gris, which deals with the death of a love one. On the contrary, I find the game uplifting and beautiful. I enjoyed solving light puzzles; running in the forest; feeding a creature with apples; and swimming in the cold lake. It’s a game with a certain beauty that brings out the optimism in life. You see, death is natural but you will be okay.
In each stage, the colors represent different emotional stages one goes through: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. Progressively the stage gets harder ( I could elaborate but this is a review not an analysis). There are several times I try to reach the hard-to-reach items (mementos), which are items that need to be collected to reveal a hidden cutscene on why the female protagonist is grieving. Some of the mementos can be completely missed in the first playthrough. Luckily, you can backtrack by selecting a chapter in the game. Speaking of checkpoints, they can be a bit bothersome because having to redo a puzzle can be quite annoying. There is one part toward the end of the game that frustrates me. I have to be precise about where to execute the jump button while being upside down to avoid the gravity from pulling me upward. It always takes me a minute to get through. The good thing though, once you familiarize yourself with the gaming mechanics, it’s not impossible to finish the game within 3 hours or less. I can see Speedrunner having fun with this game since there are some challenging obstacles but I definitely do not recommend this game as a coping mechanism to deal with a loss. It would only make the player more frustrated unless you are one of those people who process emotions through solving problems. Then this game might just be for you.
Here I will attach some of my favorite screenshots in no particular order. Of course, the game is so much better if you play it.
Sometimes, pictures do tell a better story than words. In this case, the game is beautifully well-crafted by the folks from Nomada Studio. When I saw the trailer back in 2018, the game’s vibrant colors reminded me so much of El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron, a game released in 2011 on the PlayStation3 and X-Box 360, but there is a newer remastered version released on Steam in 2021. Also, it looks like the game will be getting a release for the Nintendo Switch in April 2024, according to the sources online. Like Gris, the game focuses on atmosphere and colors. But I’ll stop here because this review is about Gris!
The bored centaur (I’m referring to myself) hath returned to Elden Ring. I am resuming my gaming adventure where I left off a year ago. After the completion of Final Fantasy XII The Zodiac Age, I thought I would return to this game because I miss playing a soul’s game. To my surprise, all I need is a little break. I got addicted to the game as soon as I got some sort of lead.
For those who are new to my blog, I need a reason to explore or else there is no purpose for me to roam in open world games. Oh jeez, why does it sound like real life? I still don’t know quite exactly where to go–but meeting Rya caught my interest. Got to save the ‘damsel in distress’…or is she??? She is no princess. She is a servant! What can we gain from unattractive ladies? They might have hidden motives because beautiful women rarely approach people. They are like unattainable stars that you can only admire from afar (I hope you can tell I am joking).
Meeting Rya, the hunch back blonde for the first time. She is to the right.
She wanted her necklace back–stolen by Blackguard Big Boggart. Taking pity on her distress, I agreed to spend 1000 runes (money), which I didn’t find too difficult to spare. It’s not all that difficult to earn runes in this game. All you have to do is keep killing stuff that come across your path, which in my opinion is a barbaric thing to do. Not all NPCs will attack you, but we all know money talks. Because of my good deed, Rya found value in me. She invited me to Volcano Manor to meet her mistress. It was pure curiosity than flattery that made me proceed with this questline. I just didn’t know where to go in the game, and so I agreed to search for the two halves of the medallion which were located in Fort Haight West and Fort Faroth. I needed the medallion to activate the Grand Lift of Dectus that will take me to Volcano Manor. Anyway, after obtaining the pieces to the medallion, I was able to use the lift to reach Rya who was waiting for me.
Two halves are put together to make a medallion. It was no easy task to find them
But I was surprised to learn about the manor and the lady she serves. Should have not trusted her easily with that mischievous look of hers. She works for the proprietress, Lady Tanith of Valcono Manor, who in turn asked me to kill other Tarnished folks like me (I am still trying to wrap my head around why players are called Tarnished). Why would I do that? Why would I perform a murderous task for a handsome reward? It doesn’t sit well with me.
But we can be one happy little family…
For instance, my first task is to kill the NPC Old Knight Istavan in Stormhill. Upon researching on the internet, there is one thing I learned from this quest: You don’t have to kill the NPCs and complete the side quest requested by Lady Tanith. It doesn’t affect the main story. Maybe on my second playthrough, I would complete the questline to learn more about the lore and its story. Currently, I just don’t feel comfortable accepting such a dire task. I still need the NPCs as I don’t play with people online. If you kill them, you can’t summon them. Old Knight Istavan can help you defeat a boss in Coastal Cave early in the game. In the meantime, I just need to continue exploring, beat bosses, kill stuff, and hopefully, it will all make sense at the end because I don’t know what’s going on other than the fact there is a big giant yellow tree, and I feel like I am in a dream–doomed to roam it aimlessly.
I watched an interesting video on the development of The Last Guardian where the creator, Fumito Ueda states that video games allow people to feel empathy. The video clip made me think about his statement regarding empathy which I rarely feel because most video games are designed for boys. Even though I share some similar traits such as finding satisfaction in conquering and defeating my enemies, I have always felt a disconnection between the playable male character and myself. For instance, while I empathize with the character Yorda from ICO and want to escort her to a safe place, I never found the urgency to protect her. Well, that’s because I never saw gender as an indication of fragileness.
Feeling trapped and small is one thing but being trapped is another thing. We all need a helping hand from time to time.
This got me thinking about why I enjoyed the Last Guardian more than Ico. It was a video game analysis of the Last Guardian by Game Overture that points out that the player was playing a supporting role which made a lot of sense since it’s Trico and not the boy that takes the spotlight in the game. As time goes on, we see the mystical, frightening but child-like creature becoming stronger and stronger whereas we see the boy becoming weaker and weaker as he takes on the subservient role.
Here is your food…”.Say ahh.”
Yes, the green goo is Trico’s poo!
As I mentioned in my non-spoiler review, I love this game and feel more deeply connected to it than Ico and Shadow of Colossus. I wonder why. Then I realized it has to do with my personality. While I’m quite capable of making quick decisions, I rather reserve my energy in the background problem-solving than take the spotlight in the frontline. Thus, playing as the “defenseless boy” in this game produces a familiar experience. If the theory about playing as a supporting character is correct, then the game is not about making the player feel like he or she is the Chosen One. There is nothing unique and special about the boy. He and the other Chosen Ones happen to be the unfortunate ones who are captured for human sacrifice. Well, depending on your worldview, I suppose it’s an honor. Dig a little bit deeper, this game is an allegory of the business side of game development exploiting children to keep a business running. How did I come to this conclusion? It is not until toward the end of this innocent, dream-like journey of great teamwork that comes to a dark twisted turn. It made me wonder why was I protecting the predator in the first place. The boy could have left the poor creature alone shackled up in a cave. Yet he decided to save him anyway. Was he trying to be a hero? No, he simply just has a good heart like most children. He didn’t even know that he is a sacrifice until later on.
He’s a good kid. That is why I find it so shocking when players complained about playing as the awkward boy. He moves funny. He waits on Trico to save him several times. As a result, it’s frustrating and the gameplay makes the player feels small; therefore, the game is not as impressive as its predecessors. The boy is not badass enough. He doesn’t take on giant colossus. Instead, he babysits a giant baby! Okay not quite (I’m assuming Trico is a kid because of his child-like behavior). But let’s get this straight, according to the creator’s interview, he was purposely designed to be independent, which makes sense to me. The story wouldn’t be as effective if it revolves around the defenseless boy (who I can’t recall even has a name which I can only speculate it was a modest decision on the creator’s part).In this game, players don’t get to be the hero of the day. Instead, he or she gets to witness a hero in action. I find the concept to be quite ingenious and refreshingly humbling.
What’s so bad about playing as a gate opener? It’s so gentlemen-like.
So, I wonder what sort of person doesn’t like this game. Would it have made a difference if they were to play an all-powerful man-eating-fearing beast? Surely, the boy is braver than Trico on many occasions. Ironically, it’s his naiveness that makes him naturally more confident about finding his way home than Trico who seems lost inside his own home, which reminds me of a giant cage. Trico may be strong but he also needs guidance, which is why he is controlled by signals and waves from within the valley in the first place. Yet, he and his kind are not to be mistaken as dispensable slaves because the creatures do seem to be revered and respected as important residents of the valley based on the buildings’s architecture.
If you look closely, the entire place is designed around griffin-like creatures.Look at the size of the door.
This made me ponder who are the real captives in the game. Is it Trico and his kind or the boy along with the other chosen ones? Some people say it’s the boy and some say it’s Trico. There is no clear answer because the creator wants the player to decide for themselves. As for me, the logical answer is both of them. They are the last guardians who put the sadistic cycle of the god-like entity Master of the Valley to an end, which the more I think about it–might not even be all that evil because we don’t know its full story. For all we know, it’s trying to maintain order and balance despite sacrificing children in the process.
The world does feel like a dog-eat-dog type of place when you have to compete for resources.
Despite its grim plot, I find this game emotionally comforting. It’s a story about growth, loyalty, friendship, and ultimately what it means to be a leader. It’s all the little spices that make life worth fighting for. It’s nice to know that in this dog-eating world, there is compassion. A good friend will always try to catch you if you fall because life, as we know it, can be quite rough.
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