![]() Star Wars video games have held a special place in my heart for decades. Hopefully the success of Gris is an indication that there's an appetite for such a thing. But they also need art direction that steps outside of stereotypes derived from cartoons and anime. Games absolutely need skilled character designers and background artists. Gris makes me wish the video game industry featured more artists who have trained in and mastered traditional media. You can complete the whole game in about three hours, and it's easy enough for a non-gamer to play. But Gris isn't just about double-jumping and collecting items giant, inky birds serve as boss battles - or rather, chases - and a bit of nightmare fuel. As she acquires more powers, she's able to reveal new pathways and progress through the game. His impressionist leanings also inform the terrain in which the game takes place - deserts, oceans, forests and city ruins - as well as the creatures that inhabit it.Īs the player, your task is to collect orbs of light that grant the main character shape-shifting abilities. Roset borrowed from that project's style to design the game's main character, who has a mesmerizing hair style and a dress that undulates with the wind. Prior to Gris, his most well-known work was a long-standing series of portraits called Muses. He makes frequent use of the stark contrast between black ink and light paper or wood panels, and his minimalist splashes of color and intense brush strokes add a signature touch to his work. Roset is a Spanish painter and illustrator who specializes in watercolor and ink portraits. Gris initially grabbed my attention because one of my favorite artists, Conrad Roset, was its art director. While it may not be much of a challenge, it's an absolute pleasure to play. But then came Gris, which combines relatively easy platforming, puzzle solving and startlingly beautiful visuals to form an experience that fluctuates between hypnotically relaxing and intensely dramatic. But as part of a subscription service, there's no reason not to give it a shot.Įditor's note: Gris was released at the end of last year, but after our deadline for the best games of 2018, so we're including it here.ĭespite its promises of unrestrained creativity and artistry - as well as my penchant for DIY and independent media - the indie gaming scene never appealed to me, save for a few titles like Fez and Braid. It's practically the perfect game for Xbox Game Pass - it's harder to sell players on unique new narrative experiences when they have to pay full price for them. But it promises adventure like nothing else this year. ![]() It rarely holds your hand, and on many occasions, you'll find yourself dying just as you're on the cusp of a great discovery. Outer Wilds is a game that demands patience and an adventurous spirit. Along the way, you'll encounter some of the wildest celestial bodies you've ever seen: a planet smashed open with something impossible in its core, another with a massive ocean and huge cyclones that throw you back into space. That's its true magic: You pick a point in space, travel to it and hope it doesn't kill you before you can gather some decent intel. You can explore your solar system freely - the game just gives you a few location hints to get started. While there's been a resurgence of slower, narrative-based games lately, like Firewatch and Gone Home, Outer Wilds isn't just a linear story. Luckily, you don't lose your memories between sessions, so, like Groundhog Day and Edge of Tomorrow (with a dash of Majora's Mask), your only choice is to die repeatedly until you solve the mystery. And you're the only person who can prevent the sun from exploding and wiping out your lovely little solar system. Then, the sun goes supernova, every fiber of your being is reduced to space dust, and you wake up once more, right beside that campfire. Everything seems peaceful as you explore the area, looking for your ship's launch codes. You're an astronaut who wakes up in a small village on an Earth-like planet. That's your introduction to Outer Wilds, Mobius Digital's latest title that evokes the awe and terror of space exploration - it's like 2001 meets Myst. The solar system seems vast, beautiful and dangerous all at the same time. A green moon (or is it a planet?) is in the distance, a ship slowly disintegrates in space. You wake up by a campfire, staring at a night sky teeming with celestial activity. You can disable notifications at any time in your settings menu.
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