The world changes around her to reflect her feelings – from a barren desert to lush forests, and finally, the sky (that she overtakes). The color of the canvas is a manifestation of Gris’s emotions. Instead, designers used color, delicate art, universal icons, and a haunting soundtrack to convey the story of a young girl who lost herself and her voice. As a matter of fact, after playing the game, I found that the trailers severely underplay the brilliance of the game.ĭespite its vivid facade, GRIS is one of the saddest video games I’ve played, dealing with loss and self-discovery. From what I saw in the trailers, the game featured many of the elements that I appreciate in games – that deeper meaning, a completely unique art style, meticulous details, and interesting platforming sequences.īut trailers are generally designed to show the better parts of a game, right? This was not the case for GRIS. If that’s not tear-jerk material, I don’t know what is.īAABUSKA➞ GRIS is an indie masterpiece of outstanding beauty, where every frame becomes a painting. Oh, and remember the ‘’sole inhabitants’’ part? Yes, you’re practically committing genocide for a girl. The ‘’cause justifies the means approach’’ will make less and less sense with each slain colossi, as you’ll realize that you’re essentially killing innocent creatures for your own personal gain. And the saddest thing about this game is that you have no choice in the matter – if you want to save your love, you have to accept this bargain. So it’s not so much ‘’monster-slaying’’ as it is senseless murdering, a fact that becomes pretty much evident as soon as you accept the proposal, all in the hopes that the weird-looking dude will keep his promise and resurrect your loved one. However, there’s a catch – these colossi, as threatening as they may sound, are peaceful creatures who don’t attack unless provoked.

Presumably muttering ‘’Sucker’’! and thinking that he struck the deal of the century, the man sets off to kill these colossi. Some of them are larger than the eye can see, while others are powerful enough to turn you into a bag of flesh and bones. Once there, a mysterious being with the power to revive the dead makes a proposal – in exchange for resurrecting the woman, the young man has to slay the kingdom’s sole inhabitants. You play as a young man who, wishing to save his slain maiden from her faith, sets off to a forbidden kingdom. MARCO ➞ Shadow of the Colossus, or “Oh God, WHAT HAVE I DONE?!’’ for those of you who prefer its alternate title, is one of the saddest video gaming experiences, not necessarily because of the story, but rather the actions of the player.

Empire of sin too sweet to pass up