Spellbinding puzzle-platformer GRIS is coming to iOS, as announced by developer Nomada Studio and publisher Devolver Digital today.
GRIS was a huge hit when it launched in December of 2018 on PC and Switch. As well as its puzzle elements and metaphor-rich story, the arty platformer was praised extensively for its beautiful, watercolor-based visual style. The game even made it to the 2019 DICE awards(being nominated for Outstanding Achievement in Animation as well as Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction).
The game is a fairly short one, with no death or danger to speak of. You play as the eponymous Gris, a girl exploring a barren landscape of crumbling ruins. The controls are simple, and the puzzles range in difficulty, with optional skill-based challenges.
As you explore the world and solve puzzles, you gradually bring life back to the world, color by color. With almost no dialogue, players must look to the intricate animation, emotionally charged cutscenes, and environmental storytelling to piece together the game’s narrative of loss and grief.
GRIS has now appeared on the App Store and is available for pre-order at $4.99. The game’s iOS release is set to launch on August 22. It will be compatible with the iPhone 5S and onwards. Size-size, it’ll take up around 2.9 GB and require your device to run at least iOS 10.0.
Mobile ports are a key sign of success for indie games, and GRIS has been killing it lately. This comes shortly after the news that the game would be getting a physical release, as well as a vinyl soundtrack for the game’s atmospheric OST and a Signature Edition.
GRIS moving to mobile follows the same recent transition of fellow non-violent indies Journey and Flower. Given that the game has a much lower price point than its Steam or Switch counterparts, we can assume mobile mobile players will be getting a somewhat stripped back experience. There’s no word yet on what the differences will be, so how the controls play still remains to be seen.
