GRIS On iOS First Impression: Does It Perform As Well As On PC?

GRIS from Nomada Studio and Devolver Digital is easily one of the best indie platformer released in recent memory. For starter, it is absolutely gorgeous, allowing you to explore a beautiful, dreamlike world filled with some of the most striking visuals you’ll ever see in a video game.

And, unlike the majority of games that try to tackle the subject, GRIS explores the mental health of the protagonist in a delicate and affectionate manner, witnessing her gradually recover from the depths of depression. It’s basically a must-play for anybody who likes a slow-paced, melancholic story, but its recent arrival on the App Store gives rise to the question: Which device should you play it on? More specifically, how does it perform on a mobile device? That is what we’ll be looking at here.

Do the touchscreen controls work well?

This is probably the most common question that people have when it comes to mobile ports of PC or console titles. Some games are just naturally incompatible with the touchscreen and thus will never perform well on a mobile device regardless of how much effort the developer puts in. Thankfully, GRIS’s experience translates really well to mobile. It avoids the cliché virtual buttons and opts for a more intuitive tap-and-swipe-based system instead.

What about the looks and the performance?

Again, more good news: this mobile port of GRIS is still every bit as gorgeous as the original on PC and is definitely one of the most beautiful games you can find on mobile. The smooth animations are a sight to behold, and not once did we encounter FPS drop during our entire time experiencing it. On the technical side of things, we can say that the game has pretty much polished everything to perfection.

That said, some users have reported issues when using Bluetooth headsets and controllers. Nomada is currently looking into the matter, so if you plan to play with a controller, it might be worth waiting for a future patch.

All in all, we can say that this iOS port is extremely well-done. It features everything that made the original great, and the experience translates incredibly well to the touchscreen.