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[UPDATED] GRIS iOS launch marred by technical issues

Audio and control bugs

[UPDATED] GRIS iOS launch marred by technical issues
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iOS
| GRIS
UPDATE: The reported audio bug appears to be caused by compatibility issues with Bluetooth headphones and speakers. Devolver Digital and developer Nomada Studio are now investigating and working on a fix Original report continues below:

The gloriously pretty GRIS was one of the standout indie games from last year. A couple weeks back, an iOS port was announced, and it suddenly became available for download yesterday. Despite the fact that the game still looks fabulous and runs well, our sister site 148Apps reports that the current version suffers from several large technical issues.

Perhaps the most concerning problem at the moment is related to the game’s otherwise stellar audio. Basically, a bug causes the game’s normal, heavenly audio to switch suddenly to a ‘high-pitched digital noise’ that blasts out at ‘a volume that's quite uncomfortable to listen to’. Not great, especially considering that most mobile gamers will likely be playing GRIS with earphones.

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148Apps also reports times when GRIS has stopped responding to player input or misplaces on-screen prompts ‘to the point that you can no longer make progress’. If you do happen to encounter these issues, forcing the game to restart does temporarily rectify them. That’s hardly a solution though, and this is all quite troubling. Hopefully a future update will tidy things up and turn this into the stellar iOS port that GRIS deserves.

If you’re yet to give it a go, GRIS is a dreamlike platformer which sees you making your way through some genuinely stunning levels. It’s full of inventive gameplay ideas and affecting story moments. I loved it when I played it on Switch late last year, but it doesn’t seem like the iOS version can be wholeheartedly recommended in its current state.

I’ll throw down the link to the game’s App Store page, but it certainly sounds like you’d be smart to hold off until Devolver and developer Nomada Studio can release an update. As I say, it’d otherwise be a must-play, as evidenced by our glowing review of the Switch version.

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Cameron Bald
Cameron Bald
Cameron started out as an intern here in late 2018, then went on to join us as our News Editor in July 2019. He brings with him an encyclopedic knowledge of decade-old GamesMaster review scores and plenty of stinking takes on games, movies, and proper pizza etiquette.