The most immersive and intelligent adventure game for over a decade.
The in game graphics are a treat to look at and ooze atmosphere, with beautiful settings and motion-captured 3d characters, while the cutscenes take the form of animated comics, which also work very effectively. Unlike many modern adventure games, there are multiple environments to explore, and while you will often revisit the same locations, you will find new areas or entirely new locations opening up frequently, which does a great job of keeping your interest.
The plot and the characters are the biggest draw here. Gray Matter's story is very deep, immersive and intelligent - a welcome novelty in today's era of cliches and mindless entertainment. In fact, I would say that Gray Matter is even more engaging than most movies I have seen or books I have read in recent years. I found myself completely hooked on this game, playing until the early hours of the morning, unable to turn it off until I concluded the present chapter. Hell, I even found myself dreaming of the game some nights. There are so many mysteries waiting to be solved, so many intricate webs being woven and it is deeply satisfying and gripping to see it all come together.
While many modern games of this type rely on endless dialogue and boring exposition, Gray Matter sticks to the essentials. Small talk is kept to a minimum, used only to set the atmosphere and back stories are explained gradually as new discoveries are made, rather than in long soliloquys.
The puzzles are challenging, varying from your old combining objects to solving riddles to basic detective work. Sometimes you might find yourself wondering where to go next, but a handy progress meter helps put you on the right track.
If I had to pick faults (and they are minor), the music can get a little repetetive after several hours and the loading screens do seem excessively long at times and distract from the game.
That said, not only is Gray Matter the best adventure game I've played this decade, but is among the best games I have played. While I am content to never see a sequel to this game, I sure hope Jane Jensen and the creative team will produce similar titles in the near future.