The visual novel genre is a medium capable of telling compelling stories through minimalist gameplay. Titles like Necrobarista have proved the form of interactive fiction is just as potent now as it has ever been, showcasing how settings and themes can be stretched out using the format. Developer Provodnik Games has experience with the genre, and is returning with Dull Grey, another intriguing entry into the studio's catalog.
Set in the dystopian science fiction universe of the Progress-Program - which was also the setting of Provodnik Games' previous title Railways of Love - Dull Grey tells an intimate story. A mother and son are taking a journey to decide upon the son's future career, in a world where personal decisions are extremely limited. The player only has control over the answer to a simple question: will the son become a lamplighter or a tallyman?
Visually, Dull Grey is quite striking. Minimalist at its core with very rare splashes of color, the clear inspiration of 1920s Soviet graphic design creates a sparse, barren world that is showcased to the player through brief snapshots. It's basic by design, and although it's can't necessarily match the flowing beauty of exceptional peers like If Found... it nonetheless functions well for the story that Provodnik Games is trying to tell.
As mentioned, Dull Grey is deliberately limited from a gameplay perspective, even more so than some other visual novels such as Dry Drowning. Initially it appears as though the player only has control over moving to the next page of storytelling and occasionally answering questions about the son's career. Eventually the player will clock that there's the possibility to go off-piste from these options, but even so the restrictions in place mean Dull Grey won't be for everyone.
However, these gameplay shackles fit excellently with the context of the world and the themes that Dull Grey is trying to convey. As the journey goes on and the player uncovers more of the Progress-Program story, the importance of that seemingly simple choice grows ever-heavier. Whether it's the death of the lamplighter father, the pressure from society and family to accept a certain job, or even the greater politics of this retro-futuristic dystopia, a feeling of pressure steadily grows over Dull Grey's short runtime.
This is Dull Grey's biggest success, triumphantly increasing the impact of this binary choice through the player's growing understanding of the mother and son's shared history. Much like how the weight of decision grows in Suzerain, albeit in a different game format, the player will eventually think through the choice between lamplighter or tallyman with much more tension that initially felt. There is a gimmick in place which allows the player to reach more positive endings, and although this initially delivers a cathartic punch it eventually causes Dull Grey to lose some of its power.
In part this is down to the repetitive nature of Dull Grey, with no real possibility of different scenarios being discovered across subsequent playthroughs. Its short runtime means that players will never really get more depth to the world, and although there are multiple endings to find, it's too easy to get bored after four or five runs. It's a similar issue to Ashwalkers, another black and white game about narrative choices in a grim future.
Dull Grey is overall a thematically interesting visual novel with a lot of storytelling strength. However, although it uses the limitations of its genre well to create friction for the player, the lack of depth might leave users feeling a little hollow, particularly after they have worked out the hidden options available to them.
Dull Grey releases 5 May 2021 for PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PS Vita. Screen Rant was provided with a Switch download code for the purposes of this review.