There’s maybe a handful of games out there, that can actually make me feel something. Whether it was an idiotic and gleeful grin in Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance or a sadistic chuckle when I walled my Sims into a basement that also doubled as a slave labour painting workshop, very few games pack the necessary emotional left hook that can wipe a vacant look of my face. Ori and the Blind Forest however, is one of those rare games. And it’s far, far more than a mere emotional journey, as it dips into a challenging, beautiful and creative pool of design.
Right out of the gate, Ori is a gorgeous game to behold. It’s got a visual palette that is reminiscent of the recent Rayman games, but it just looks smoother and more expressive in action. There’s a minimal amount of dialogue here, with the game letting its lush visuals handle the narrative and relay the tale of little Ori and his quest to restore light and hope to a forest that has been blinded by fear and darkness. And yes, the opening story is going to hit you right in the emotions, that carries on through Ori’s entire journey.
You’re going to hear the word Metroidvania thrown around quite a bit in descriptions for Ori. And that’s because the game very much is inspired by those games. It’s pure side-scrolling action and exploration, as you work your way through levels that are crawling with enemies. But what sets Ori apart from other similarly-inspired games in this genre, is that the gameplay is incredibly tightly polished and organic.
From simple run and jump mechanics, to your companion sprite Sein who can fire off bolts of energy to take down foes, not a single movement in Ori is wasted. Everything works 100% of the time as it was intended to, as new skills are unlocked during your journey and the game quickly throws you into the deep end of scenarios where you learn how to effectively use these abilities in and outside of combat.
There’s a certain nuance to these skills, that rewards players who use them gracefully and punishes button-mashing tactics. You’ll quickly learn new double-jump techniques before you graduate to higher-level abilities, and you’re going to need them. Ori and the Blind Forest isn’t just inspired by an older school of games in the gameplay department. It’s also brought back a certain level of challenge, as the game has no remorse for even the slightest of mistakes.
Miss-time a jump, and you’re very quickly going to see Ori’s health meter bleed away before a quick death greets you and sends you back to your last checkpoint. At least here, the game shows some more modern thinking thanks to the Soul Link save system. Provided you have an orb of energy saved, Ori can create a soul link that allows her to save her game, as well as access a menu to spend skill points to level up abilities.
It’s an absolutely crucial aspect of the gameplay to master, and it will most likely create OCD saving tendencies as you balance the need to either keep enough energy for future foes or a safe checkpoint from which to trial-and-error run your way through danger zones again. And you’re going to need to get used to this, as the game has plenty of obstacles in your way. I’d also recommended warning anyone sharing a home with you to not come near you when you’re playing, as an interruption that results in yet another failed jump will most likely result in death-stares from you.
But as a complete package, Ori just dazzles in every way possible. It looks gorgeous, plays even better and it never ever feels like its wasting your time while it provides a balanced challenge. If there are any wrinkles in an otherwise superb debut title from Moon Studios, it’s that Ori has no New Game + option from which to continue, as clocking it is a done in one feat.
It won’t take you too long to do so either. Around six to eight hours on average for rushers, and about ten hours in total for masters who want to explore every nook and cranny of the game. At the same time, it’s well worth experiencing multiple times, as Ori and the Blind Forest feels like the true first classic must-have title of this generation of gaming.
Last Updated: March 12, 2015
Ori and the Blind Forest | |
Ori and the Blind Forest doesn’t add anything new to the genre of gaming that it was inspired by, but few other games can match the polished gameplay and humbling difficulty of this charming little fella.
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Ori and the Blind Forest was reviewed on Xbox One | |
88 /
100
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hairyknees
March 12, 2015 at 13:01
Only around two hours in but I’m stupidly in love. IT’S SO GODDAM PRETTY AND AWESOME!
FoxOneZA
March 12, 2015 at 14:10
ALLL TEH PRETTTTTIES!
Blood Emperor Trevor
March 12, 2015 at 13:13
Everyone note how Darryn says nothing about how he felt about killing Tali. HAH!
Kromas Votes LAG WCMovie Event
March 12, 2015 at 13:27
He killed Tali!… THAT SADISTIC BASTARD!!!!!
She pretty much reinvented the emergency induction port!
Pariah
March 12, 2015 at 13:52
I killed Mordin in ME2. Beat that.
Kromas Votes LAG WCMovie Event
March 12, 2015 at 14:05
Mordin had a warped sense of morality so I am okay with you killing him. He did have a lovely singing voice however so there is that. At least he “Held the line” as Commander Kirahe would put it. 🙂
Pariah
March 12, 2015 at 14:11
Yeah but now I won’t be able to let him live during the ME3 playthrough. I’ve not yet experienced that option. WHY MORDIN?! WHY?!?!!
Kagutsuchi
March 12, 2015 at 13:15
I NEED dis! T_T
Kromas Votes LAG WCMovie Event
March 12, 2015 at 13:25
Where did you hear about this game?
“I heard it from a friend who heard it from a friend …..”
CAE9872
March 12, 2015 at 14:07
Classic…
Goal9
March 12, 2015 at 13:26
Can anybody confirm the file size of the game? Steam says it’s 8GB while some people report its 6GB or even 2.2GB.
hairyknees
March 12, 2015 at 13:43
Yeah when prompted to install Steam said 8gb. When I started the download though it was only 2.2gb.
Blood Emperor Trevor
March 12, 2015 at 14:15
That’s the Porra download discount.
Admiral Chief
March 12, 2015 at 14:19
XD
DarkHole
March 22, 2015 at 06:35
Sounds like someone is trying to download the correct illegal torrent
Captain JJ the damned
March 12, 2015 at 13:33
I just put this on my wishlist last night. It looks excellent. Definitely my type of game.
Admiral Chief
March 12, 2015 at 13:34
Same here
Blood Emperor Trevor
March 12, 2015 at 13:35
Me three
CAE9872
March 12, 2015 at 14:08
Fore…or four
Blood Emperor Trevor
March 12, 2015 at 14:12
Depends, are we playing or counting? Wait, what? O_o
Admiral Chief
March 12, 2015 at 13:34
This game, so damn amazing HAI
Sageville
March 12, 2015 at 14:03
Only for Next gens?
hairyknees
March 12, 2015 at 15:12
PC!
Hammersteyn
March 12, 2015 at 14:16
Such want, must have!
Hammersteyn
March 12, 2015 at 14:16
Saying it one more time indie > AAA
DragonSpirit009
March 12, 2015 at 14:35
Now I have a good reason to buy a Xbox
hairyknees
March 12, 2015 at 15:12
It’s on PC too 😛
DragonSpirit009
March 12, 2015 at 15:14
In our house my mother steals the PC’s for her own use… Which means no game time for me. Getting a Xbox means plenty of game time for me cause she can’t play games. 🙂
avi
March 12, 2015 at 22:03
game looks gorgeous.
Ross Woofels Mason
March 13, 2015 at 08:34
Ah man, sound’s great. I picked it up haven’t played anything yet, going to wait till sunday when I have nothing to do and play it through in one sitting.