Ori and the Blind Forest – Video Game Review

I’d give this game 4 apples out of 5.

Ori and the Blind Forest is an adventurous platform video game. The international independent developer, Moon Studios partner with Microsoft Studios to produce and publish this game. Currently, it’s available on Windows PC (Steam) and Xbox 360, and Xbox One.

To my knowledge, this article marks the first review I’ve done of a video game. I’m not sure why that is, but, I suppose that really says something about Ori and the Blind Forest, doesn’t it? This is the game that compelled me to speak.

I’m ashamed to admit that I originally hesitated to buy this game. I’m not sure why. Maybe because I have a large library of games already, and I felt guilty adding another game when I have several others that I haven’t started yet. It might also be because I keep telling myself that I will stop buying them, and eventually stop playing them (this would make my wife very happy.)

That said, there was something about this game that appealed to me; spoke to me if you will. Perhaps it was the soft, yet brilliant art style that made up the graphics in the original screenshots I saw, or its Avatar-like atmospheric color scheme. Maybe it was the sense of nostalgia, that someone might have truly resurrected the platform genre that we all loved as children. Then again, it could have been that it just wasn’t Call of Duty.

I think it was when I actually watched the trailer, embedded below, that I got a sense of what this game was, and how everything fit together. It was art. It was gameplay. It had a sense of purpose, and heart.

Judge for yourself:

After playing this game for a few days, I have to say —It reminds me a lot of Journey in a way. You remember the PS3 classic. Journey was a quiet, and thoughtful game. It drew you in, and you got lost in the sound of the sand slipping past your feet, or the wind rustling your scarf as you flew through the air. The story of a people fallen, and your ascension to restore order. I read that some people cried. I could see that.

In my mind, Ori is the Journey of platformers. It boasts a rare combination of art, music, gameplay, and heart. In other words, it’s an experience, and one that has sorely been missing in the gaming world.

The story begins by following Ori, some type of creature of light. Ori is an orphan, and is taken in by another creature—the gentle guerrilla type animal you see coddling Ori in the pictures above.

The beginning of the game is a series of cut scenes, and the game lets you play a small role in them if you choose. (Note – The game lets you skip these cut scenes if you wish. I didn’t, because I wanted to at least experience the game as the developers intended—at least once. I do appreciate the option, though.) As things progress, you watch the gorilla creature take Ori in, and bring him along. You watch their relationship grow over time, working and playing together. Then, in a sad moment, Ori loses that creature too, and he’s alone again.

There’s an evil in the world, a blackness that takes various forms. Ori sets out to discover what is wrong in the world and to make it right. There are multiple worlds that Ori must visit and save, so to speak. Each of these worlds have a unique feeling as the music and environment changes based on the world’s theme for that level.

There are no words

There really isn’t any speaking in the game, at least not in the traditional way. There is a faceless narrator that will enter in at key moments in the storyline and say things in a low, supreme being type voice. This is tempered, however, by childish or Fae-like laughter accompanying his voice in the background. The effect is somewhat magical and atmospheric. The game makes you feel like Ori is being guided by natural/divine forces to understand and complete his quest.

Controls and Gameplay

Ori travels around the levels, hoping, and flipping, and dodging his way around the world. He climbs walls, swims, and flies too. He has special abilities, not the least of which is attacking enemies via a crystal that floats above him. He can double jump, redirect his jumps off of lamps, and other things.

The control system is really intuitive and easy to use. The menu system for upgrading abilities is a simple, swirly ability tree. Esthetically, its very pleasing, and again, simple to understand and use.

There are secrets hidden here and there throughout the levels. Mostly they are the jump through the wall type visual tricks, but they are satisfying to find, nonetheless.

Atmosphere

I’ve implied a lot about the atmosphere in this game, if not already explicitly stated it. This game is beautiful. Few games have put together the combination of storyline, graphics, music, and place/setting that this game has. It really just works. There are moments when you feel rushed, threatened, and you know the impending doom is looming over your head. Then, a moment later, the fear dissipates, and you have a quiet moment, with the gentle sounds of the environment to sooth you.

 

 

Difficulty

After everything I’ve said, all the compliments I’ve paid this game, please understand—this game is not easy. You will die. Probably a lot. 

The game lets you figure it out through trial and error. You think you can swim at first? Sure, you can jump in, but you can’t breathe under there yet. You’ll die. You think you can taken on one of those big, bad creatures you are seeing for the first time? Probably not. Dead.

The game understands this, though. It gives you a very simple way to save the game, anywhere, at any time, so long as you have saved up the energy to do it. This plays into the strategy, and the gameplay. Again, nice move by the developers. Had this game been this hard, and they hadn’t created a way for you to come back, and not lose the progress you had made, it would be frustrating.

 

 

All in all, Ori is a fantastic game. Its appearance, if it were just any other game, could be mistaken as lipstick on a pig. After all, so many games are beautiful, but ultimately lack the gameplay, or the storyline, or one of the other elements that is needed to make a game feel truly complete. Moon Studios clearly gave this game the T.L.C it deserved. It’s a labor of love, and that shines through in every aspect of the game. If you enjoy platformers, and have a PC or an Xbox, go get the game. You’ll absolutely love it.

 

 

 

 

If you’re interested, or impressed by the soundtrack you heard in the trailer, check this out. You can actually listen to it here on the site (embedded below) or on YouTube. Leave a comment below, and let me know what you think of the game.