Ori and the Blind Forest: Beautiful, Challenging
Welcome to Indie Spotlight!
I finally found the time to cross off one of the games on my most anticipated list of 2015 — it’s time to check out Ori and the Blind Forest!
You take on the role of what I can best describe as a white fox-like spirit named Ori. You have been returned to health by a motherly creature of darkness named Naru, and you live comfortably together. One day, the Spirit Tree’s power is taken and the forest begins to fall to fire and plague. With the help of a spirit guide, it’s up to you to restore the tree and save your home!
At its core, Ori is a side-scrolling puzzle platformer, but man is it GORGEOUS. Everything in the game is hand drawn and animated to give the richest wildlife I have ever seen in a game.
The game revolves around restoring power to three major components of the forest, each of which require a special key hidden away elsewhere. Like any good puzzler, your exploration leads to newer and more powerful skills that allow you to progress throughout the world.
Your spirit guide acts as both your narrator and your primary attack. It blasts bouts of flame at your enemies and obstacles across the land. You also learn different methods of jumping, climbing and stomping through weakened trees and rocks. My personal favorite skill was Bash, which allows you grab onto an enemy or projectile and propel yourself in any direction. This opened up a slew of very clever challenges throughout the game.
Although the premise may sound straightforward, the story and animation make Ori an amazing experience every step of the way. Even after completing the campaign, I wanted to continue checking every corner of the forest for secrets and power-ups. For you hardcore players, there’s even a one-life difficulty! (I easily died over a hundred times, yikes!)
From developer Moon Studios, Ori and the Blind Forest feels like one of those gems that I will gladly revisit again in the future.
Ori and the Blind Forest is available on PC and Xbox One.
