Finally a video game released this year that I am properly, honestly enjoying. Ori and the Blind Forest is beautiful.
What do I like about Ori and the Blind Forest so far?
— The spectacularly touching opening. I loved the pacing, I loved that I was in control for that section.
— The actual feel of the platforming. It’s unique, has its own speed and weight. Doesn’t borrow from other platformers in that regard.
— The environments. Well drawn, well designed. Gorgeous.
— The Super Metroid style layout. It’s been a while since I’ve played a 2D platformer like this. I love the slow-burn way the world is made accessible to me. I’ve always loved that in video games.
Things that are bothering me a litte?
— Overdrawn cut-scenes. Maybe it’s because I’m also playing the hyper-minimalist Metroid Prime, maybe it’s just my own personal tastes, but I feel like this game is spending too much time in the cut-scenes, top much time elaborating on its lore. I really feel this game should be simpler, more direct and simply suggest more as opposed to spelling everything out.
— I feel as if this game almost has a little too much going on. I’m not a big fan of ‘levelling’ in games like these — unlocking special abilities by simply grinding through enemies. I think it’s at odds with the design itself. Not sure why it’s there to be honest.
— I am playing Metroid Prime at the same time as this. That’s unfortunate for Ori, because all games suffer in comparison!
But these are super minor niggles. I am loving this game.
What are your thoughts?
Comments
13 responses to “Community Review: Ori And The Blind Forest”
My thoughts are that I need an Xbox One to play this.
It’s on Steam as well, if you have a gaming PC.
I don’t. UNI student here.
What do I like about Ori and the Blind Forest so far?
– art style looks super beautiful
– metroidvania game play
– apparently music is meant to be top notch
Things that are bothering me?
– I don’t own an Xbox One
– delayed for Xbox 360 with no release date announced
But it’s on PC as well?
my laptop has that intel hd graphics card shit which is meant to be awful
This game is glorious, Metroid/Vania/Arkham style game. Avatar’s Pandora inspired asthetic. Guacamelee style gameplay and world traversal. $27 price point.
Is it $27 on console? It’s $20 on Steam, which is even better for how beautiful this game is.
20$USD is 26$ AUD … semantics.
No problem, didn’t know you were referring to the exchange price. There’s ways to offset the currency difference, selling cards and items on the market, leftover balance from when the exchange rate was better, that kind of stuff. I picked up the game for the US price that way.
Do I need to upgrade my PC to make it look like the trailers?
It looks gorgeous on my GTX 770.
Was playing this on the weekend, my poor thumb feels slightly bruised :(. Absolutely beautiful game, and the music is simply stunning. Some very frustrating sequences, as with any good platformer, but in general it controls really well and has some really fun mechanics to it. Highly recommended!
I’m in my 30’s and as much as I love the idea of gaming it’s extremely rare for me to find a game that I can’t pull away from and find I’m still playing when the sun comes up. Ori has done just this. Everything about the game is fantastic. The cutscenes are wonderfully emotional and I thought the story was done perfectly, and I normally skip anything story related! The gameplay is fun and sometimes brutally difficult. There is no grinding. You can comfortably finish the game with the skill points you will acquire through normal play, but there is plenty to find if you want to. I finished the game twice over the weekend and I’ll be starting game 3 tonight!