Ori and the Blind Forest

'Ori And The Blind Forest (2015)' is, first and foremost, gorgeous, its painterly 2D aesthetic perfectly immersing you in the oddly beautiful darkness of its world. Its music, too, does an excellent job of compounding you within its serene yet dangerous world, even if it does get slightly repetitive at times. The game sees you take control of a small creature, born of light, who must travel through his darkness-infected homeland to rekindle the light of the spirit tree that used to protect it. It's, essentially, a Metroidvania platformer, as you gain skills throughout the game that then allow you to retrace your steps and reach previously inaccessible areas. The whole map is interconnected and peppered with secrets, so exploration is encouraged. However, the piece does a good job of steering you towards your intended target and can, if so desired, be played more or less linearly. This is a rather smart decision, as it caters to two distinct types of players, and it keeps the game as accessible as possible. The thing is a satisfying platformer with tight controls and inventive mechanics. One of its more unique aspects is the ability to create a save point anywhere you wish (within reason) at the cost of energy points. This creates an interesting dynamic, as you have to decide carefully when to save and when to press on. It's possible to save yourself into a tight position, but the energy can be found frequently and the game never feels as though it's punishing you. You'll die a lot, that's for sure, but the fact that you can choose where to save - and can do so frequently - prevents the experience from being frustrating. In general, the game is highly enjoyable. It's also surprisingly affecting, with its simple narrative having much more impact than you may expect. It has a wistful tone, yet it's also full of hope. Its moments of sadness are balanced out with moments of joy. It's a satisfying experience on all fronts. From its beautiful art to its intuitive gameplay, the piece is a blast to play from beginning to end. 8/10.

I really enjoyed this game. The art style, music and level design are all absolutely great. I don't usually play 2d platformers but this one kept me engaged throughout. I found this both a relaxing and stressful experience because the game has such an ethereal and cute vibe but it's pretty difficult game on normal difficulty (I finished both Sekiro and Elden Ring and I found this one quite hard at times). It's a short indie game with great mechanics which keep you hooked just long enough till the end of the game. After the end there isn't much to do anymore though.

The positives: +Art style +Music +Interesting and well-dispersed mechanics +Nice little story +Memorable and fun experience

The negatives: -Too many similarly colored items on screen which is very confusing and hard to distinguish sometimes.

-Some very annoying inconsistensies in difficulty and telling the player which surfaces are solid or harmful and just general consistency issues.

-Bossfights were kind of lame if there really were any; so many great mechanics so such a shame they are not properly tested in the end with a cool fight or something.

-The music is very dramatic and sometimes this sort of diminishes the weight of the important story moments: the music always sounds like you are in the final cutscene or bossfight.

The gameplay is fantastic, the graphics are beautiful and everything's guided by a well thought-out, not too complicated story. All adds up to an atmospheric and enticing game, which I have played through three times now.

Overall a wholesome, gorgeous game.

10/10

First of all. I am not a 2D guy and I have never played a metroid vania game until now. (Played for the first time in 2023 on Series X)

This game blew me away. I could hardly put the controller down. Here were my big positives!

• Best platforming ever. By the end of the game the way all your abilities, attacks, and movements options blend together second by second is masterful.

• Thrilling set pieces.

• Amazing puzzles.

• A perfect original score
• beautiful graphics and art style.

• A touching story told without words.

• Fun enemy design.

• Good progression system.

• fun exploration
• perfect level design
• many collectibles!

• fun leaderboards etc.

• Great achievements!

This game is a most play, it is perfect!

Even making a video game, you should have the mind of craftsmen, because the video game is considered as "the ninth art".

Brilliant graphics, beautiful music, logical plots, the think of freedom!

Finally, I discovered that the spirit tree is the true bad man...