Ori and the Blind Forest

Wow. This game is gorgeous…. and hard as nails.

Ori was a blast to play from start to finish. The game follows the little glow fox Ori as he tries to revive the forest in which he lives. A big nasty owl stole the life from the tree that supplies the forest with all its energy. The game is split into one large map, consisting of 4 dungeons and interconnected areas. Each of the dungeons ends in an escape situation where you have to think fast and get out while avoiding every obstacle the developers throw at you. I broke a sweat on the last dungeon escape.

Ori isn’t a long game. I clocked in 11 hours. It has a few optional side areas you can do to get some extra skills which come in handy. I almost got 100% (ended at 98%) without looking at a single guide or video on anything. You get skills to show you where everything is hiding, which is nice. As you progress you also gain skills that give you a reason to go investigate former areas. For example, you learn a skill to lob a ball of light, that illuminates a plant of some sort. This plant is a trigger to open doors that were closed before. 

The thing I liked best about Ori is that the developers went above and beyond to make sure you never felt like you were missing anything just because you didn’t have a guide. I like playing games like that, as you can avoid spoilers and just enjoy it. Second, the music in this game is perfect. Every track fits the mood perfectly, and it’s an absolute joy to listen to. 

Ori and the Blind Forest is a master class in platforming game design. Definitely check this little indie platformer out!