What is... Ori and the Blind Forest

Picture taken from https://wccftech.com/nintendo-gamescom-2019-indieworld/

I am quite sure I am going to overuse the adjective “beautiful” in describing this one out, Ori and the Blind Forest. Released back in March 2015, the game was developed by an Austrian independent developer called Moon Studios. The game is a 2D action platformer metroidvania which lets you jump through obstacles perfectly, solving puzzles, fighting through enemies and backtracking to visit previously unreachable places. Ori and the Blind Forest tells you about the story of the titular young spirit guardian who is on a quest to restore back the withered forest of Nibel by reigniting the lights of three main elements of the forest, Water, Wind, and Warmth, to restore balance.

Ori, the young spirit guardian.

Ori and the Blind Forest has been in front of my eyesight on Steam every time I log on to my account. Without knowing what it is, without even bothering to look at the gameplay trailer, I already had a good partly blind impression towards it. Partly blind because I was reassured with the "overwhelmingly positive" reception it has. So, I finally took my chance and decided to play this game and I am glad I did that. Ori and the Blind Forest is basically what you need to play to experience what beauty is in video games. I will discuss what it feels like walking through this platformer, engaging into a relaxing yet satisfying combat, while linking emotional connection towards its story and how it is presented to you.

Run, Jump, Dash, and Many More!

Being a platformer game, the forest is designed with a vast and unique environment where you have to walk, climb, swim, jump, dash, and float your way from one place to another. Nibel is huge, its sections are divided into several parts for you to explore to find secrets, and to reach your objectives. Which explains why backtracking is one of the key features of the gameplay. 

Platforming in Ori can be so fun yet so intimidating.

At some point, playing Ori will test your determination because the further you progress through the game, the harder the platforming will become. Higher precision on button pressing is required, this might be a little bit tougher for some of us, but it is in fact fun and satisfying to play once you find yourself getting a hang of going through all the platforming challenges. 

Nibel has a lot more for us to explore.

The forest of Nibel is so vast that you will be amazed by what you must do in order to explore it. I often find myself figuring out how to reach that top of the tree, either I have to jump, dash, climb or I have to utilize the enemies and dash to the hard-to-reach area, or I have to leave it for now and coming back later when I already acquire a new traversal ability. What I managed to notice from Ori and the Blind Forest is that the developer clearly handles the game design in a thorough manner. In this case, all of the abilities that you acquire throughout the game will come in handy for you and you will have to use it to assist you from time to time, you will not find any abilities that fall off unused after several points of the game. 

 

The enchanted forest of Nibel.

The Combat!

 

Ori as it discovers Sein.

Before I played Ori, I was wondering what the combat will be like and how it will work in this beautiful game. The answer is ingeniously satisfying. Ori and the Blind Forest utilizes almost every mechanic of the game that can be turned into a force against your foes. Your primary weapon is Sein (pronounced as Sa In, for you linguistics nerds /saɪn/). Sein is an essence from the spirit tree that acts as a guide for Ori’s quest to restore balance in Nibel. Sein will act as the player's primary weapon, firing spirit flames at nearby enemies. But there is more than just launching flames to your enemies. You can utilize your traversal abilities to creatively defeat other hostile creatures. For instance, you can deflect enemies’ projectiles back at them as you dash to a desired location, this ability is called “Bash”. Bashing is so versatile it is used to launch yourself to a higher ground, to launch puzzle objects, and launching projectiles.

Bashing is something that is very useful both in combat or for traversal.

Dying is inevitable in Ori and the Blind Forest, it is something that has been the part of the game. But that does not make the game as gloomy as Limbo, remember the game where it emphasizes loneliness, isolation, and indefinite death? Ori is not like this, despite failure is inevitable, it contradicts with the concept of death that Limbo projects. So unlike Limbo, Ori has health points, Ori’s HP can be increased by acquiring Life Cells that are scattered throughout Nibel. Apart from HP, Ori also has energy which it can use to create a Soul Link, opening an energy door, or using a charged attack. Soul Link is basically created as a method to save your game; thus, you can save your game anytime you want and respawn where you last saved your game should you die.

Sein will gladly help you to fight off hostile creatures.

There is no leveling up, at least, not exactly. But instead you can earn ability points as you defeat enemies or if you collect Ability Cells which usually are in a secret area. Earning ability points will allow you to upgrade Ori’s skill. You can access your ability through the Soul Link that you created. These skills will help you a lot as you make your progress, so be sure to upgrade whenever you can.

The ability tree.

The Synopsis

The heartwarming story is one of the reasons that keeps you playing this game.

The story starts off with a very warm welcome that will turn awry. Its seamless transition between the game’s narration and gameplay is very smooth which I really really love in video games, similar to the way Dead Space delivers its narration. Ori and the Blind Forest tells us the story of young Ori who is lost from the spirit tree after a cataclysmic event sets off. Now Ori is back on its feet to restore balance in Nibel, but its journey will not be a pleasant one as it is occasionally hunted by a fearsome black giant owl named Kuro. The story is filled with wonders and fantasies especially the setting in the forest Nibel where nature will look deathly beautiful. There is a heartwarming climax and resolution as you are about to end the game which I am sure will easily captivate everyone who dives into this magical world. 

 Conclusion

Nibel is filled with magical places for you to explore.

Playing Ori and the Blind Forest is basically indulging your eyes in the beauty of this game. Being a 2D platformer game does not restrict the game from offering us a very very beautiful and unique aesthetic. What you will definitely experience from this game is an automatic determination to keep progressing the game no matter how many times you fail to jump on that slippery platform. Why? Because there is always another surprise waiting for you to discover in this magical adventure. I will not describe Ori and the Blind Forest as a relaxing game because it will demand your focus at several points, but the soundtrack is truly something that will put you to sleep. This game is without doubt something that you cannot miss out, it is fun for every age, it can be very relaxing after a day of hectic work. Try playing it on the easiest difficulty so you can focus more on indulging your eyes in the beauty of the world, trust me, I could literally sit there and enjoy the scenery of Nibel. Now the sequel for the game, Ori and the Will of the Wisps, just came out weeks ago. I haven’t got my hands on it, but I heard it is as equally, if not, more amazing than its predecessor. Cheers, everyone!