Ori and the Blind Forest, huh? Every now and then there’s a video game release which is so ruddy, truly, very, definitely awesome you have to sit up and notice. Beards off to Moon Studios (nothing to do with Keith Moon, Daphne Moon, or Moons in space) for Ori and The Blind Forest. It is fantastic!
Let’s state the obvious – it looks glorious. Graphics aren’t everything, however, and merely complement the gaming experience. Thankfully, we have a truly challenging and enjoyable platformer as well, and one which has a quite wonderful soundtrack. It’s kind of like a Studio Ghibli film as a game, with classic Nintendo gameplay elements. You really can’t lose.
Ori and the Blind Forest
Ori is another excellent release for the ever blossoming Indie scene (independent developers making lower budget titles based on talent). The best from this lot are Metroidvania games, and we have another example of this right here. As the company explain:
"We’ve been taking lessons from games like Super Metroid and A Link to the Past in order to really bring back this sensation you had when you played the games Nintendo was building in the early 90s. The level of polish and the execution of design in these games – we feel – was extraordinary. We felt strongly that children and adults today should get that same feeling again."
Players are Ori, a white guardian spirit, who can shoot flames and run on walls. He has to interact with his environment and solve puzzles, facing enemies along the way.
The poor dude fell from the Spirit Tree in Nibel Forest and teams up with Sein (who sounds distinctly like Midna from Zelda: Twilight Princess) – this is a being who guides and assists Ori along. So, yeah, this is effectively Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away in game form. That’s a damn good thing, mister!
Naturally the game’s also beautiful as Moon Studios have been heavily influenced by Studio Ghibli (it’s reasonably similar to Ubisoft’s indie RPG CHILD of LIGHT, but with elements of landmark 1994 classic Super Metroid). There’s no point in looking great if you’re a total dimwit beneath the pleasant exterior, though, which is just as well the game’s met with rave reviews.
Definitive Edition
Please pay attention, other developers: This is what imagination looks like! As for gamers – get yourself a copy pronto. The Earth needs you to. You can pick it up on Steam (PC) and the Xbox One.
The brilliant news is there’s also now Ori and the Blind Forest: Definitive Edition which adds some interesting new levels and features. If you’re new to the game, that’s the version to head for. If you’re a fan, however, we can totally recommend picking this up as well. Why? It’s just so gosh darned epic!
Professional Moron 
Is that Ban-Ki-Moon’s game studio?
The indie scene seems to be big on platformers. I’m a bit worried they might get stuck there, but the platformer has been dead for years. The amount of undiscovered ideas must be huge now.
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As with many Indies they’re a mix of former AAA developers. Aiiiiiiie.
Indie games tend to lurch towards the Metroidvania type experience – or RPGs. There are misses, but when there’s a STRIKE it works big thyme. I ruddy adore platformers – as a genre it’s as lively as ever, one thinks. I’m bored of the endless violent shooters the mainstream churns out.
My idea for a game is to merge Tetris with Pokemon and Shovel Knight. I’d call it “Shovelmonris 64” and it’d cause severe eyestrain and RSI.
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I’m also bored with endless violent shooters. That’s because they forgot what makes violence so fun. We went from shooting aliens with guns that defy the laws of physics to realistic military shooters.
Sort of like how we went from Schwarznegger’s one-liners to bloated, two-hour-and-a-half feasts of Michael Bay.
If you’re into the platformer’s brother, Point and Click, check the upcoming Armikrog. It’s from the developers of Neverhood.
Considering how well the indie scene is doing, I sometimes think maybe the big companies are on their way out.
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Wouldn’t it be ACE if Michael Bay had been called Michael HAY!?! Man. I’d be laughing every minute of the day!
Armikrog it is, yo. I’ll hunt it down like Arnold Schwarzenegger hunts down the alien in Predator. If it bleeds, we can kill it.
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