dancrane212
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The forest of Nibel is dying. After a powerful storm sets a series of devastating events in motion, an unlikely hero must journey to find his courage, and confront a dark nemesis to save his home. Join Ori, the last spirit guardian, as he discovers the mysteries of a dying forest while escaping the evil clutches of Kuro, the dark owl. Play through a beautifully created environment while combating Kuro and completing in-game puzzles to help Ori save the forest of Nibel.
Ori - The last spirit guardian of the forest. Ori journeys to discover the cause of the forests dire condition and stop it.
Sein - A small sprite who joins Ori as an ally early in the game. Sein is able to attack enemies and open new passageways as his abilities grow.
Naru - Naru finds Ori unconscious in the forest after he is separated from his home and raises him from that point on as her child.
Kuro - A mysterious dark owl whose actions will propel Ori onto his journey.
Ori and the Blind forest is a game very much in the classic Metroid style. You explore a large interconnected world that is gated by your current abilities, the more abilities you unlock the more areas you are able to explore. While exploration is a significant part of the game you are not left without any idea how to progress. The game will give direction to where your goal is located but uncovering the route there is up to you.
Ori’s skills are governed by a energy meter, with that energy Ori is able to use powerful abilities in combat and to open up new locations. While the game does have infrequent checkpoints you are given the option to use up some of Ori’s energy to make a Soul Link, leaving a respawn point that you can return to if you meet an untimely end. Depending on where you are in the world it may be difficult to refill said energy meter leaving you to balance combat resources with checkpoints.
Throughout the game Ori will come across orbs and defeat the monsters with both actions bequeathing experience that can be spent to grow Ori’s abilities via three different branches of the skill tree: efficiency, utility and combat. Some examples of those abilities include making collectables visible on the map, being able to breathe underwater indefinitely and increasing the power of Ori’s attacks. These abilities are not crucial to the completion of the game’s story however and can be skipped entirely if you wish to challenge yourself and go after the achievement for completing the game while not unlocking a single skill.
Review Thread
GameInformer 9.5/10
Ori and the Blind Forest is one of the best games of the year, and should be a no-brainer for anyone looking for an exciting new adventure to dive into. That said, it comes with a warning: Expect to be humbled by its difficulty. Death comes quickly. Over and over, you’re going to watch an adorable little creature perish because you had a moment of indecision or your skills failed you. Again, nothing about this experience feels unfair. Some of the long scripted sequences are enormously challenging – to the point that you’ll likely repeat every swear word that you know
Gamespot 9/10
It's important, however, not to mistake Ori and the Blind Forest for being simply beautiful. It certainly is--but it is also unceasingly clever. It consistently surprises you with new tricks: gravitational divergences, new ways to move through its spaces, and carefully designed levels that require you to think quickly and respond. It is not as snappy as, say, a typical Mario platformer, seeking instead a broader gameplay arc stretching across a single, interconnected world. It's a superb and thematically consistent approach that allows Ori and the Blind Forest to build joy on a bed of heartache, adding a new layer of mechanical complexity with each ray of hope.
GamesRadar 4/5
Equal parts charm and challenge, Ori and the Blind Forest makes some harsh demands but pays off with its stellar presentation. Its atmosphere is phenomenal, with the kind of universal appeal that's rarely found in games - from the way the backgrounds feel like living environments, to the uplifting music and touching cinematic moments. Completing Ori's six-to-nine-hour journey will certainly leave you feeling warm, fuzzy, and accomplished - just be ready to dig in for some particularly trying segments.
Special Thanks to Levi Szekeres for the font and VlaudTheImpaler for the thread title.