Recent reviews by Tokotaker

Ori and the Blind Forest is the first project by indie developers Thomas Mahler and Gennadiy Korol, co-founders of Moon Studios. The adventure has the player journey through a lavishly detailed painting-brought-to-life of a world in a Metroidvania-style action platformer. The game tells the story of Ori, a child of the ancient Spirit Tree that must restore light to a valley fallen to darkness. On her quest she'll receive the help of Sein, the only remaining essence of the Spirit Tree; the loving memory of her caretaker, Naru; and one or two surprises along the way.

Beautifully painted backdrops serve as the landscape of the player's environment. The art is perhaps the game's most prominent and recognizable feature; the talent over at Airborn Studios bring a style to the game that elevates it's emotional experience more than gameplay alone can. Every area is a joy to explore, with each having it's own unique color palette and artistic motif that stays in your mind long after leaving. I found myself stopping on more than one occasion when entering a new section of the map to take in all the detail put into every inch of the space.

These gorgeous landscapes are accompanied by a sweeping score as you progress along your journey. Each location has an individual theme that helps set the tone of your current adventure. The work of composer Gareth Coker can not be understated; his compositions bring to mind the peaceful tunes like those find in thatgamecompany's Journey. The music is easily enough a selling point as the game's art direction. Some of my favorite pieces found in the soundtrack include "Naru, Embracing the Light", "Up the Spirit Cavern Walls", "Down the Moon Grotto", "Home of the Gumon", "Riding the Wind", and "The Light of Nibel". The game's sound design is just as polished, with every step you (and your enemies) take serving to further draw you into its atmosphere.

The game plays as good as it looks and sounds. Ori's controls are very fluid and responsive, making the parts where you're flying through platforming sections all the more rewarding. Your character starts out weak and ineffectual to the dangers of the forest. As you progress, you'll find power-ups to increase your life meter, attack power, and maneuverability. Defeating enemies and collecting orbs fills your Ability Meter, which will grant you points to spend on upgrades when filled. Ori will also learn more movement skills along the way that allow the player to access previously unattainable puzzles and secrets in earlier areas. The player is free to backtrack at any given time to find missed collectibles. The gorgeous art and music make re-exploring previous areas seldom a chore.

New areas all have their own unique challenges that put your newly-acquired skills to the test. I never experienced any random difficulty spikes or overly frustrating sections while playing on Normal. Platforming segments all feel very fair, although some tougher parts may require a bit of trial and error. The difficulty comes down to the player's own understanding of the physics and movement and not to the game's own cheapness. The game does not have any checkpoints and instead allows the player to save whenever they want. This feature helps ease the difficulty of some later sections. This all serves to make finally completing a tough stretch all the more rewarding. Hell, I died over 500 times!


Art Direction and Visuals: 5/5

Music and Sound Design: 5/5

Gameplay and Controls: 4/5

Map and Level Design 4/5

FINAL SCORE: 9/10

Ori and the Blind Forest: Definitive Edition is a beautifully crafted masterpiece of a gaming experience. Certainly one of the most enjoyable platformers I've ever played, and among the best-looking in the genre too. Play for five minutes and hours later you'll be finding it near impossible to put down.

Good

Good