Game 123 - Ori and the Blind Forest - Week X - Apr 24

ri and the Blind Forest. If there was one word to describe this game it would be wholesome. In the same vein of old school Disney or Ghibli, it paints a mystical fantasy landscape with whimsical animal like characters. The backdrop of nature spirits reminds me of Ghibli, and the Kodoma from Princess Mononoke. The intro was infamous for making people cry, it was heart touching in the same way the Pixar greats were like Toy Story, Ice Age and Monsters Inc. The spirit tree, heart of the forest, loses one if its children Ori, and this is adopted and nurtured by a forest spirit Naru. Without Ori however the tree begins to decay and so does the forest. Without any food Naru dies, leaving its last food to Ori. Queue waterworks now. So Ori sets off on its heroes adventure to restore the spirit tree and heal the the blind forest. I had already played the start of of the original game years ago, prior to the definitive edition. So this segment didn't hit hard this time but I do remember tearing up when I originally played it. In fact this was the last entry on the list of games I attempted to finish previously and got pulled away. Moving on everything I play is an entirely fresh start.

        

The watercolour art style and backdrops that make up the forest are absolutely the star of this game. They're beautiful whether decayed spider caverns and volcanic blasted forests or flourishing valleys and crystal lakes and every part of it oozes pristine charm. It makes the holistic adventure of restoring the forest all the more satisfying when a dead lake comes to life which you can now swim in. The forest has three biomes with multiple areas you must work your way through to restore. It's also a clever way to embed metroidvania mechanics. Restore the rivers and you now have swimmable sections, unlock the valley and you now have winds that can carry you to new heights. Along your adventure you'll be accompanied by Sein, an agent of the spirit tree that empowers you, serving as both your ability tree and guide. The skill tree itself is fairly basic, upgrade health, pickups, attacks, reduce damage. But there are a few game changing mechanics like triple jump or air dash that have huge utility. As Sein guides you through the forest you'll be hunted by Koru, an owl that lost its children in the decay and blames the spirit tree, seeking to destroy it and its agents out of revenge. Another central character is Gomu, a creepy cute little fur ball with legs that originally steals the spirt energy but in the end uses it to revive Naru. In the climax you're cornered by Koru, but Naru shields Ori, giving Koru images of its own children it failed to protect. In the end Koru realises its folly as the forest begins to burn down and endangers its last child, it sacrifices itself to restore the spirt tree and save the forest. The game ends with the forest blooming among the ashes and a little family of Ori, Naru, Gomu and Koru's egg cracking. 

The gameplay is mostly platforming with some combat that involves telegraphing different enemies types and spamming Sein. The enemies are quite interesting from slimes that split to toads that spit their bile at you. The game combat opens up more once you gain the slingshot ability that lets you launch off and redirect enemies, lanterns or some projectiles. This leads to my biggest criticism, the d-pad. I always play platformers with the d-pad. Ori however is a game that requires full 360 degree precision in your movement especially when it comes to the slingshot. Not only this but trying to use the d-pad straight up does not work. Up + Right to move North East will only send you in that direction 1 in 5 times. So when my preference is this poorly implemented mechanic a lot of frustration ensued for an hour or two. The gameplay thankfully picked up again when I eventually ditched the d-pad entirely in favour of the analog stick. Now I have no issue with their design choice not working optimally with the d-pad. However if this is the case, just don't allow me to use it and force me to get used to the analog stick early on and not have to switch over half way through. Beyond this the gameplay is fantastic and chaining together wall runs, sling shots, double and triple jumps together to pull of an intense platforming section is always deeply gratifying and a joy to look at as you do. The game finds new puzzles to throw at you that fit each area perfectly and keeps you on your toes the whole way through. Overall it's a beautiful game and I'm glad I finally got back to finishing it.