One of the most stunning platformers ever produced, but fails to be engaging beyond those visuals.
I really, really, really wanted to love this. However, I ended up just liking it instead.
Polished graphically and with a gameplay at the highest level. Some elements work not as great, but still as a whole it is a magnificent game.
Na época que joguei meu computador não rodava direito, tenho que zerar.
Bouncing, diving, gliding, and slinging myself across the beautiful Nibel Forest was some of the most fun I had with platforming controls in any game. I was unsure about the generic Pixar-style story and the imprecise combat at first, but Ori and the Blind Forest eventually won me over with its excellent traversal mechanics that turned the forest into a fully realized challenge arena and playground.
Of these mechanics, the most game changing one was of course the “Bash.” The tedious button-mashing combat was my biggest disappointment with the game, but I loved how the Bash ability recontextualized those enemies into opportunities for new expressive movement. It changed the way I looked at the game’s other systems and how I interpreted its level designs. I found it odd that this crucial unlock wasn’t placed earlier in the progression.
One other issue that didn’t seem major yet persisted through the whole game was the excessive visual noise in the environment. Yes the art in this game is incredible and I loved it, at least when I wasn’t trying to parse multiple projectiles, enemy animations, and interactable objects at once while also escaping from a relentlessly pursuing flood or some other cinematic peril. Trying to discern all these colorful elements on top of an equally vivid background was sometimes a bigger challenge than the actual gameplay. It especially messed with the feel of combat, which was already weak but became worse with this visual impreciseness.
Thankfully combat was deemphasized as the game went on, and exploration became greatly enhanced by Ori’s complete arsenal of movement abilities. From the midgame onward I was hooked. I welcomed any new excuse to do more platforming, and I didn’t stop until I had found every hidden collectible and secret area. Sure it was rough around the edges, but I’m glad I stuck with Ori and the Blind Forest as it proved to be a real gem at its core.
Of these mechanics, the most game changing one was of course the “Bash.” The tedious button-mashing combat was my biggest disappointment with the game, but I loved how the Bash ability recontextualized those enemies into opportunities for new expressive movement. It changed the way I looked at the game’s other systems and how I interpreted its level designs. I found it odd that this crucial unlock wasn’t placed earlier in the progression.
One other issue that didn’t seem major yet persisted through the whole game was the excessive visual noise in the environment. Yes the art in this game is incredible and I loved it, at least when I wasn’t trying to parse multiple projectiles, enemy animations, and interactable objects at once while also escaping from a relentlessly pursuing flood or some other cinematic peril. Trying to discern all these colorful elements on top of an equally vivid background was sometimes a bigger challenge than the actual gameplay. It especially messed with the feel of combat, which was already weak but became worse with this visual impreciseness.
Thankfully combat was deemphasized as the game went on, and exploration became greatly enhanced by Ori’s complete arsenal of movement abilities. From the midgame onward I was hooked. I welcomed any new excuse to do more platforming, and I didn’t stop until I had found every hidden collectible and secret area. Sure it was rough around the edges, but I’m glad I stuck with Ori and the Blind Forest as it proved to be a real gem at its core.