Ori and the Blind Forest wasn't the first indie metroidvania. It wasn't even the first big one. But it certainly was one of the most important modern entries for the genre, and it still holds up surprinsingly well after almost 9 years.
The game plays very smoothly, the platforming is fluid (I pretty much did the water tree segment in one motion!), with my only gameplay gripe being combat. It's kinda slow, there's a lot of button mashing, some enemy attacks don't have tells to help you avoid them, and there's technically only one boss fight that I can remember, which later becomes a normal enemy (Not even the main antagonist is fought). Other than combat, Ori is a fantastic platformer, the level design is very well made, and skillful gameplay is rewarded by it (You can even get some collectibles and power ups before the intended time by pulling off stunts).
The story is simple, but it's beautiful and cute, with a nice message to it. And that's good, it doesn't need a complex storyline or worldbuilding (Which is nicely done in its intro section and while you explore the world) to be well made and worthwhile.
The music is great and perfectly fits with the atmosphere of the game in general and each individual section of the map. Same goes for the sound design, never was there a moment in which the audio parts of the game failed to deliver (And Ori sounds so cute, especially when emerging from water bodies).
One of the best things about this game, however, is its looks. This game is nothing short of gorgeous, and it's no overstatement to call it one of the best looking games of its time, even nowadays and after an even better looking sequel it still shines. Set pieces are a highlight, the place after the water tree segment made my jaw drop.
It's a short and sweet game (Only took me about 13hrs with some thorough exploration), which is good in almost every segment, being held back by its combat. Overall a great game, and would recommend to anyone that likes platformers and metroidvanias and wants a short but worthwhile adventure for a week.
SCORE: 8.5/10
The game plays very smoothly, the platforming is fluid (I pretty much did the water tree segment in one motion!), with my only gameplay gripe being combat. It's kinda slow, there's a lot of button mashing, some enemy attacks don't have tells to help you avoid them, and there's technically only one boss fight that I can remember, which later becomes a normal enemy (Not even the main antagonist is fought). Other than combat, Ori is a fantastic platformer, the level design is very well made, and skillful gameplay is rewarded by it (You can even get some collectibles and power ups before the intended time by pulling off stunts).
The story is simple, but it's beautiful and cute, with a nice message to it. And that's good, it doesn't need a complex storyline or worldbuilding (Which is nicely done in its intro section and while you explore the world) to be well made and worthwhile.
The music is great and perfectly fits with the atmosphere of the game in general and each individual section of the map. Same goes for the sound design, never was there a moment in which the audio parts of the game failed to deliver (And Ori sounds so cute, especially when emerging from water bodies).
One of the best things about this game, however, is its looks. This game is nothing short of gorgeous, and it's no overstatement to call it one of the best looking games of its time, even nowadays and after an even better looking sequel it still shines. Set pieces are a highlight, the place after the water tree segment made my jaw drop.
It's a short and sweet game (Only took me about 13hrs with some thorough exploration), which is good in almost every segment, being held back by its combat. Overall a great game, and would recommend to anyone that likes platformers and metroidvanias and wants a short but worthwhile adventure for a week.
SCORE: 8.5/10