Ori and the Blind Forest: Definitive Edition Review (PC)

very good
key review info
  • Game: Ori and the Blind Forest: Definitive Edition
  • Platform: PC
  • Show system requirements
  • Gamepad support: Yes  
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Ori and the Blind Forest: Definitive Edition energy use

Ori and the Blind Forest: Definitive Edition makes some good tweaks to an already solid video game, with most of the additions clearly based on the feedback that the player community has offered since the title was first delivered on the Xbox One.

The platformer mechanics are not tweaked in any significant ways, but the presence of the new Easy difficulty means that the game is more accessible than it ever was, which is a great thing given the subtle plot and the great graphics that it offers.

There are still moments when the difficulty ramps up a little too fast, and it's hard to balance the need to create a new save point with the fact that energy might be required for progress in a coming section, but the Definitive Edition for Ori and the Blind Forest is a great way to experience the game for those who have only heard about it from friends until now.

The title is developed by Moon Studios and is published by Microsoft, with the game offered on the Xbox One home console and the PC, with plans to deliver it on the Xbox 360 in the future.

Story

Ori and the Blind Forest: Definitive Edition puts players in control of Ori, a forest spirit that has to make his world whole again after a cataclysmic event that has affected the world and his beloved woods, taking away his mother and most of other sentient life.

The narrative is simple but refined, focused on the trials that an innocent character needs to get through to bring order back to his universe, which involves getting access to three fundamental elements that can restore the Tree of Life with help from a spirit named Sein.

Moon Studios uses little in the way of traditional dialogue to shape the world they have created, but the characters and the environments are very expressive emotionally, sometimes recalling the look created by Hayao Miyazaki and the concepts explored by Murakami.

Ori and the Blind Forest: Definitive Edition action
Ori and the Blind Forest: Definitive Edition action

Ori remains a little mysterious throughout and there's little in the way of humor in the game, but the adventure itself is intriguing enough to keep gamers moving forward, trying to see what kinds of tales the new area has to tell.

Black Root Burrows is a big area of the world that gamers get to explore, and the focus is on Ori's mother and her past, with the development team at Moon Studios also offering fans a wider range of extra content associated with the game, including concept art and video content.

Gameplay

Ori and the Blind Forest: Definitive Edition offers a classic platforming experience, with players asked to move through a beautiful world using a wide variety of abilities while dealing with puzzles and with a multitude of enemies.

The main character is initially just a fast runner and good jumper, but as he gains access to small orange experience globes, he will be able to enhance his powers while also learning new moves that open up more of the environment.

The forest is big and filled with unique challenges that gamers will have to work to conquer, finding the best way to avoid danger, deal with the threats that often make surprise appearances and find ways to get the resources open doors to new areas.

Ori and the Blind Forest has a unique system that relies on the character's energy to create save points, which are also required to access the skill tree, which means that players will have to constantly weight whether they want to create a checkpoint ahead of a tough section or if they want to use a special ability to make progress.

Ori and the Blind Forest: Definitive Edition enemies
Ori and the Blind Forest: Definitive Edition enemies

This decision is constantly interesting, but it can also become frustrating when energy sources are limited and failures become a constant.

Ori and the Blind Forest's combat is a little limited, with enemies that have patterns that are easy to learn and deal with, with the developers ramping up the difficulty by simply putting more of them on the screen or by making it hard to target and take them out.

The beautiful world and the charming main character is often at odds with the complexity of some of the platforming moments, but after a few hours spent with the title, a certain way of thinking means that it's easy to create a plan and then execute it, although it is often hard to perfectly implement a clear solution.

The Definitive Edition of the video game features some gameplay elements that are perfectly integrated into the experience, with Ori having the ability to dash to better navigate the environment and the power to use a new light burst that can be useful at times.

A fast travel system is also integrated, which is one of the features that gamers requested when the original was launched, and it really saves time for those who want to move through the entire game hunting for secrets and achievements.

Gamers who played on the Xbox One can also choose to move their saves to the PC or the other way around.

The biggest change that the Definitive Edition introduces to Ori and the Blind Forest is the new Easy game mode, which is the one gamers should use if they want to explore this gorgeous world, engage with its unique mechanics and discover what its narrative has to offer.

Of course, a harder version of the game is also offered for those who completed the original without having any trouble and a one life experience is also featured for the most skilled of gamers who have already spent time with Ori and want to really impress friends with their skills.

Graphics and audio

Ori and the Blind Forest: Definitive Edition is a gorgeous looking video game, and there are plenty of moments when I lost track of my objectives or simply lost green life points because I was paying more attention to the world around me than to the requirements of the gameplay.

There's a lot of variety in the forest, and as the game progresses, the environment and the enemies evolve in unique ways, offering reasons to push forward to see what the imagination of the Moon Studio developers can conjure up next.

Ori himself is a good-looking character, expressive even when he is simply moving across the game world and the only problem with the graphics is that they are sometimes too colorful to fully enjoy for long periods of time.

The quality is impressive on the PC, even if the options that the port offers are relatively limited regarding scope, and there are no issues with the frame rate.

The sound design of the Definitive Edition for Ori and the Blind Forest is equally solid, with the music used to enhance the feelings of desperation and revival that permeates the game world and the struggles of the main character.


The Good

  • Solid platformer mechanics
  • Impressive graphics
  • Easy mode and fast travel

The Bad

  • Some frustrating moments

Conclusion

Ori and the Blind Forest was a good game when it was first introduced on the Xbox One and with the delivery of Definitive Edition, the entire experience becomes more accessible, with the gameplay better balanced between frustration and fun and some extra tidbits of story thrown in to flesh out the narrative.

The new package is best suited to those who have not played the game before, and owners can upgrade for the price of 5 dollars or Euro.

Ori and the Blind Forest shows how relatively classic platforming mechanics can be enhanced by the addition of an understated but impactful story and by offering a gorgeous world that gamers can take in as they uncover more of the story.

Moon Studios has not yet announced future plans, but the fact that they worked with Microsoft to create and launch the Definitive Edition for their first title means that gamers should be excited about their future projects.

story 8
gameplay 9
concept 9
graphics 9
audio 8
multiplayer 0
final rating 8.5
Editor's review
very good
 
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