Ryan Dannar

I’ve been playing videogames since the original NES was brand-new, and I have to say, Ori and the Blind Forest is simply one of the best Metroidvania-style games out there, period. The exploration is fun, the leveling-up system feels right, the difficulty-curve is easy enough at first but really challenging as you get into the later stages of the game, and simply controlling Ori is a joy. Her movements feel fluid and graceful, and that is a crucial aspect of this game’s appeal. Moving around this world feels great — and as you power-up and more movement options become available to you, it starts to feel like flying. Of course, the graphics and music are also part of the reason why this game is so phenomenal. The graphics look hand-drawn, and reminded me of Studio Ghibli films (Princess Mononoke, especially). Not only are several layers of graphics used in the background, to create the illusion of a deep forest behind the plane of action, but this game also employs layers of scenery in the extreme foreground, so that the action seems to be truly surrounded by the plants and creatures of a living and breathing forest. The music is lushly orchestrated, and sounds both melancholy and adventurous. It is some of the most memorable music I have heard in a videogame, outside of the major franchises. But the secret weapon of this game is the way that it involves you emotionally. The prologue tugs at your heartstrings in ways that I won’t give away here, but I’ll just say that it is an expert bit of interactive storytelling. Also, the tragedy described by this opening sequence functions as powerful motivation for the game’s quest. Much like the beginning of the aforementioned film, Princess Mononoke, this game uses a world-changing tragedy which is both personal and epic in scope as the starting-point for its tale of adventure. Anyway, I would call this game and instant-classic, a five out of five, and a must-play for anyone who even remotely enjoys this kind of side-scrolling adventure.