Ori and the Blind Forest: Definitive Edition

I played the steam version when it first came out and am basing my review off of that version not this one although I dont believe my issues with the game will be resolved with this extra content. I would like to write a longer review but there is a limit here so I will keep it short. This game is a metroidvania style platformer. You play as Ori who is a charming and likeable creature. The games visuals are lovely and it is always a joy to see new areas while the music is also very nice. Control wise it is also largely responsive and intuitive. The story is simple and does not get in the way of the game much but it failed to connect to me on any level. I just found I did not care what happened to the world or characters by the end. However many I am told find it very touching. The main problem of the game is its difficulty spikes. Every so often the game will have sections that have an instant fail state and if you die its right back to the start again and again and again until you do them perfectly. While they are not that long (they feel long) I cannot overstate how much I hated these moments and how much it turned me off the game. Likewise the environment can be quite challenging to progress through which is not usually a bad thing as I never felt it was to much of a challenge but it makes having to go back through certain areas especially multiple times an absolute chore and slowly kills any want for exploration. You do get a teleport later but its not enough imo. The game starts out amazing but I found by its end all I could think was thank god that is over. There are just to many little annoying niggles in this game for me and unfortunately it to often turns it from an entertaining challenge to an annoying chore. I gave it 3 stars which I know is low for GOG but it is not a bad game in fact it is quite good in many ways I just feel that in Oris case for me at least it does not translate into an overall enjoyable experience.

Evocative of Miyazaki's works - intentionally, as the author said that themselves - this game is nothing short of a work of art. The sleek 2D visuals are impressive, it's like watching a cartoon in motion, and the music is equally exquisite and breathtaking. The best thing got to be the story, tho. It's very emotional and compelling and the storytelling is absolutely flawless. Without spoilering anything, let's suffice to say that it moved me almost on the verge of tears at time. It's a beautiful poem of emotions that would resonate with anyone who's not a stonehearted insensitive person. I see a comment by another user criticizing the difficulty of the game, but personally I can't see why that should be a negative. The cute looks of the game could be deceiving, but rest assured, the game is hard. I don't mean it's hard in general, tho. If you are used to hardcore platforming and eat stuff like Mega Man or Ghost n' Goblins for breakfast this is a piece of cake, but it's hard for modern standards. Since today most games have been dumbified to the point that it's basically impossible not to beat them, I can understand why a modern gamer may find Ori difficult, but it's actually not THAT hard. It's just challenging. If I were in the user that criticized this game for its difficulty, I would never try playing VVVVVV or Super Meat Bros, because they are WAY more difficult than this one. Ori is not unfair. Challenging, yes, but never unfair. The controls are flawless and I always felt that failing was my mistake. I warmly suggest anybody to try the title, at least those lucky US residents who are not plagued by the annoying regional pricing thing, because it's pure art and a wonderful game, definetely one of the best platform games I ever played.

Just making this to inform buyers that the leader-board does not work for the GOG version of the game. Or at least it doesn't for me. Instead you're displayed with a message saying "Internet connection disconnected, please check you connection". ******************************************************************************************************** Developer sofie: No achievements / no leaderboards ("no internet connection") - Try to Verify Integrity of Game Cache (right click the game in Steam library -> properties -> local files -> verify integrity of game cache). ******************************************************************************************************** Even after verifying the game, reinstalling completely and turning firewall off the leader-board doesn't show up. I'd assume the developers neglected the GOG version and focused on the steam version instead, which is also DRM-FREE. The Original required you to 'Delete or rename SteamworksNative.dll in the installation folder' to play offline, whereas the definitive edition does not. Regardless of it missing a small feature it's still worth buying the game here on sale. Although It's disappointing to see GOG users get treated like 2nd class compared to Steam users.

Ori is the most beautiful game I've ever played. I am no casual gamer, but I don't like playing action platformers. But this game is just too well done: Great character designs (especially Ori and Naru), interesting skills (not only visually but also concerning gameplay!). Great atmosphere, great soundtrack. The lighting looks like a dream. The story is okay (I haven't played the complete game yet, so I don't really want to judge that now). I also didn't have any technical problems. I'm amazed what is possible with this game engine (Unity). What I don't like about it at all is the difficulty. I already play on "easy" and switched from the original to the definite edition now, so I can use the teleport etc. But it isn't enough in certain levels (the tree...). A game like this doesn't need to be that frustrating in the easiest game mode. But if you resistent enough against frustration, you really should give it a try. It seems to be a bit easier when you have a controller you're adjusted to.