Ori and the Blind Forest is a 2D, side scrolling platforming adventure game set, as you may have guessed, in a giant forest. When a mysterious event occurs that saps the forest's energy, causing plants to whither and die, and monsters to become unusually aggressive, it's up to you to explore the forest, find out what's been causing the problems, and put things right.
Rather than being divided up into specific level, Ori has a much more free-form approach. Playing as the titular Ori and plonking you into the middle of a gigantic wood, you're free to explore the huge forest pretty much as and when you see fit. A style of games (somewhat unhelpfully) known as "metroidvania", Ori and the Blind Forest has an emphasis on exploration, as you're encouraged to hunt out hidden passages and secret rooms, tread every path, and explore every last inch of the woodland. The trick is, when you're first starting out, certain areas of the forest will be inaccessible to you, whether they're hidden away behind a barrier you can't break, or are just out of reach, because you can't quite jump high enough. As you play through the game, and unlock new skills and abilities - like a double jump, or a stomp - you'll be able to access new areas, and explore even more of Ori's forest home.
However, despite its family friendly looks, Ori and the Blind Forest is a game that's incredibly unforgiving and hugely difficult. This is a game that's aimed squarely at the most experienced of platform players, with enemies that can kill you in one or two hits, a requirement for pixel perfect precision jumps, and traps aplenty, designed to trip you up and send you back to the last checkpoint. To make things even trickier for novices, there's no automatic checkpoint system, as the game instead relies on you creating save points manually - each of which uses a unit of energy, meaning it's possible to run out of saves in a particularly tricky section, with no way of filling them up again until you finish it. With some sections banning saves altogether, essentially requiring a perfect run to complete it, this is a game best suited to the most experienced of players.
As a platform adventure, Ori and the Blind Forest contains nothing in the way of violence, gore, sex or swearing. In terms of content, it's a thoroughly wholesome adventure - although younger children may find some scenes disturbing. Several scenes involve the cute young Ori being chased by a giant, evil bird, while the game's intro (where Ori's mom dies, despite Ori's best efforts to awaken her, Lion King style) was enough to bring half the Everybody Plays team to tears - so bear in mind it may be upsetting for younger kids too.
Age Ratings
Format Reviewed: Xbox One
