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Ori and the Blind Forest

Ori and the Blind Forest sets a new standard for the platform/adventure genre, by managing to handily surpass the games that inspired it in terms of storytelling, gameplay, and presentation.
Ori and the Blind Forest Game Cover
90%Game Brain Score
story, music
grinding, stability
96% User Score Based on 26,368 reviews
Critic Score 84%Based on 31 reviews

Platforms

Nintendo SwitchXbox Series X|SPCXbox OneSteam DeckWindows
Ori and the Blind Forest Game Cover

About

Ori and the Blind Forest is a single player platformer game with fantasy and thriller themes. It was developed by Moon Studios GmbH and was released on March 10, 2015. It received positive reviews from critics and overwhelmingly positive reviews from players.

In Ori and the Blind Forest, players control Ori, a white spirit, as they navigate through a metroidvania-style world to save the forest of Nibel from a dark energy known as the Blind Forest's decay. Using platforming and puzzle-solving mechanics, Ori gains new abilities and upgrades to explore the open environment and restore light to the forest. The game features a touching narrative and beautiful hand-painted visuals, accompanied by a sweeping orchestral score.

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96%
Audience ScoreBased on 26,368 reviews
story6.1k positive mentions
grinding164 negative mentions

  • story
    11,336 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The story of "Ori and the Blind Forest" is widely praised for its emotional depth and beautiful presentation, often drawing comparisons to Studio Ghibli films. Players appreciate the minimalistic yet impactful storytelling, conveyed primarily through visuals and music rather than dialogue, which enhances the game's emotional resonance. While some find the plot simple or predictable, many agree that it effectively engages players and evokes strong feelings, making it a memorable experience in the platforming genre.

    • “The story is simple, but powerful, and is really elevated by the wonderful art direction.”
    • “The combination of visuals, storytelling, and music forms a harmonious trifecta that elevates Ori and the Blind Forest to a level of artistic brilliance rarely seen in video games.”
    • “The story on the other hand was something I had no connection to.”
    • “The emotional weight of the story is conveyed through minimalistic yet powerful storytelling, making it easy for players to connect with the characters on a deep level.”
    • “The story is simple, but illustrated in a way I would not have ever imagined.”
  • music
    10,761 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in "Ori and the Blind Forest" is widely praised for its breathtaking orchestral score, which enhances the emotional depth of the game and complements its stunning visuals. Many players highlight the soundtrack as a standout feature, often describing it as one of the best they've ever encountered in a video game, capable of evoking strong feelings and immersing them in the game's atmosphere. Overall, the combination of beautiful music, art, and storytelling creates a captivating experience that resonates with players long after they finish the game.

    • “The animation is unique and full of character, pairing with a powerful soundtrack that gives this game a special atmosphere.”
    • “The music just adds to the charm of the whole thing.”
    • “The soundtrack deserves a special mention for how it complements every aspect of the game, enhancing both the emotional depth of the story and the intensity of the gameplay.”
    • “The music can be a bit repetitive at times, but the visuals are quite amazing for a platform game, and gameplay is great with a controller.”
    • “The music, the graphics, the history... everything is simply beautiful, stunning and unique.”
    • “The music is well done and very soothing, which is good, because don't let the cute appearance fool you... Ori and the Blind Forest is difficult.”
  • gameplay
    8,402 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay of "Ori and the Blind Forest" is widely praised for its blend of challenging yet fair mechanics, fluid platforming, and engaging puzzles that evolve as players progress. Many reviewers highlight the game's unique abilities, such as the "bash" mechanic, which adds depth to both combat and traversal, while the stunning visuals and emotive soundtrack enhance the overall experience. However, some players note that certain gameplay elements can be frustrating, particularly during intense escape sequences and due to the lack of fast travel options, which may lead to repetitive sections. Overall, the game is celebrated as a masterpiece that successfully combines art, storytelling, and gameplay.

    • “The gameplay is very enjoyable.”
    • “The gameplay mechanics are well-crafted, blending tight platforming with a cleverly designed progression system.”
    • “The gameplay is equally impressive, featuring a combination of platforming challenges, puzzle-solving, and combat that is both engaging and rewarding.”
    • “This game is not fun when you get into the mechanics.”
    • “The graphical beauty of Ori and the Blind Forest and the fabulous storytelling does not make up for the extremely tedious gameplay mechanics.”
    • “The gameplay can be frustrating at times.”
  • graphics
    8,312 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics of "Ori and the Blind Forest" are widely praised for their stunning, hand-painted art style that creates a vibrant and immersive world. Reviewers highlight the breathtaking visuals, intricate character designs, and fluid animations, often comparing the game's aesthetic to that of a Studio Ghibli film. The combination of beautiful graphics with a captivating soundtrack enhances the emotional depth of the story, making it a standout experience in the platformer genre.

    • “The graphics are stunning, the soundtrack is enjoyable, and the gameplay is smooth and relaxing.”
    • “The visuals are breathtaking, the gameplay is spot on.”
    • “The hand-drawn art style is nothing short of spectacular, creating a picturesque environment that feels alive with every pixel.”
    • “The game maxes out at graphics so old we don't even use them anymore but it has the option to change to them.”
    • “The visual clutter makes the character hard to see and due to the bright graphics, makes my eyes hurt to play for a long time.”
    • “The biggest one being that there is no option to reduce the graphics of the game.”
  • emotional
    3,309 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The emotional aspect of "Ori and the Blind Forest" is widely praised, with many players noting its ability to evoke strong feelings through its touching narrative, stunning visuals, and evocative soundtrack. The game's prologue and key moments throughout the story often lead to tears, highlighting themes of love, loss, and sacrifice that resonate deeply with players. Overall, it is regarded as a masterful blend of gameplay and emotional storytelling, making it a memorable experience that leaves a lasting impact.

    • “I got a bit emotional at times just because it's conveyed so well... and honestly because Ori is just too precious (─‿‿─) ♡”
    • “Ori and the blind forest is a visually stunning and emotionally captivating platformer that takes players on a heartfelt journey through a magical, mystical world.”
    • “The emotional weight of the story is conveyed through minimalistic yet powerful storytelling, making it easy for players to connect with the characters on a deep level.”
    • “At first, I was hesitant because I am not into platformer games as much, but holy crap, did this game make me emotional and it is freaking enjoyable.”
  • atmosphere
    1,096 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The atmosphere of "Ori and the Blind Forest" is widely praised for its breathtaking visuals, enchanting soundtrack, and immersive storytelling, creating a rich and emotional experience for players. Reviewers highlight the game's ability to evoke a range of feelings through its art style and music, making it a standout in the metroidvania genre. While some players note challenges in gameplay, the overall atmosphere is described as captivating and beautifully crafted, drawing players into its magical world.

    • “The game's breathtaking visuals and gorgeous soundtrack create a serene and mesmerizing atmosphere that immerses you in the game's universe.”
    • “Ori has excellent audiovisual design making for a stunning atmosphere, which has arguably led to its overwhelmingly positive reviews.”
    • “The atmosphere in this game is simply indescribable.”
    • “However, the atmosphere you will be sucked into will more than enough make up for it.”
    • “This game at first appears to be a small, artistic indie project, but rapidly expands into a full-on metroid clone in a far different atmosphere.”
    • “It completely destroys the well-crafted atmosphere of the game.”
  • replayability
    345 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The replayability of "Ori and the Blind Forest" is a mixed bag, with many players noting its limited value after the initial playthrough, primarily due to a lack of new content or significant changes in subsequent runs. While some appreciate the challenge of achievements and speedrunning, others feel that the game’s linearity and short length diminish its overall replay potential. Overall, it offers a satisfying experience for a single playthrough, but may not entice players to return frequently.

    • “The replayability of this game comes mostly through reliving the story, or speedruns.”
    • “An absolutely beautiful game with tons of replayability, trying to catch everything you missed the first time around.”
    • “I feel like this game has amazing replayability as well and has its own challenge mode to mix it up after you beat it and get a good grasp of the game.”
    • “The only huge drawback which massively impacts my opinion of this game is its replayability.”
    • “Ori and the Blind Forest isn't very deep (simple game progression, simple combat) and doesn't have a whole lot of replay value (in fact, upon completing the game, your save file gets locked, unless you want to restart).”
    • “The game does not have much, if any, replay value to speak of.”
  • grinding
    180 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The reviews highlight that grinding in the game can be excessively tedious, often requiring players to repeat difficult tasks or backtrack extensively without sufficient rewards. While some players appreciate the challenge and the beautiful design, many express frustration with the repetitive nature of certain mechanics, particularly in combat and exploration, which detracts from the overall enjoyment. Overall, while the game offers a rich experience, the grinding elements can feel overwhelming and poorly balanced, especially for casual players.

    • “I also liked that you could upgrade your map to reveal secrets and collectibles - so no tedious map crawling to get that 100% completion.”
    • “This game has no grinding or anything of the sort; the only parts of this game that are artificially stretched out for a longer game time are the time you spend backtracking should you decide to collect more upgrades, which isn't something that's strictly needed.”
    • “Reminds me what it's like to play a game for the fun of actually playing it - not grinding through gameplay just to get to the next droplet of story progression, like most modern games.”
    • “Getting skills barely improves anything and finding things like life cells (pickups that increase your max health) and energy cells (which virtually don't exist) is tedious at best.”
    • “Beautiful game, but very tedious; the timed events are simply poorly done, you have to do them 20-30 times which is annoying and takes all the fun away from the game.”
    • “But having to grind certain puzzles 20 times only to find you haven't unlocked the specific skill required to get the reward, dying over and over and just grinding, in general, really takes away from the game.”
  • optimization
    166 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's optimization has received mixed reviews, with some players experiencing smooth performance even on low-end PCs, while others report significant issues such as stuttering, crashes, and poor performance on various systems. Although many users noted improvements since the initial release, there are still complaints about bugs and inconsistent frame rates, particularly in graphically intense areas. Overall, while some players enjoy a flawless experience, others find the optimization lacking, suggesting that performance can vary widely depending on hardware and settings.

    • “The performance of the game is amazing.”
    • “10/10 no complaints, runs smoothly and is definitely worth the price.”
    • “One of the best-looking and best-optimized games this year and maybe forever.”
    • “Terrible performance on low graphics + game has a lot of bugs.”
    • “Even though the game looks stunning, it is really poorly optimized and runs badly on many systems even months after launch.”
    • “Only downside to this game is that it seems to be poorly optimized for PC.”
  • stability
    158 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The stability of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players reporting various glitches, particularly related to achievements and performance issues such as freezing and lag. While some users experienced minimal bugs and praised the overall performance, others faced significant game-breaking glitches that hindered their experience. Overall, it appears that while the game can run smoothly for some, many players recommend waiting for patches to address the numerous stability issues.

    • “The art style is beautiful, the game mechanics are fairly smooth and not buggy at all, and the story is well presented.”
    • “However, this is a creative, well-balanced, relatively bug-free game and storytelling experience (I didn't encounter a single bug in my hours of playing).”
    • “- Graphics: 10/10, perfect 2D graphics, runs smoothly, no glitches at all/no tearing (so far).”
    • “When I start it, it freezes my computer for almost 7 minutes before it starts, and then I cannot even load my save files from before.”
    • “However, the game is infested with deadly glitches that might end your journey and force you to start from the beginning.”
    • “Keeps crashing; I want a refund; the game is too buggy.”
  • character development
    122 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Character development in the game is widely praised for its emotional depth and visual appeal, with many reviewers highlighting the intricate and charming character designs that enhance the storytelling. Players appreciate the ability to connect with characters through their unique designs and the impactful narrative moments, often leading to emotional responses. Overall, the combination of stunning visuals, engaging gameplay mechanics, and well-crafted character arcs contributes to a memorable gaming experience.

    • “I love the character development; the story is good and also the environment is so beautiful.”
    • “The fact that they can produce enough character development within the first ten minutes of the game to bring tears to your eyes is a marvel...”
    • “Interesting mechanics, satisfying character development (transition from 'oh crap, enemies' to 'oh boy, enemies, I can use them'), overall good and polished gameplay design, great art, music, good attention to detail and a fairy-tale, Disney-like epic story.”
    • “Most of the time cutscenes only tell you what to do next, without there being character development, or foreshadowing or anything.”
    • “No character development.”
    • “They just flipped on all the character development they built throughout the story.”
  • humor
    62 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The humor in the game is described as both engaging and multifaceted, blending moments of laughter with emotional depth, as players find themselves laughing through challenges and poignant storylines. Many reviews highlight the game's ability to evoke a range of emotions, from joy to sadness, while maintaining a lighthearted tone, particularly through its whimsical characters and gameplay mechanics. Overall, the humor is seen as a significant and enjoyable aspect that enhances the gaming experience.

    • “Funny 2D jump & run with a wholesome story about friendship and saving nature.”
    • “In 3 hours, my friend and I had died 275 times, and we just could not stop laughing.”
    • “The story in the intro had me laughing and crying.”
  • monetization
    4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The monetization aspect of the game is not explicitly discussed in the reviews, but there is a strong sentiment that the game's quality and legacy warrant more extensive advertising and recognition, suggesting that the developers could benefit from a more aggressive marketing strategy to capitalize on its status as a masterpiece.

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10h Median play time
16h Average play time
8h Main story
11h Completionist
7-12h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 186 analyzed playthroughs
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Frequently Asked Questions

Ori and the Blind Forest is a platformer game with fantasy and thriller themes.

Ori and the Blind Forest is available on Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X|S, PC, Xbox One and others.

The main story can be completed in around 8 hours, while the entire game is estimated to take about 11 hours to finish. On average players spend around 16 hours playing Ori and the Blind Forest.

Ori and the Blind Forest was released on March 10, 2015.

Ori and the Blind Forest was developed by Moon Studios GmbH.

Ori and the Blind Forest has received positive reviews from players and positive reviews from critics. Most players liked this game for its story but disliked it for its grinding.

Ori and the Blind Forest is a single player game.

Similar games include Ori and the Will of the Wisps, Dust: An Elysian Tail, Owlboy, GRIS, RiME and others.