Ori and the Blind Forest preview: road to 'Ruins'

The last time Shacknews went hands-on with Ori and the Blind Forest was back at E3 2014 and it was a game that dazzled the staff. Moon Studios' story of a fanciful sprite showed the foundation of a tale that bore a powerful resemblance to whimsical Miyazaki films, as well as the platforming prowess of other indie gaming darlings like Limbo.

A little over six months later, it was time for another round with Ori. While many of the same ideas that we loved are still in place, this time around, there were a few new aspects of the Metroidvania platformer that were introduced.

Since it was my first time with Ori, I familiarized myself with the game's opening act, known as the Sunken Glades. The platforming feels precise, as the animation brings life to the luscious forest setting. While many of the platforming elements are basic, like the ability to shoot incoming enemies, there are also some intriguing new ideas in place, such as the idea of a more limited save system. Ori's Soul Link ties the game's save system to an energy meter that needs to be refilled over the course of the game. As Ori levels up, players can utilize Soul Link more and save more often, while also using the Soul Link hub to upgrade the sprite's abilities with an RPG-style skill tree.

While I didn't give Soul Link saves too much of a workout during the game's opening minutes, I found myself needing it much more with one of the game's newly-revealed sequences called the Forlorn Ruins. Fast-forwarding to a later part of the game, Ori was tasked with taking an orb across a new part of the stage and collect runes along the way to open a path forward. The orb would trigger an anti-gravity effect that would allow Ori to run up walls and across ceilings. Gravity would similarly change to suit which way Ori was facing, meaning he could fall upwards or sideways, having to avoid spikes or other hazards along the way. The implementation was amazingly smooth and mixed up the platforming mechanics in a satisfying way.

Once mechanics such as these kick in, the challenge level starts to increase. I died a lot throughout this sequence, which encouraged me to be more thoughtful about where I was saving. With death coming so frequently, it was nice to observe that there weren't any load times to slow the pacing down. Simply die, respawn, try again, and die some more without the hassle of waiting.

Ori and the Blind Forest leaves a strong impression, thanks to some beautiful artwork, silky smooth platforming, and a strong challenge level. It was originally shooting for a Fall 2014 release, but Moon Studios held back for some additional polish. Now it appears to be all set to go, as the developer has announced a March 11 release date for both Xbox One and PC with a $19.99 price tag.

Ozzie Mejia

Senior Editor

Ozzie has been playing video games since picking up his first NES controller at age 5. He has been into games ever since, only briefly stepping away during his college years. But he was pulled back in after spending years in QA circles for both THQ and Activision, mostly spending time helping to push forward the Guitar Hero series at its peak. Ozzie has become a big fan of platformers, puzzle games, shooters, and RPGs, just to name a few genres, but he’s also a huge sucker for anything with a good, compelling narrative behind it. Because what are video games if you can't enjoy a good story with a fresh Cherry Coke?