I have a bit of a weird relationship with 2D platformers. Part of me really likes them, but I also have very little patience, so I get bored of going over the same area again and again if I get stuck or if there’s a million collectibles to find that mean going over old ground. I’m not sure why it’s specifically 2D platformers that make me feel like this, as it happens often enough in various other games but there you go!

Ori and the Blind Forest, however, has not bored me at all, no matter how many hours I’ve played. It’s not easy either by any stretch of the imagination. It seems to fall under the category of games that reward you for perseverance and trying something new. It starts off easily enough but as you get deeper into the forest the difficult curve becomes quite steep.

It helps that it’s absolutely stunning as well. You really do feel like you’re deep within a living world. Although it’s a 2D game there are so many layers behind the path Ori is taking and all the plants move and sway as she passes.

I also really love the approach to level design in this game, in that there are no levels in the normal sense of the word. You just move from area to area trying to achieve the next task set out by the game. It feels much smoother and more natural this way. Like a real adventure.

I know this has been out for sometime on Xbox but I’ve been playing this since it was released on Switch and can not fault the mechanics at all….apart from this one area where I was definitely not telling Ori to do a stomp move but was ignored and it happened anyway!…it was definitely nothing to do with my skills or lack there of, I promise!

The responses are immediate and the new abilities Ori learns along the way are varied and unique. They each allow Ori to do something completely different, such as climbing walls, using charge flame, using objects in the world, enemies and enemy projectiles to boost herself up to areas previously unobtainable.

The story is engaging as well. Without giving too much away if you’ve not already played this, it tugs on the heartstrings within the first few minutes of the game starting. It really makes you root for little Ori to succeed.

In short, I really enjoyed this game. It feel like an adult platformer, both in its story, art style and difficulty. If someone with as little patience as me can preserve, then I’m sure pretty much anyone else can!

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