Ori and the Blind Forest: Definitive Edition

 Switch
User Score
8.5

Generally favorable reviews- based on 431 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 361 out of 431
  2. Mixed: 39 out of 431
  3. Negative: 31 out of 431
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  1. Kiddae
    Jan 5, 2020
    5
    Good OST, beautiful game.
    Terrible gameplay (who thought having a down only button to dash to the bottom was a good idea ?) or game design deision. I found the screen extremely hard to read mostly due to the graphics, sure they are gorgeous but too often you can't tell what is just part of the scene and what will kill you.
    Too many RNG, too many unfair difficulty spike.
  2. pyhriel
    Feb 11, 2021
    7
    [This review is from a completed play-through, 100% completion at normal difficulty]
    This is a bit of a disappointment, because it has so much potential. It's visually astonishing and the music is great.
    The gameplay, as in the various things you can do with your character and the various game mechanisms are nice and fun to play with, if a bit overwhelming at times. The core issue with    [This review is from a completed play-through, 100% completion at normal difficulty]
    This is a bit of a disappointment, because it has so much potential. It's visually astonishing and the music is great.
    The gameplay, as in the various things you can do with your character and the various game mechanisms are nice and fun to play with, if a bit overwhelming at times.
    The core issue with this game, is that the level design is just plain bad. There is a heavy reliance on insta-kill (or near insta-kill) elements, many of which cannot really be foreseen, so you kinda have to die once to learn how to not die the next time. Even the fact the you'll die so often is mitigated a little by the save system, which more or less allows you to save anywhere, it is still a very unsatisfactory feeling. Also, you gradually get all these various fancy moves and abilities, but you never feel like you can just enjoy them. There is no real part of a level where you just get to have fun, pretty much everywhere you go you'll get a technical issue to manage that is most likely deadly.
    The worst part of level design in this game are the three "boss chases". these you must complete all from start to finish in one go. Every time you die, and you will, you start from the beginning. The frustration is one thing, but I feel what is the greatest weakness of this design is how it completely destroys the narrative tension. Once you have died and restarted a few times, with the music restarting, you've lost the narrative intensity of the chase sequence and you just want it to be over. Once you're done with it you just feel relived, there is no real sensation of accomplishment, as I don't feel these sequence help you master your abilities in anyway, you just get to drill this specific race in your mind and learn some muscle memory reflexes for this specific race.

    It is sad. I still had some fun playing the game, and I'd really want to recommend this game, but I can't. It is beautiful, and has a lot of cool things in it, but it becomes tiresome to play. The story, though it has some touching moments is also a bit scattered (for lack of a better word). I'm trying to run the various scenes I've seen, and honestly. I'm not entirely certain what exactly has been happening and why.    … Expand
  3. thryce3
    Mar 1, 2020
    7
    Beautiful. Touching story. Interesting platforming. Some pretty big difficulty spikes, but the save mechanic adds an interesting dimension. Loses a few points for the chase sequences. They're brutally unforgiving and spoil the cinematic appeal. Also, I finished the game skipping a few areas and missing their upgrades. It's a very good game, but the fact that I don't feel the need toBeautiful. Touching story. Interesting platforming. Some pretty big difficulty spikes, but the save mechanic adds an interesting dimension. Loses a few points for the chase sequences. They're brutally unforgiving and spoil the cinematic appeal. Also, I finished the game skipping a few areas and missing their upgrades. It's a very good game, but the fact that I don't feel the need to go back and complete what I missed says something.… Expand
  4. Welkinz
    Dec 23, 2019
    7
    I think it is just me...I just personally cannot enjoy this kind of "hardcore" platform action game too much no matter how great the graphic and music are. I like the Nintendo platform games which give players more fun to explore and easier learning curve better
  5. andymm76
    Jan 6, 2020
    5
    I have played and loved games like The Messenger, Celeste, etc. Beautiful game but way to hard! Its the first game i stopped playing it, because its to frustrating!
  6. Gontrand00
    Jan 21, 2021
    7
    I don't care how beautiful the game is or how good the OST is.

    It's a video game. If it's not fun to play, it has a problem. And Ori and the Blind forest has a big problem. I don't care if a game is hard, I played Hollow Knight, Celeste, Hyperlight, Katana Zero, name it. But this one is just unfair, even on easy mode. The thing is that, if you wanna make a platform game, you    I don't care how beautiful the game is or how good the OST is.

    It's a video game.

    If it's not fun to play, it has a problem.

    And Ori and the Blind forest has a big problem. I don't care if a game is hard, I played Hollow Knight, Celeste, Hyperlight, Katana Zero, name it. But this one is just unfair, even on easy mode.

    The thing is that, if you wanna make a platform game, you need to have perfect control of your character. You need a good level design. You need to have perfect gameplay (like Celeste). If you wanna give some challenge, it needs to be fair and give a little chance to succeed.

    Ori doesn't have great controls. It doesn't have a fair challenge (you sometime need to die to understand what do to, even after only one hour of playing - we are not talking about the last level). Playing this game is frustrating because it forces you to go through insane and not at all calibrated challenge in some key parts of the game. So you'll have to die 20 times to get over an obstacle, but not because it's actually difficult. It's because the game is not polish. Enemies weirdly respawn for no reason (and it's not even necessary to be that way) in some parts where the platforms are already tiny, things gets really confusing really fast during the battles and your character is super weak during the first 5 hours of playing. So you die for almost nothing. And **** the spikes, they are almost instant kill and they are everywhere. That's just cheap level design and cheap challenge.

    So what's the point of making a beautiful game if you cannot enjoy it, because the difficulty and the core gameplay wasn't really polished ? It's a damn shame because I would like to finish it, but after 3 hours of (mostly) frustrating play, I'm not even sure I'm gonna finish it. It is way beyond games like HK (which was hard but had better level design, a better learning curve and TIGHT CONTROLS).

    So I am not really sure I'm gonna try the sequel, because if it's the exact same, I don't see the point.    … Expand
  7. TheMegaGodz
    Oct 10, 2019
    5
    Nice to look at, but not very fun to play. The visuals quickly lose their charm after an hour or two of gameplay.
  8. Kaneris
    Jul 9, 2021
    6
    Is pretty beautiful and the mechanics are cool
    However...
    The upgrades on the game just don't work. There's not a single boss fight, so why upgrading my health? Some of the abilities are absolutely useless, while others are needed. Breathing underwater won't get you anywhere, trust me. The "tough ending" was a speedrun platform session that If you miss any input, you die and repeat    Is pretty beautiful and the mechanics are cool
    However...

    The upgrades on the game just don't work. There's not a single boss fight, so why upgrading my health?
    Some of the abilities are absolutely useless, while others are needed. Breathing underwater won't get you anywhere, trust me.

    The "tough ending" was a speedrun platform session that If you miss any input, you die and repeat again, and again and again... Instakill btw, so why upgrading?

    It's on Game Pass, it's very short, around 8 hours (for new players) so you can check it out.    … Expand
  9. Lightsiyd
    May 6, 2023
    6
    The game most definitely can be lauded for its visuals and the quality of storytelling. Where it crashes and burns unforgivably, is in its gameplay direction. Played for 10+ hours.

    Pros 1. Stunning visuals. Some of the best you will ever see in a 2D game on Switch. 2. Storytelling. Not many stories based on innocence are so well told. 3. Fun when not focused on platforming. Cons    The game most definitely can be lauded for its visuals and the quality of storytelling. Where it crashes and burns unforgivably, is in its gameplay direction. Played for 10+ hours.

    Pros
    1. Stunning visuals. Some of the best you will ever see in a 2D game on Switch.
    2. Storytelling. Not many stories based on innocence are so well told.
    3. Fun when not focused on platforming.

    Cons
    1. Powerlessness. Upgrades feel meaningless and most only contribute to movement.
    2. Endless, irritating platforming. The game is more than 85% platforming and feels absolutely infuriating as a result.
    3. Enemies over-scale to player upgrades.

    Every time you think you got stronger, the enemies get 4 times stronger. Got extra life points? Now you're even easier to one-shot. Got double-jump? enemies shoot at you faster. Got more power in your attacks? Enemies got six times tougher to kill. A game that doesn't even try to give you a sense of empowerment is the absolute worst kind. It's the anathema of fun. This game has no place being listed as a must-play on Metacritic, or a 9 anywhere. I hope Ori and the Will of the Wisps does better    … Expand
  10. hotdogcoder
    Nov 24, 2021
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Beautiful music, graphics, scene backdrop. The platforming is quick and responsive.

    I REALLY wanted to love this game but surprisingly got bored of it and never finished it (very rare for me). The platforming is just barely difficult enough to be a joy-killer. Twice I got completely stuck with no clue what to do next to advance the plot and had to google what to do next.

    My favorite 2 parts of the entire game so far (I quit about 80% thru) were 2 "race" scenes, one where you have to get to the top of a tree before a flood washes you away. It was incredibly challenging but also my favorite part of the game. Unfortunately, after those scenes end, there's no way to go back and replay them.

    Overall: excellent game but not for everyone and your mileage may vary.    … Expand
  11. Dzdogg
    May 13, 2021
    5
    A beautiful and visually stunning game but its ruined with a very long platforming sections which requires precise reflexes and beyond human timing and accuracy, the trial and error kills the moment for me and most of the time in these sections it's hard to tell where the fck your heading or what you're supposed to do. And guess what, no checkpoint so if you're fcked then you have to doA beautiful and visually stunning game but its ruined with a very long platforming sections which requires precise reflexes and beyond human timing and accuracy, the trial and error kills the moment for me and most of the time in these sections it's hard to tell where the fck your heading or what you're supposed to do. And guess what, no checkpoint so if you're fcked then you have to do it all over again. Very frustrating. … Expand
  12. Haman2628
    Mar 23, 2023
    6
    While this game is widely and accurately praised for its great graphics and beautiful music, that’s where my praise ends. The game did not provide a particularly good metroidvania experience nor was its platforming as good as other titles. At the same time, it has an upgrade tree that has little impact on gameplay and minimal story. It seems like the developers had grand plans for theWhile this game is widely and accurately praised for its great graphics and beautiful music, that’s where my praise ends. The game did not provide a particularly good metroidvania experience nor was its platforming as good as other titles. At the same time, it has an upgrade tree that has little impact on gameplay and minimal story. It seems like the developers had grand plans for the game, but execution fell flat.

    The graphics look pretty, but aren’t as good when conveying details to the player. Oftentimes it is hard to tell the difference between scenery and gameplay platforms or damaging flora. This becomes even worse during the spectacle that they made attacks. Enemy and Ori attacks are all bright lights, obfuscating everything in between the two characters. Flashy moves can be attractive, but are tiresome when the player can’t see anything occurring on screen during them.

    Difficulty spikes are extreme and most of the game exists in one of those two extremes; it’s often far too easy and more rarely too difficult. This results in a game that is boring but also frustrating.    … Expand
  13. TheLinkgirl
    Jul 24, 2022
    7
    The first Ori game is without a doubt a good game, albeit with some general design issues. While the general platforming of Blind Forest is good, it feels very simple a lot of the time, and never quite reaches a satisfying peak. Music in this game varies from incredible to repetitive, but the art style never lets down for a second. While I would recommend Ori BF for its best moments andThe first Ori game is without a doubt a good game, albeit with some general design issues. While the general platforming of Blind Forest is good, it feels very simple a lot of the time, and never quite reaches a satisfying peak. Music in this game varies from incredible to repetitive, but the art style never lets down for a second. While I would recommend Ori BF for its best moments and it's story, I feel that I would mostly recommend playing it so you can play the sequel which is by far the better game in my opinion.… Expand

Awards & Rankings

3
#3 Best Switch Game of 2019
18
#18 Most Discussed Switch Game of 2019

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
90

Universal acclaim - based on 20 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 20 out of 20
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 20
  3. Negative: 0 out of 20
  1. KeenGamer
    Jan 7, 2021
    97
    Ori and the Blind Forest was already a fantastic game, but the Definitive Edition smooths out the edges and adds in extra content that slots in comfortably and adds to both the story and the gameplay. It looks brilliant, it sounds amazing, and it plays smoothly and satisfyingly. Be sure to pick this up if you’re a fan of the Metroidvania genre and fancy a challenge in an incredibly appealing package.
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  2. Nintendo Force Magazine
    Apr 29, 2020
    100
    Even though I'd already replayed Ori for the fifth time last year, when I heard it was coming to Switch, I wanted to run through it all over again without question! [Issue #43 – November/December 2019, p. 21SW]
  3. Cubed3
    Dec 16, 2019
    90
    The Switch's catalogue of Metroidvania titles was already impressive - though ironically it's still lacking an actual Metroid - and now its ranks have been bolstered by one of the best in recent memory. Ori and the Blind Forest is an absolute masterpiece, a beautiful story polished to perfection in both its artistic design and core gameplay mechanics. The utterly beautiful presentation and soundtrack crafts a charming and memorable world and there are more stories in that world to come as Ori and the Will of the Wisps landing on Xbox One in a few months. Hopefully, the Switch version comes shortly after.
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