Ori and the Blind Forest Finds a Magnificent Home on Nintendo Switch

Back in 2015, Microsoft shocked us all by believing in Moon Studios and brining Ori and the Blind Forest to Nintendo Switch. We reviewed it entirely then (you can read that here) and absolutely loved it. Let’s examine a few of the high spots!

Games rarely carry a solid story throughout the playing experience. Either the beginning is weak or the end is weak. Ori doesn’t suffer from this. Within five minutes, players will inevitably have a strong attachment to the orphaned creature Ori and his quest to restore life to his once, lushes forest. Three stolen life forces must be reobtained by Ori if he hopes to save his forest, and it’s up to you to help him do it.

The game begins with players controlling a pretty ‘useless’ Ori. That is to say, Ori has very few abilities and is generally limited to a short jump and a weak attack courtesy of his friend Sein. Soon, however, Ori learns moves and abilities that platformer fans have come to expect, most notably the always useful wall jump.

I dare someone to find a flaw with how Ori and the Blind Forest looks, or how it sounds. The soundtrack follows the story nicely, with quaint, orchestral score when the the situation is calm, and uptempo beat when things get heated. I could listen to this soundtrack for hours and never get tired of it.

Visually, Ori is also stunning. Despite only boasting a 2D world, I find it more beautiful than many 3D worlds I’ve explored. the developers at Moon Studios were careful to craft a world that was full of distinct locations that players would love to explore, even if it required hours of backtracking. Traversing thourgh the 2D labyrinth inevitably means going into new areas. Many game suffer from the areas lacking any distinct physical features. Many 2D games also save money and time by creating stationary backgrounds. Not Moon Studios. Their backdrops are always dynamic.

Each area of the the (huge) map that players explore is distinct and unique. This only adds to the list of things that show how dedicated Moon Studios were to this title.

Don’t go into Ori and the Blind Forest expecting it to be easy. In fact, while getting through some areas is not extremely difficult, certain situations pose a steep difficulty curve, resulting many deaths. Don’t get discouraged though, because there is no limit on the amount of times you can die. As long as you’ve collected enough energy, you can save at anytime, as well as access the abilities screen. Here is where you can make Ori a bit easier.

In the abilities screen, player can spend ability points on various upgrades for Ori, including his health, how easy it will be to create save portals, and the power of his attacks. All of these upgrades will be important when taking on the games ‘bosses.’

There really aren’t any bosses in the game. Instead, each ‘level’ generally ends with an extremely difficult task. When completing said task, the ability to create a save portal is restricted, meaning players will need to complete the entire portion of the level before they can save. In one particularly agonizing level, players must race up a tunnel to avoid an oncoming rush of water. Might sound easy, but it took me well over an hour to complete.

Bring this title over to Nintendo Switch just makes sense. Based on internet rumours – and verified by some YouTubers – the game actually runs better on Nintendo Switch than it did on Xbox One. And while it was fantastic for Microsoft to have this as an exclusive to their console when it first launched, it really finds its best home on Nintendo Switch. This is a handheld title, and the Switch is the perfect place for it.

The game will connect to your Microsoft Account (should you have one) and you will be able to unlock achievements as you go. This is yet another great example of Microsoft working with others to promote gaming across all platforms. Hopefully we get more of this in the future.

Don’t overlook Ori and the Blind Forest. It will easily be one of the best games on Nintendo Switch this year!