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Ori and the Blind Forest is a platforming game developed by Moon Studios, published by Xbox Game Studios. As the player, you play as Ori, a woodland creature who seeks to restore the elements to the forest of Nibel. The game is about 7 hours long for those looking to see the ending, and about 10 hours for players who want to experience all of the content that the game has to offer.

Upon starting the game, the most noticeable feature is the game’s beautiful graphics and art style. Ori and the Blind Forest uses a mix of hand-drawn and pre-rendered objects to create environments and animations that make the world come to life. The animations for the player character work particularly well, making Ori feel agile and acrobatic.

Of course, gameplay is the most important part of a video game, and Ori and the Blind Forest’s gameplay is excellent. The game’s controls are satisfying enough to make even the simple act of moving around fun. Over the course of the game, players explore a large interconnected world with a variety of platforming challenges. Throughout the world are various abilities for the player to unlock. Most of these abilities improve Ori’s mobility, further emphasizing the character’s fast movement and tight controls.

One rather lackluster element is the game’s combat, which is a bit too simple. Because of this, fighting enemies often feels like a chore. Fortunately, long combat encounters are nowhere near common. Rather than boss fights as most games would have, Ori and the Blind Forest adds intense moments through fast-paced escape sequences. These are platforming challenges in which the player is required to travel through an area as quickly as possible, escaping from threats such as flooding water or a collapsing structure. These moments are some of the best parts of the game, with great level design, and music that does a wonderful job at adding intensity to the situation.

While some gameplay elements may be a bit simple, those mechanics are not the focus of the game. The core gameplay is fast-paced, challenging, and well-designed, making the game as a whole a highly enjoyable experience.