Ori and the Blind Forest: Definitive Edition

Don't let yourself be fooled by the game's adorable looks. Beneath that sits a cruel and unforgiving challenge, demanding more patience and focus than some levels in Celeste, a very similar yet generally more difficult game. I didn't care that much for the story personally, but the visuals and the soundscape are undeniably beautiful. The controls feel snappy and responsive (except the parachute, at times) and I imagine that on repeated playthoughs, you'd start to appreciate the game more and more. Be wary of not saving often enough, i.e. very frequently, unless you want to repeatedly traverse certain screens dozens of times just to reach the part where spikes/projectiles/laserbeams/crushing blocks/poison killed you last time.

English Version (french below) : Ok so this game is absolutely gorgeous, maybe of the most beautiful games I've played, both in artstyle, effects and music. The story is simple but touching, almost like a tale for children. And it's a metroidvania, which is something that I really like. (And the escape sections were peak) HOWEVER, I do have quite some complaints about the gameplay. Firstly, about the "combat" system, which is mostly "press one button repeatedly until the enemy dies" (oh and we're talking about a magic ball shooting automatically, not your character actually attacking anything). it's boring and repetitive. Secondly, about the very long plateforming sections that will not only kill you instantly in most cases but also send you back, sometimes quite a lot from what I remember. When you really look at it, it's more a platform game than a classic metroidvania, which is fine but it also doesn't have the most precise controls for it. And I mean dying 20+ times to spikes can really detach you from the story and general atmospheres, which are the main advantages of this game. As far as the platinum goes, 100% a save file isn't really hard or particularly long, but some achievements require you to finish the game in like 4 different ways, including one without dying, which I can definitely see becoming frustrating with how much instant death is present in the game, but maybe I'll get to it someday. Anyway, great game, just know what you're getting into so you don't expect things are not in the game, it is NOT Hollow Knight or even close to it in terms of game philosophy. Version Française : Le jeu est juste super beau, peut être l'un des plus beaux auxquels j'ai joué, que ce soit dans la DA, les effets ou la musique. L'histoire est simple, mais touchante, un peu comme un conte pour enfant. C'est aussi un metroidvania, qui est quelque chose que j'aime bien (et les sections de fuite sont incroyables). CEPENDANT, j'ai quelques problèmes avec le gameplay. Déjà, sur le système de "combat", qui dans la plupart des cas se résume à "appuyer sur ce bouton en boucle jusqu'à ce l'ennemi soit mort" (et on parle d'une boule qui tire automatiquement hein, pas de votre personnage qui attaque vraiment). C'est ennuyeux et vite répétitif. Ensuite, sur les longues sections de plateformes qui non seulement vous tuent instantanément dans la plupart des cas, mais qui vous ramènent aussi en arrière, parfois de beaucoup de ce dont je me rappelle. Quand on regarde de plus près, c'est plus un jeu de plateforme qu'un metroidvania classique, ce qui est totalement ok mais il a aussi des mouvements qui ne sont pas forcément adaptés à la précision d'un jeu de plateforme. Et puis je veux dire, mourir 20+ fois contre des piques, ça détache un peu de l'histoire et de l'atmosphère du jeu, qui sont clairement ses plus grands atouts. Par rapport au platinum, faire le 100% d'une sauvegarde est assez simple et court, mais certains trophées demandent de faire le jeu de 20 façons différentes, dont le fait de ne jamais mourir, ce que je vois vite devenir frustrant vu à quel point on peut mourir instantanément dans le jeu, mais peut être que je m'y attelerai un jour. Bref, bon jeu, sachez juste dans quoi vous vous embarquez pour ne pas attendre des choses qui ne sont pas dans le jeu, ce n'est PAS Hollow Knight, c'est même assez différent dans sa philosophie.

[h2] This game is an AMAZING platformer, but a decent metroidvania. [/h2] I don't want to scold this game too much (because I fell in love with it and think it's one of the best platformers/metroidvanias on Steam), but this game does have some issues. The enemies in this game are awful. They just have a lot of HP and boring attacks, so I find fighting them kinda boring. Also, I think the metroidvania aspect is kinda broken because you can finish the game before you get all the abilities. There are also too many upgrades in this game, so you eventually start killing everyone without even trying to avoid their attacks - you can just tank them. In the platforming sections, you have a lot of energy cells, which makes the game easier because you can just save all the time. Anddd yes, that's basically all the problems I have with this game. Everything else is great! I honestly love the animation and graphics. They are so beautiful, cute, and enjoyable to look at. And the story of this game... It's so kind and cute! It was VERY enjoyable after playing games with cruel stories like Hollow Knight or Rain World. Anddd... everyone compares this game with Hollow Knight, so I just want to say: Hollow Knight has better combat and world design, while this game has better platforming and puzzles. The graphics and story are amazing in both games, and both games are JUST amazing! [h3] I love this game. It's just sad that it's sooo short. I literally completed this game in 2–3 days :< [/h3] This game has problems, but the positives are bigger, and... I love this game! I can say it 10 more times! Well, I think I need to finish this review, so I'll just say that this game is great, and people who love platforming games will love it. I can also recommend this game to new players who want to get into the metroidvania genre. [h1] Hard 8/10! [/h1]