Ori and the Blind Forest is an indie game by Moon Studios that has won several awards in artistic achievement, animation, and musical composition. 

The Prologue:

You begin the game as a small forest spirit named Ori, who falls from the Spirit Tree during a storm. He is adopted by a creature named Naru but is quickly orphaned when a devastating event sweeps through the forest and wipes out their food resources. Naru gives Ori the remaining food and starves to death. Now, Ori must set out into the forest alone in an attempt to stay alive. 

The young spirit eventually loses energy and collapses near the Spirit Tree. A blue orb named Sein revives him. Here, the prologue ends, and the game begins. From here on out, Ori and Sein set off to restore balance to the forest. They recover its main elements: Waters, Winds, and Warmth. 

The Main Story: 

Two other primary characters are introduced at this point – Gumo and Kuru. Gumo is a spider-like creature who seems evil initially but becomes a friend when Ori helps them out of a sticky situation. Kuru is a large owl. It remains an antagonist for much longer, but its aggressive nature is explained in the game’s latter stages. 

The Ending: 

Gumo uses stored light from the Spirit Tree to help Naru. They team up to protect Sein and Ori, working together to restore warmth in the forest. Gumo sees the dangers that lie ahead, and in the game’s final act, Kuru catches Ori and Sein, but Naru protects them. Kuru changes his heart and takes Sein back to the Spirit Tree’s top to end the spread of fire throughout the forest. A giant light emits, wiping out the fire but ultimately wiping Kuru out in the process. 

What You Need to Do: 

Your task as the hero is to bring Ori back to his home and save the forest from dying. As you go through the game, you will gain more abilities. Eventually, you will be able to spend experience points on three different skill trees. 

Core Skills: 

• Spirit Flame
  This is the first skill that Ori learns, which can be used to attack enemies. To upgrade this skill, you need to put ability points into the Offensive Skill Tree. 
• Wall Jump
  By jumping repeatedly, Ori can climb walls. This skill allows you to gain access to areas that are usually inaccessible with a single jump. 
• Double Jump
  This is another essential skill that grants you access to new areas. You need to jump into the air while performing a double jump. Leru’s Ancestral Tree in Gumo’s Hideout gives you this ability. 
• Charge Jump
  To enable this skill, you need to hold a directional key to charge the Charge Jump and then let go to propel Ori in your desired direction. You can choose to charge straight up, hang on to a wall, or charge left or right. This skill is found in the Sorrow Pass. 
• Charge Flame
  This is an offensive skill that can be used to break specific barriers and damage units within a certain radius. It is found in Hollow Grove, and it is given by the spirit Ano’s Ancestral Tree. 
• Stomp
  Ori learned this skill in the Thornfelt Swamp. Using this skill, you can smash the ground and break barriers underneath you, thus damaging nearby enemies. 
• Bash
  Found in the Ginso Tree, the Bash ability is what allows Ori to fly through the air. It uses the momentum of a nearby lantern, projectile, or creature, and it can stop time for a while, giving you the time to choose a direction. The object you bash against is then flung in the opposite direction. 
• Climb
  This skill allows Ori to shimmy up and down a wall or hang onto them without doing a wall jump. To hold onto a wall, press the ‘Shift’ key or ‘RT.’
• Dash
  This skill allows Ori to move quickly in one direction for half a second. It is found in the Black Root Burrows and can be upgraded in the skill tree. 
• Light Burst
  Also found in the Black Root Burrows, this skill allows you to cast spheres of light into the air to light lanterns. 
• Kuro’s Feather
  With this feather, you can glide to the ground. You can also use it to be lifted up if you are in a wind tunnel. To pick up one of these feathers, you must distract Kuro on the way to the Misty Woods. 

Ability Tree

The ability tree is a collection of various knacks that Ori can purchase with Ability points and enhance their performance. The available abilities can cost either 1,2 or 3 points at a time. If you fail to produce the proper payment, Ori will be prevented from receiving that ability until they have accumulated enough points. 

Abilities may also be unattainable because Ori doesn’t have the skill that it enhances or has not bought the ability to come before it. If either of these options is true, the text below the description of the ability will be bright red. This will indicate that Ori does not have the necessary requirements to have that particular ability. 

The tree has three branches, each with abilities that share a common theme. They are: 

• Utility Abilities
  This branch is cyan, with abilities that help Ori with survival and defense. It is at the top of the tree. Some of the branch’s abilities include Rekindle, Charge Dash, Water Breath, and Air Dash. 
• Efficiency Abilities
  In the middle of the tree, this purple branch can help make exploration and pickups more efficient. Some of the abilities that come with this branch include Spirit Efficiency, Spirit Magnet, and Map Markers. 
• Combat Abilities
  These abilities enhance Ori’s offensive capabilities. This branch is at the bottom of the tree; it is red. Some of the skills on this branch include Quick Flame, Split Flame, and Ultra Stomp. 

You may be wondering what the best skill point build is, but ultimately, the answer to this question depends entirely on your gameplay. Investing ability points in the survival brand can make the game a lot easier, especially when you get to the Triple Jump. Offensive capabilities are convenient but not necessary. Most deaths in the game are caused by environmental damage. To find secret areas and extra pickups, you can search the exploration line or even the internet for additional information. 

Ori and the Blind Forest is an adventure game with beautifully designed visuals and an outstanding score. Developed by Moon Studios, it was released on March 1th for Windows, Xbox 360, and Xbox One. Reviewers have highly praised the storyline, graphics, level design, and gameplay.

If you loved Ori and the Blind Forest, make sure you check out its sequel, Ori and the Will of the Wisps!