Release Date:
Xbox One: March 11th, 2016
PC: April 27th, 2016
Nintendo Switch: September 27th, 2019
Price: $19.99/£15.99Size: ~3.5 GB
Player(s): 1
Format:
Xbox One: Digital/Physical
PC: Digital/Physical
Nintendo Switch: Digital
Developer: Moon StudiosPublisher: Xbox Games Studios. Previously Microsoft Game Studios
OT1: https://www.resetera.com/threads/ori-and-the-blind-forest-definitive-edition-ot-mourning-wood.55388/
Ori and the Blind forest is a game in the classic Metroid style. You explore an interconnected world that is gated by your current abilities; the more skills you unlock the more areas you are able to explore. The big twist to the usual formula though is a focus on skilled traversal over standard combat (which the game does include, but rarely requires). The game also features an emotional narrative, superb visuals and an acclaimed soundtrack.
—Ori—
The last spirit guardian of the forest. Ori journeys to discover the cause of the forests dire condition and to reverse it.
—Sein—
A small sprite who joins Ori early in the game and has a strong connection to the Spirit Tree.
—Naru—
Naru acts as Ori's foster mother after finding them unconscious during a storm.
—Kuro—
A mysterious dark owl whose actions will propel Ori onto their journey.
Ori's skills are able to be used in combat and to open up new locations in the world but are governed by a limited pool of energy. While the game does have infrequent save stations you are given the option to use up some of Ori's energy to make a Soul Link which will act as a respawn point. Depending on where you are in the world it may be difficult to refill your energy meter leaving you to balance combat resources with these checkpoints.
During the game you will come across orbs and defeat monsters, both of which grant experience that can be spent to grow Ori's base abilities via three different branches of the ability tree: efficiency, utility and combat. These abilities include making collectables visible on the map, being able to breathe underwater indefinitely and increasing the power of Sein's attack.
Note: expanding the ability tree is not crucial to the completion of the game and can be skipped entirely if you wish to challenge yourself and go after the achievement for completing the game with your base stats.
Isn't this a Microsoft game? How is it on Switch?
"Ori is built by Moon Studios, which is an independent, external studio. They came to us with a desire to bring the original Ori to the Switch. We thought that made sense, and we're happy to work with them to enable them to bring that to Switch."
Is there a demo available?
Yes! Progress and achievements also carry over into the full release. You can download it here.
How does the game perform on the platform? Are there any content differences?
The game runs at a full 720p@60fps while in handheld mode as well as 1080p@60fps while docked. Also, thanks to optimizations done to engine for Will of the Wisps, Ori's sprites are now rendered at 60fps instead of 30.
There are no content differences between this release and the "Definitive Edition" released on Xbox One and PC in 2016.
Are there plans for a physical release on Switch?
Nothing has been announced at the time of writing; it's apparently up to Microsoft.
So the game features Xbox Live on Switch. What does this mean?
This means, if you choose to enable it, you can unlock Xbox Live achievements for the game on your Nintendo Switch. This achievement list is independent of previous release from 2016 so your progress will not carry over if you've played the game before on XB1 or PC.
Can I carry my progress over from the Xbox or PC version to the Switch release?
No.
Will the sequel, Ori and the Will of the Wisps, come to Nintendo Switch?
Nothing has been announced aside from Microsoft reiterating that Ori and the Will of the Wisps is still going to launch exclusively on Xbox One and PC. Note: Ori and the Blind Forest is a complete story and does not rely on any narrative hooks for the sequel.
What time will the preload unlock?
Going off previous, third party, releases it will likely unlock sometime around 12pm Eastern/9am Pacific on the 27th.
What's new in the Definitive Edition release?
—Added difficulty modes—
Play through the game on a new easy mode or, if seeking a greater challenge, tackle the new hard and single life difficulty modes.
—New story content—
Discover the origins of Ori's adoptive parent Naru.
—New environments—
Explore two new areas of Nibel, Black Root Burrows and Lost Grove, each with a new visual presentation and play mechanics.
—Two new abilities—
Dash and Light Burst.
—Additional music tracks—
New tracks by the original game's composer, Gareth Coker.
—Fast travel—
Travel large distances in the blink of an eye with the new fast travel system.
—Improved backtracking—
Return to areas once locked off to find any missed collectables to go for that 100% completion rate. You can also continue playing after completing the game.
—Improved display options—
The game now supports a full 21:9 ultrawide aspect ratio support for PC.
—New making of video content—
I heard this game is pretty difficult? Is that the case?
Ori and the Blind Forest does feature some difficult sequences in which you have to traverse through challenging environments at a fast pace in a single attempt. If you find these too difficult the added easy option will introduce checkpoints to help you along.
What happens when I die?
You go back to the most recent save/checkpoint. There are no penalties beyond that.
In the event something goes wrong with my playthrough is there a fallback option?
While in the menu you can move 'up' on your file to access a previous save.
How long is the game?
Like other games in this genre it can vary wildly depending on your playstyle, but the general ballpark is somewhere around the 8 hour mark for a first playthrough.
Is there any reason why I'd want to play the original version of the game over the Definitive Edition?
I suppose for the sake of curiosity? Everything is better in the Definitive Edition of the game so it's the version to play.
Is the game enhanced on Xbox One X?
No.
If I buy the game on Xbox One do I get the PC version and vice-versa?
No. The Definitive Edition of Ori was released before the "Play Anywhere" program was introduced.
Cross-save between Xbox One and PC?
Only for the Windows 10 and Xbox One versions, yes.
Linux support?
No, but the game has a Platinum rating for Proton compatibility.
Game Pass?
Yes, on both PC (Windows Store) and Xbox One.
Ultrawide support on PC?
Yes. This was added in the Definitive Edition re-release.
Uncapped framerate on PC?
You can disable Vsync to get beyond the 60fps cap but it will cause some minor audio/visual desynchronization and the pre-rendered sprites will still render at their original framerate. More details can be found here.
*Click screens for full display
Metacritic
Xbox One | PC | Switch
Opencritic
Nintendo World Report: 9/10
Nintendo Insider 10/10
Special Thanks to Levi Szekeres for the font
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