About

Ori and the Blind Forest is a Metroidvania-style platforming video game developed by Moon Studios. In the game, players control Ori, a small guardian spirit, through various levels to restore the titular forest. The game was a critical and commercial success, and a sequel, Ori and the Will of the Wisps, will release in March of 2020.

History

Ori and the Blind Forest was developed by Moon Studios and published by Microsoft Studios. The game was directed and designed by Thomas Mahler.^[1] It was announced at E3 2014 (trailer shown below). The game released March 11th, 2015 on Xbox and Windows, and on Nintendo Switch on September 27th, 2019.^[2]

Ori and the Will of the Wisps

The success of Ori and the Blind Forest led to a planned sequel, Ori and the Will of the Wisps, which was announced at E3 2017.^[3] After some delay, the game will be released on March 11th, 2020, five years to the day after Ori and the Blind Forest. It will be released on Xbox and Microsoft Windows.

Reception

Ori and the Blind Forest received universal critical acclaim upon release, scoring an 88/100 on Metacritic.^[4] Critics praised the game's art and story, with Game Informer^[5] writing, "There isn’t a bad moment in Ori and the Blind Forest. Every design has a purpose. Every challenge feels lovingly made." Destructoid^[6] wrote, "It's just plain enjoyable from start to finish, and doesn't waste your time." The game sold well and was reportedly profitable "within the first week" of release.^[7]

Online Presence

The game has generated a passionate fandom online. Its Facebook^[8] page has gained over 51,000 likes since its June 2014 creation. The game's subreddit^[9] has gained over 6,400 subscribers since its creation in October of 2014. The game took off in the speedrunning community. IGN posted a 13:46 speedrun of the game on May 20th, 2018 (shown below, left). A speedrun performed at Games Done Quick in 2015 gained over 95,000 views on YouTube (shown below, right).

Search Interest

External References