Last year, the gorgeous Ori and the Blind Forest landed on Xbox One, introducing a triple A Metroidvania for the console. It’s no secret that we absolutely loved the original game; we were hyped to learn that a Definitive Edition was coming and now that it’s finally here, we couldn’t be happier. The original game had some small problems but all of those were taken care of in this new Definitive Edition for Xbox One and Windows 10.
This still is a story of love
If you’re new to Ori and the Blind Forest, you might want to check out what we wrote about the story, since it’s a crucial part of the game:
Ori and the Blind Forest takes place in a breathtaking environment and is told in the best way possible. Ori is a child of the big tree but was separated from his brothers and sisters and became an orphan. Naru, a gentle creature of the woods considered Ori as her own and raised the little creature as any good mother would do. Naru and Ori lived in the forest and without it, they couldn’t survive. The forest is in pain however and nature couldn’t provide the nutrition no longer. After a while, Ori lost his second mother and became orphan once more. Without food he couldn’t survive, he needed to find safer places and make sure that the forest gets better again. The love for the forest is big and Ori wants to solve the problems, putting aside his own pain.
If you want to learn more about the original game, be sure to check out our Ori and the Blind Forest review here.
That being said, the story hasn’t changed in the Definitive Edition aside of a small extra narrative that gives you some more insights into the background of the characters. Nothing mind-blowing or unexpected but a nice addition for the veteran players. So, what did change?
Extra levels of difficulty
If you asked fans of the original game one thing they could change or add, most would have gone for extra levels of difficulty. The developers listened to the feedback and included three more difficulty levels. The most welcome one is for sure the easy mode, since the normal mode is rather unforgiving for inexperienced players. In easy mode, you’ll face fewer enemies and take far less damage from the environment, giving you more time to adapt to the hard level design. If normal and easy, are too easy for you, you can select the new hard mode where you’ll face more enemies and take more damage of the environment. This mode needs skills to complete.
The power of real emotions
Feeling lucky? Try the One Life mode, which must be one of the hardest things we’ve ever encountered. Forget Dark Souls, if you’re looking for a challenging game, play Ori and the Blind Forest on the One Life difficulty, we’re sure a lot of controllers will hit walls due to this mode. That being said, some fans asked for more challenge so that’s exactly what they get in the One Life mode.
Two new environments, two new moves
A Definitive Edition wouldn’t be any good without extra environments. The developers added two brand-new environments to the already impressive map of the original game. Both new environments look great and are as good as the original ones without any doubts; both fit the core game extremely well. That being said, it’s also fun to learn a little more about Naru’s past thanks to these new environments. As said before, don’t expect to see mind-blowing storylines but it’s great to see the developers took some time to tell us more about the mysterious Naru. The two new environments are unlocked rather soon so be sure to check them out the moment you can, even if you’re new to the Ori game.
Besides two new environments, the team also added two new moves called ‘Dash’ and ‘Light Burst’. Dash comes in handy to travel the world faster, if there are no enemies or obstacles of course. We’re sure dashing is the new way of running for the speed runners among us. The second new move ‘Light Burst’ allows you to shoot a small projectile of light towards your enemies to take them down. Both new moves are integrated into the skill tree so you can even upgrade them so they feel more like a true part of the game. Both are worth checking out for sure!
Theatre mode
Last but not least is the inclusion of Theatre mode, which is another fun extra for the fans. In Theatre mode, you’re able to see some behind the scenes and interviews with the developers. It’s an interesting source to learn more about the development of the game and discover some ideas that didn’t make it into the final game. It’s definitely worth checking out since everything about Ori and the Blind Forest is extremely gorgeous, seeing some unpublished art gave us a warm feeling inside our hearts.
Conclusion:
Ori and the Blind Forest: Definitive Edition offers the same amount of fun and amazement that was already playable in the original game. The developers included extra moves, extra levels of difficulty and two new environments to make the game even better, they succeeded for sure! We didn’t mind replaying Ori and the Blind Forest so it’s safe to say that everybody can enjoy this masterpiece, even if you’ve played the original. Never played it before? What are you waiting for?
