Forefront 5: Ori and the Blind Forest

Note: I was originally going to write about Shovel Knight, another dedicated reimagination of old school platformers, but I felt that, since Shovel Knight uses pixel-art where Ori and the Blind Forest has textures, that Ori would be a better fit.

Ori was created in the 'Metroidvania'-style, and sought to recapture the magic of old games like Metroid and Zelda (http://www.oriblindforest.com/#!about/). Per the critical acclaim, I'd say they succeeded (http://www.metacritic.com/search/all/ori%20and/results)! It is also made by a very small group of people, and is then, like most of the other games on my list, an indie game made in the style of older games while choosing certain areas to upgrade or envision in a new fashion.

The game was especially lauded for just how beautiful it was, and while I love the art style, which is to me reminiscent of Retro Studios games like Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze with its large flat blots of colour, it is not easily transferable, as Ori is a 2D game. Still, I can be inspired by the artistry and colours and lines of the textures and settings instead.
One thing I liked is how the developers talked about making every frame of the game seem like a painting, and that's a nice principle to try to remember - every place in the game should look or be special.

Screenshots:

Till next!


Ori and the Blind Forest. 2015. Xbox [Game]. Moon Studios, Microsoft Studios.