Ori and the Blind Forest Doesn’t Work + You Should Love It | Ori Video Essay ft. Wizawhat, Razbuten

In this month's video essay, let's talk about why Ori and the Blind Forest doesn’t work… for me. But you should still love it. Joining me to discuss the game are Proper Bird (Jinzee), Wizawhat, Razbuten, and Skyehoppers who are all fans of this classic indie metroidvania. I may dislike Ori's controls, storytelling choices, and combat but there's a lot that people love about Ori and the Blind Forest. So while I critique Moon Studio's hit metroidvania, I see why people enjoy it. It's just not for me. And that's okay. Right? 👀 Anyway please enjoy this video essay about Ori and the Blind Forest, Video Game Analysis, and Empathy.
✨️Check Out the Other Creators✨️
Jinzee/Proper Bird: / properbird
Wizawhat: / wizawhat
Razbuten: / razbuten
Skyehoppers: / skyehoppers
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⚔ Games Featured ⚔
Ori and the Blind Forest
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Super Metroid
Rayman
Celeste
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Return of the Obra Dinn
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Florence
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The Observer
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Undertale
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Persona 5
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Kingdom Hearts
Papers, Please
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Tunic
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Final Fantasy VII Remake
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Shovel Knight
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Super Mario 64
Hollow Knight
www.humblebund...
Blasphemous
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Dark Souls
www.humblebund...
Castlevania Symphony of the Night
The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening
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Bloodborne
Outer Wilds
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🎶 Music Featured 🎶
Ori and the Blind Forest OST: Lost in the Storm
Ori and the Blind Forest OST: First Steps into the Sunken Glades
Ori and the Blind Forest OST: Climbing the Ginso Tree
Ori and the Blind Forest OST: Restoring the Light, Facing the Dark
Hollow Knight OST: Crossroads
Ori and the Blind Forest OST: Up the Spirit Cavern Walls
Ori and the Blind Forest OST: Home of the Gumon
Ori and the Blind Forest OST: Kuro’s Tale Her Rage
Ori and the Blind Forest OST: Riding the Wind
Ori and the Blind Forest OST: Finding Sein
Ori and the Blind Forest OST: The Waters Restored
Ori and the Blind Forest OST: Kuro’s Tale Her Pain
Outer Wilds OST: Travelers Song (Banjo Only)
Outer Wilds OST: Travelers Song (All Instruments)
#Ori #VideoEssay #OriAndTheBlindForest

[@filmotter]

Hey there! If you enjoy my videos and want to support them financially, you can become a Ko-Fi member. It's like Patreon but cooler! ko-fi.com/filmotter

[@AnushkaGal]

NEVER SAY U HATE ORI EVER AGAIN. YOU HEAR ME!

[@AnushkaGal]

oh. sorry I didn't hear the part after that. sorry i'll like your vid and sub. sorry 😔

[@wizawhat]

While I disagree with some of your critiques, the way you approached this video was super refreshing. One thing that is all too common in negative critiques is someone going all in on their negative feedback, but instead of engaging with real and potential counter arguments they say "before you get mad, this is all just my opinion". This video didn't feel like that by any stretch. While I definitely have different takes than you on the controls, story, and even the combat, you really opened my eyes on a lot of these issues! Like, an additional visual indicator on the bash is such a good idea I never considered! Really great stuff and thanks for having me on!

[@filmotter]

I'm glad it came across that way! It means a lot considering a lot of people assumed the video would just be me being negative for the sake of being negative. The reason I felt the drive to make this video was because I see so much potential, even in the parts I didn't enjoy. And thank you for agreeing to be a part of this. Your perspective was really lovely to hear. 😁

[@TurtleKun]

Never once have i disagreed with someone this much and yet completely understand exactly what you mean! so well worded, incredible video!

[@filmotter]

Thank you so much! Glad you enjoyed the video! 😄

[@TurtleKun]

@@filmotter of course, gotta see what it's like on the otter side 😂

[@filmotter]

@@TurtleKun the dark side! We have cookies! 😅

[@TurtleKun]

@@filmotter well damn, cookies or Ori tough choice

[@filmotter]

@@TurtleKun cookie always win me over tbh. 🤣

[@ProperBird]

When you don't script your segment and can't stop mentioning the great music and that no one is talking. (Did you know the music is great and there's almost no talking?)

[@filmotter]

I think there might be music in this game??? But for real, thank you for adding your perspective to the video. I think it added a lot and on a personal level, it means a lot. 🥰

[@actualatom]

Verified moment

[@noobalott_tv]

You know, thinking back on it, I think I remember Ori and the Blind Forest so fondly because I immediately jumped into Ori and the Will of the Wisps directly afterwards, making the first game feel more like a "clunky part 1" that was easily excused because of the improvements of the second. I agree with a lot of your points, and appreciate the well written video!

[@filmotter]

Thank you so much Noob! I hope I didn't retrospectively sour the experience for you!

[@Godlymusic9958]

I honestly felt the opposite way

[@PoochieCollins]

@@Godlymusic9958 yeah... I can see the argument for WOTW having better gameplay, but the storyline of BF was way better, IMO.

[@whitemagus2000]

Even though I bought Will of the Wisps, as a bundle, after the poor world building and combat in this one, I never even tried it.

[@jwallaby7895]

@@whitemagus2000you're missing out. Will of the wisps improved everything....including some of the world building.

[@rogermaioli]

Very cool video essay, and I found myself agreeing with a lot of it, especially towards the beginning. I like Ori a lot, but the character is indeed needlessly difficult to control, and is always prone to slip off the edge of narrow platforms that are already hard to reach to begin with. That adds nothing to the fun factor, and makes playing it sometimes frustrating. On the other hand, I personally prefer the saving system in Ori over that in Hollow Knight. In Ori, when you die at a challenging moment you get immediately back to it, so that you get better at it without delays, and you feel challenged but not punished. In Hollow Knight, getting killed by a challenging boss or in the middle of a boss rush may mean five or even forty minutes of needlessly replaying until you get a second, then a third, then a fourth chance. It's not the kind of game you can enjoy when you only have a few hours a week to play. I also like the upgrades in Ori much better than in Hollow Knight. The rewards that await you at the end of challenging sequences in Hollow Knight are often miserly (one quarter of a mask; a 12% longer sword; a charm you cannot use because you don't have and will never have enough notches); in Ori the rewards felt real, so getting through difficult passages coupled being challenged with getting a payoff. But maybe my favorite feature in Ori is the storytelling. I think they found a great solution for telling a compelling story without asking the player to endlessly listen to NPCs with big speech balloons. The story is mainly told without words, and it makes sense without the need for extraneous info (which is the case, again, with Hollow Knight).

[@PkorniBoi]

I’m going to be honest, I did not expect this to be such a good essay when I started this video. As someone who loved both Ori games, I watched the entire 30 minutes because the things you said, they really did make sense and you made some great points. I agree that the combat wasn’t that great, and the whole system with the keys and doors sucks. I‘m glad they improved a lot on that in the sequel and took inspiration from other games. The only thing that really bothered me was your take on the graphics, don’t see your problem at all there. Sometimes you would talk about how the controls feel weird. I can’t relate to that either, i think the sort of slow falling that ori does only helps making the game feel smoother and fits him really well. The clips you showed when talking about the movement, I must admit I can see your point but most of the time those jumps were just misplaced, that happened to me a lot but I got better as I learned how it works. I really liked how you didn’t make me feel like I am stupid for liking this game, I don’t see that often when watching „negative“ reviews about games. Overall really great video, I subbed and I enjoyed seeing someone talk about the worse side of this game I enjoy playing! Keep it up

[@filmotter]

Thank you so much! I'm glad you got something from the video. And my next video will be on a game I love, so I'm not always this negative, I swear!

[@dunnydunn458]

While I disagree with your opinion, I really respect that you acknowledge that this is simply a matter of opinion. You take a "this is what I think" approach, and not "this is what you should think" approach, and it is a very refreshing thing to see on the internet! As a fan of both games, I disagree with many of the points made. I enjoyed the combat, I think the art was great, the save mechanic was cool in my opinion, and I love bash. However, I do agree that Naru's "death" was not as important as it should have been. I liked the story, I don't think of it as hollow, but it is lacking. And while I liked the controls, I do believe that they don't always work well with tight platforms (like the hanging planks). Great video, I will certainly check out some more!

[@filmotter]

Glad you enjoyed my take! I'm working on a video about the sequel right now actually :D

[@dunnydunn458]

@@filmotter I very much look forward to that! In order to avoid missing it, I guess I'll have to subscribe....

[@filmotter]

@@dunnydunn458 🤗 you don't HAVE to. But thank you! Haha

[@OysterMilk]

I can’t believe you would disparage this video game that I make my entire personality! This video game is such a masterpiece! You have absolutely no idea! I live every second of my life thinking about this video game! I didn’t even watch the video to the very end! no lol just kidding, thank you for all the time and effort you put into these videos otter! I really enjoyed hearing everyone’s point of view in contrast with your own! Another great video!

[@filmotter]

LMAO Thank you Oyster!! Everyone's segments were so well-written and it was great to hear why the game resonates with so many other people. :D

[@wysp8178]

It is shocking that this video does not have more views. The editing and commentary are all top notch. I was looking around for some Ori and the Blind Forest reviews because I just finished the game and I did *not* have as much fun as I did with similar Metroidvania/platformer games like Hollow Knight and Celeste. The controls never really stuck well with me and there seemed to be an excessive amount of skills that never flowed well with each other or interacted with the environment in any meaningful ways. Like why is there both wall climb and wall jump - that feels redundant if you ask me. And the super jump seems pointless as all it can do is break blocks and jump a bit higher, not actually change the flow of the movement. But I also found some parts of the game to be amazing. The bash skill is easily one of the most fun abilities I've seen in a platformer and I loved the Ginso tree escape. But I feel like the game becomes much worse afterwards with lazy enemies and escape sequences that are just unfair. The save system created artificial difficulty spikes if you ever found yourself at low health and no energy when deep into a level, forced to redo large sections of the game. It just felt that the game never lived up to its full potential of mechanical depth. Celeste's one and only main ability is the dash, yet they take that one ability to its mechanical limits with interesting interactables and movement techs, while Ori just scratches the surface. And with the story, I agree with you completely. It just felt overly simplistic and it didn't resonate with me like I thought it would. But your final message is definitely the most important, because even if it wasn't my taste, I can appreciate that many others loved the story and that's a great thing to remember. Keep up the good work! I'd also love it if you could make a video on Hollow Knight or Celeste!

[@nah6024]

I feel so validated! See, I have a bit of a motor disability. My reflexes are shite and certain movements tend to make my fingers hurt pretty quickly. Platformers are generally pretty difficult for me these days, which is a bummer, since I used to like the genre a lot as a teen. I can brave the difficulty if either the moveset feels very responsive and fair, or the game overall is pretty forgiving with its checkpoints. Ori is unfortunately neither of those things. It just felt really frustrating when I kept having to redo stuff because I slipped off of a ledge or missed a jump due to the floatiness. I had to rely a lot on the extra save points to make some of the sections more bearable, because otherwise the repetition would have gotten too painful. And then I constantly worried that my over reliance on that resource would be punished later. It was just all around the exact wrong game for me. Thankfully I got to figure all of this out by playing the demo. And I gotta say, I really do have a lot of respect and appreciation for the studio for making one, because it allowed me to walk away from the game and spend my money on something else that suits my needs much better.

[@filmotter]

Oh yeah, I get what you mean! I don't have the same experience but I will say that later parts of the game still hurt my hands a lot. There is a section that requires you to hold down four different buttons to use two abilities in conjunction and it really hurts, especially because you have to repeat it a lot if you fail. I know a lot of other modern indie platformers do their best to be much more inclusive. Like Celeste seems to have a lot of accessibility options. Although, as someone who does not use them, I cannot speak to whether or not they are useful. But they're there!

[@rashkavar]

Interesting take. Ironically, I actually found myself finding barriers I couldn't surpass until later more often with Ori and the Blind Forest than any other 2d platformer/metroidvania I've found (it certainly straddles that bar in places). I approached the final area 4 or 5 times without having all the upgrades it expected, getting a bit further each time, only to find that I had to turn back. There's several other areas I remember approaching several times with new abilities to see what would work.

[@razbuten]

L + ratio + ur emotionless + apathetic

[@filmotter]

Wow I'm being cyberbullied, how dare.

[@vladi3862]

so true 100%

[@filmotter]

@@vladi3862 I think you're missing Raz's sarcasm lmao

[@HardcoreCasualGW2]

I just finished playing through both Ori games yesterday. Personally, I loved the feel of the controls and don't mind at all that they lack the precision of games like Hollow Knight or Celeste, which let you turn on a dime mid-air and such. The game's challenges are built around these controls. Take the Ginso Tree escape, for example. I didn't find bash confusing or difficult to use at all. I thought it was a clever mechanic and my only criticism of it is that it was so good it was overutilized and became a bit of a catch-all solution to every problem (something they remedied in the second game). I noticed the "floaty" feel to jumping early on and had to adjust to it. Specifically, I found I was entering inputs too quickly, resulting in canceling jumps too early. However, once I adjusted and slowed down my inputs to match the gameplay, it wasn't an issue. I wouldn't classify this as a failing of the controls. It works and feels great once you get used to it. But again, it isn't Hollow Knight where you have that precision control of movement in space. The important point to note about your opinions on this and my reaction to them is that, as much as we want to make it about the objective mechanics, this is our subjective interpretation of feel at play. The game works. The controls work. The issue is how it feels to the player. Some prefer what you call "tight" controls like Celeste or Hollow Knight while others may prefer the floaty acrobatics of Ori. In my opinion, they created a very unique feel to this game and it really works amazingly well, especially when they add more skills to Ori's repertoire in the second game like grapple and that crazy sand burrow/dash in the later zones. Chaining these varied skills together in timed spirit trials and exciting escape sequences felt really spot on for me. After experiencing that I really have a tough time viewing Ori's controls as one of its faults. Edit: On the other issues you bring up, I really think you should take a look at the second game. It resolves most of these issues (e.g. story narration and character development, combat, exploration in the Metroidvania style).

[@filmotter]

That's fair. I've heard a lot of people like the controls. And after playing the sequel, I have to say they gel better with me in that sequel for some reason.

[@HardcoreCasualGW2]

@@filmotter Agreed. As I said, I think part of the problem with the first game's skillset is the over-reliance on bash. It's an excellent mechanic, but they didn't really give Ori anything else to compete with it or compliment it. In the second game they really limited the over-use of bash and went out of their way to create skills that serve a similar function but have different use cases. They then created challenges forcing players to utilize all of these skills in thrilling acrobatic sequences that are just a ton of fun and often quite challenging besides! It's something that feels unique to Ori and gives it a very different feel from games like Hollow Knight. Precision wall jumping and dashing feels great, too. But flipping and flying through the air to reach your next object to play off of is an entirely different type of challenge and it really worked for me.

[@William-Afton_jejcjschheiqx]

6:41 omg I got stuck on that one part for soooo long lol just trying to make that stupid jump, honestly I just think the difficulty design is so weird to me in this game

[@filmotter]

I agree! Every time I have to go back and grab footage from this game, I dread that section

[@zaymallo799]

I cant wait to see your opinions on the sequel, which fixed a lot of the issues i disovered after playing the first

[@vladgabriel2666]

even though i love ori i have to say the controls are not so tight as they could have been and even though i got used to the controls you re partly right

[@thijsvos1852]

Dude I know I am a year late but this is the best criticism i’ve ever seen. Like literally. Explained your points, never became rude and even provided diferrent opinions from different people! You’ve got this stuff figured out. I see you enjoyed the sequel. Nice :)

[@filmotter]

I appreciate your kindness, seriously! And you're not late. Videos are here for whenever people find them haha.

[@rileylockett8520]

I'm so glad you're part of the partner program! You're literally one of my favorite creatives on here, you're gonna go far!

[@filmotter]

Thank you so much! It's kind of wild that that's a thing now. 😅

[@perguto]

7:00 The delay seems to be an issue with your setup, the controls felt responsive to me. Maybe a higher refresh rate helps, I played on 180fps.

[@lorettabes4553]

Same, I don't have that delay. *And* Ori is a horizontal jumper, not verticle

[@TobiasLeonHaecker]

Am I the only one, that felt that the 2nd Game "will of the whisp" was less floaty. I stopped playing Blind Forest because the controls frustrated me. I died too often with the feeling, that it wasn't my fault. Didn't had that problem with WotW. Also the combat system and more characters in the 2nd game spoke more to me.

[@sallyi929]

I agree I played both games over the past 2 -3 weeks and WotW fixed most of the problems I had with the BF BF felt unforgiving in some sections of the level design The only nit pick I had with WotW is that the game would freeze a lot 😅

[@sundalosketch4769]

As a big Ori fan I do agree with a lot of your points! I remember some times where I took a break from this part 6:35 specifically because of how hard it felt to get that grasp right. The slippery walls, the very trippy balance on pole-like platforms were definitely things I had to get used to. Even though they were hard, I am one of those types to relish in mastering the slippery controls as I was used to doing that with broken controllers on old consoles, while giving the better working ones to my siblings or friends during my childhood. So it doesn't frustrate me for long. When attacking I rarely stood still so I never really noticed it being as lackluster as you've pointed out, it's quite surprising how I missed that the first time I played it. I loved the opening sequence for it's beauty but I do agree it was a long opening that could make people feel impatient, I never thought about the emotion-tugging part since, even tho Ori later revived, acted like it didn't effect him anymore, I the player pretty much conveyed it through how I controlled Ori's movements; making my grief projected into Ori within my playthrough. I loved this essay! It really lets me see games I love so dearly through more objective lenses and other perceptions. It gives me more appreciation for games I look up to, flaws and all!

[@filmotter]

That's awesome! I'm glad you enjoyed it!

[@PermanentViolet]

this was very well done! such an important message to get out there and remind people that we can have different opinions on a piece of media but still exist in the same space together and respect one another. i personally haven't played ori but i think the thesis of this video can be applied to almost any game, or piece of art, and that really resonates with me. thank you for the hard work on yet another video!

[@filmotter]

Thank you so much Violet! Yeah, I think this video could have been about any piece of media at the end of the day, in terms of the message I was going for. 😄

[@rhianite2274]

Ngl, dying in ginso is a skill issue, but the point is still kinda valid

[@1925683]

Ori is one of those games that I loved when I first played it but hasn’t held up too well. I personally love the controls, but the world design and combat are very underwhelming. I loved your insight that Ori almost exclusively gives you a key before a lock instead of the other way around. The one silver lining to combat is that bash becomes more integral as time goes on.

[@filmotter]

That's true! I appreciate the creative ways they incorporate Bash in later puzzle sections of the game. Like I mentioned, I have yet to play the sequel. But I hope the evolve Bash even more because it could be really interesting if expanded on!

[@tomcraftdonkey2285]

​@@filmotter Have you played it yet? I think the sequel is much better.

[@ScherFire]

Another great video; I think you've gotten even better over the past year! As a person who loves the Ori games to bits, I don't really disagree with anything you said- just that none of it was a dealbreaker for me. One minor point of contention I have is that I don't think Naru's death at the beginning of the game is pointless; it's a call to adventure for Ori. Naru's death reflects and personifies the dying world around him, and Ori needs to leave what was the comfort and safety of his home to fix it.

[@filmotter]

Thank you so much! I'm doing my best to improve the longer I make these videos. So hearing that means a lot. 🥰

[@dearpapaya]

I always look forward to the beginning of the month because it means we get another rad video essay! I do think that maybe I’ll give Ori another shot just to see where it goes but I definitely agree that the controls didn’t work for me. As someone who has a slow response to enemies or the environment I did get frustrated more easily. ALSO! I didn’t realize until this video about the attacks! I hate that I can’t dodge or do anything ahhhh. Anyways, congrats on making partner!! Can’t wait for the next video!

[@filmotter]

Yeah! The fact that there's no dodging makes things so hard to navigate. And also thank you Papaya for saying that. That is super sweet of you, my gawd.

[@InsertName404]

Amazing video! It for some reason makes me like the game more?

[@filmotter]

That's awesome! I'm glad you enjoy it :D

[@AkaiAzul]

I disagree with many of your arguments, but I appreciate your honesty.

[@filmotter]

That is totally fair. 🥰

[@LuminousArc92]

I have an answer to the combat part. In Blind Forest Ori's wisp friend does all the fighting and it feels not good, but in WotW Ori himself does the fighting, getting different weapons and skills. It has the feel of the player and Ori having an autonomy that's missing in the first game. Also added to by WotW having actual bosses and being able to pick the order you tackle areas in to some extent WotW has escape sequences but they feel much less frustrating than I ever experienced with BF (the escape the water section had me actually shut the game down for a period of time out of frustration, or the wind escape getting unfairly killed by falling stone you had no way to react to since you have no dash and are floating). I think in part it's how the controls are set up. In BF the bash and jump both use the face buttons so you have to stop using one to use the other which messes with movement but WotW bash is tied to a shoulder button so it feels smoother to use. Also there's a dash in WotW

[@filmotter]

This has me really excited to try the sequel! Because everything you mentioned that it changes... is everything that I need changed to make it a better experience for me. I think if I wasn't streaming the water escape for example... I don't think I would have been motivated to continue

[@LuminousArc92]

@@filmotter consider I tried a replay of the first and gave up at the wind section because I was too frustrated but I've replayed WotW multiple times and had a great time with each one I think I only got through BF the first time out of spite and determination to beat the damn thing

[@filmotter]

@@LuminousArc92 My boyfriend is currently finishing the game just so he can watch this video without getting spoiled on the story and he literally said "I am only finishing this out of spite" LMAO So you are not alone!

[@LuminousArc92]

@@filmotter he should jump into WotW soon after he beats BF and rejoice how much nicer it feels lol

[@smilefacebird2028]

@@filmotter you should definitely try Ori WotW because while I was watching your video I started to appreciate how many of those issues apparent in the original game were fixed in the sequel

[@miles_tails0511]

Your video made me think why I was head over heels for this game. It just popped up I’m at the right time in my life; I was dabbling in flash, trying to put together a platformer, and got absolutely blown out of the water by how this game defies platformer controls and blends foreground background together Now that I thought about it, if I didn’t find this game when I’m into making platformers, I’d be less impressed and probably just enjoy it like a normal game. That’s why your video is insightful 😮

[@filmotter]

That's awesome! I'm glad a game connected with you like that

[@CoTeCiOtm]

This game tends to be compared to Hollow Knight, and I can see why. A thing I've been told a lot is how much better Hollow Knight is compared to Blind Forest. I just can't like Hollow Knight. I don't really like the graphics, for me they feel like a slightly better polished Flash game, the controls feel stiff and certain gameplay choices like getting sent back to a bench after losing a boss fight and having to go all the way back feels like it's kind of a Souls-like (I've never liked Souls-likes) but in 2D, and it's just feels frustrating after a while when you have to backtrack back to that area over and over, the unnecessary repetition just feels there to make the game more "challenging". About the graphics on Ori and the way the platforms are laid out reminds me of the Donkey Kong Country games. Celeste, which you showed as an example, maybe is more akin to Super Mario World, that's more blocky/cartoonish, meanwhile Ori is meant to be more organic looking, like DKC. I don't know if it's because I grew up constantly playing through DKC that I don't really feel off about the round edges on platforms at all. And yeah, the combat in Blind Forest isn't the best, and it pales in comparison to the combat on Will of the Wisps

[@mikedelgrande5296]

Nice video! Though I disagree. For me, adapting to a games particular input oddities is part of the fun. Most of the time the way a character responds to inputs is part of that games identity. It can be an added layer of challenge or just a unique characteristic. Like tank controls, or being animation locked in a Souls game. Imo its not bad game design, it's intentionally there and part of what differentiates that game from others in the same genre. If all games controlled and played exactly like Celest it wouldn't feel very unique. On that note I don't think Ori had bad controls, it felt very response and did what I expected. More than anything I don't want a Studio to change their game design for me, I want to rise to the challenge of what they intended.

[@arveshi342]

I think the funny part about your critique of the Ginso Tree Escape is that it's hands down my favorite sequence in the original Ori. Bash is such a fun ability to use, one of my favorite in any Metroidvania that I've played, and I don't know, for me the floaty movement never really felt bad.

[@captaindanverz3520]

I am absolute team purple arrow! Also how did I not know Jinzee would be in this one???

[@filmotter]

Team Purple Arrow! That animation took me like an hour to get right lmao. Also I pretty much kept the collab portion under wraps up until release LMAO

[@jademonass2954]

I love ori for its movement, and thats why i like the combat the way it is its not meant to be a focus, its not meant to be super developed and yea! ori without combat would have been great! i love metroidvanias that dont focus on combat, and this is the first game that fit that criteria which is partially why i was slightly disapointed on the sequel (since it has a focus on combat)

[@ІсаєнкоАртем]

Lore-wise, the combat not being in focus is more than logical because you're playing as a weak spirit that literally died not so long ago and your only goal isn't to kill everyone who stands in the way, just to restore the balance of element. And all of your combat (except bash and spirit charge or smth, but they're utility abilities anyway) does sein. Ofc you wouldn't have big combat orientation.

[@buusinhojr.9555]

Let me tell you how my love for this game and its sequel came from. I do agree with most of your criticism (except for bash and the Ginso Tree part), but even though I know there are the bad things I simply don’t let them bother me, which is also probably the way I am the only person who liked Pokémon BDSP aside from not playing the original DP. For example, the game’s combat is terrible, but I really didn’t mind combat unless it is the main focus of the game. I also like some of the very small things that make me happy, like the one Skyehoppers pointed out at 27:23 Then, there is the music which did something no other game had done before this one: motivated me and kept me from raging. The most brutally hard part of the game was probably the Ginso Tree, which yes it is frustrating, BUT whenever I died and was frustrated that I died, the music motivated me to continue without getting angry. Like, seriously if it wasn’t for the music I would probably have raged harder than I did while fighting Nightmare King Grimm in Hollow Knight, and trust me if there was a moment I would have probably gone crazy mad besides playing Cuphead is probably was that fight with Nightmare King Grimm.

[@rubberducky5383]

So glad to hear other people talk about ori's controls. I've only played WotW but have found that one also feels weird to me.

[@tbahr123]

Great video Otter, you and I are aligned on this one. Blind Forest was touted to be “one of the best modern Metroidvanias” one of my favorite genres, and instead what I found was a platformer, and I don’t like platforming games at all. Fortunately, we got Will of the Wisps years later, the metroidvania I wanted Blind Forest to be, and it’s AMAZING. You have to get to it Otter!

[@filmotter]

I know! I bought it for streaming recently. So I'm definitely going to play it ASAP.

[@PutitinDaramen]

the movement was my favorite part of ori. I played on keyboard and mouse and it felt so smooth. where you see floaty movement i see hangtime to chain abilities. thats what i found fun about ori. i think this game is infinitely better on keyboard and mouse. this one sentence will explain that: bash is right click. bash is right click. its so easy to chain bash on keyboard, like trivializing.

[@shiningdawn865]

I appreciate the balance that this video essay brings, acknowledging the different weaknesses and the strengths of the game. Thank you!

[@filmotter]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@jakubkralik7659]

This video was really great and eyeopening for me. Because my introduction to platformers was ori and unravel both not really precise games and my introduction to movement in games was b hopping in cs so the floaty style is something i am used to. Today i tried playing hollow knight and its movement system frustrated me because i couldnt get a grasp of its precision. Really it fascinates me how much it depends on what games you start and what games you playe the most.

[@weaselbun]

I have played this game a lot, a LOT, and I can agree with a few points, but something that makes me keep coming back to it is trying to push myself for faster completion times and trying to find efficient routes to pick everyrhing up. The momentum in the game with bashes and the feather gliding make it super satisfying to quickly traverse through some sections with pretty much one or two jumps And a little trick I've found is that if you gather a good number of abilities and prepare to press most inouts you can almost one-shot those jumping worm minibosses That said, it's a choice of a playstyle, and the game has some decisions thst can make it aggravating. There are plenty of certain death areas, all those lasers and the piston rocks, or the foreground elements I like it, love it even, but it's a good insight, I agree with a lot of points

[@Laezar1]

9:30 a big issue with that is it probably gets confusing for colorblind people (though it can be fixed by having different design for the two arrows which incidentally helps make them more distinct for anyone, and potentially an option to have only one arrow or customize the the colors in the menu)

[@Mrblackfox966]

I think the reason ori feel floaty is because they are a light spirit and they also have hooves so I think that the reason for them being slippery

[@erobertt3]

I can agree with most of your points, but bash? no honey, there is an indicator arrow, it's the tail end of the arrow, it points to exactly where the projectile will be going

[@lumendrake2265]

To me it seems you expected a precision platforming with very simplistic physics like Hollow Knight. Ori is meant to feel more natural, like you're exploring a real environment. The floatiness makes it more enjoyable. I feel like you failed to adapt to this different style and got frustrated with the game as a result. Also the whole point about Bash feeling unintuitive sounds like a you problem and not a flaw with the design. i never had any issues with the directionality of it, or the projectile being bashed.

[@supercyclone8342]

Funny how some of the things you dislike are the things I like! Also I quickly realized that Ori 1 is not (/barely?) a Metroidvania and therefore shouldn't be judged as such. That realization allowed me to enjoy the unique experience the game was trying to give... once I got over my initial disappointment that is lol (metroidvanias are my favorite genre and I'm even making one). I really enjoyed the Ori games, but neither of them come near Hollow Knight for me. Anything else I was going to say, was covered by the ending "counterargument" section. Really well made video!

[@filmotter]

I hear great things about the sequel, so I'm excited to see whether they lean more towards the metroidvania genre in that one or if they end up leaning further away. Have you tried the sequel yet?

[@supercyclone8342]

@@filmotter It just edited my comment without refreshing the page lol. But again, yes I enjoyed Ori 2 probably a bit more than the first. It is way more of a Metroidvania, but its design philosophy is still different from something like Hollow Knight (and HK is also a bit different from Super Metroid btw). It's non-linear, but the areas are still pretty sectioned off. The combat is pretty good this time, but they don't explore its depth as much as they could've. I have one main grip with the story (explained well by ingeniousclown's video), but you may like it a bit more than Ori 1. I really enjoyed both Ori games, but I definitely love Hollow Knight more. I might like Ori 2 more than Metroid Dread tho... maybe...

[@zaymallo799]

I played the sequel first, after playing hollow knight. At first, i didnt like how different it felt and had to leave it for a couple months. Coming back to it, i loved almoost every second of it. Even if its not as long and much harder. My least favorite of the 3 games i meantioned, yet i loved it personally. Agree with most of your criticism though.

[@mcbeany]

such a great video! it’s also nice finding another person who shares my view of Ori, for literally all the same reasons 😅

[@filmotter]

I'm glad you enjoyed the video! I've been shocked to see how many people agree with me to be honest lol

[@sluggerboy9191]

I disagree with your lock and key part of the video I have definitely that experience where i came back to previous area with tripple jump and bashing your own projectiles

[@aruretheincomprehensible20]

I agree with basically all of your points, except on the art and story elements. I feel like Ori and the Blind Forest is a beautiful game with an immaculately crafted story, with its opening being the first time I've ever cried at the beginning of a story and its ending being one of the best endings I've ever seen in a video game. That said, I felt like you understated how bad the movement was. I was personally scared to make progression-relevant jumps throughout most of the game because I didn't think the movement tools I had allowed me to make those jumps and failure meant at least losing health, if not my entire life. Furthermore, most of the time Ori and the Blind Forest doesn't give enough of a safe zone for you to learn new tools the way most other metroidvanias either layer the progression-relevant upgrade on existing tools you already know how to use (like most of Samus' gun upgrades) or make you use the new tool to leave the area where you got it. I also feel like your assessment of combat is slightly inaccurate. You can move while using Ori and the Blind Forest's sad excuse of a combat system, it's just that the movement is bad and the combat is bland regardless of whether you're moving or not. It's at least responsive though, which is more than I can say for Ender Lilies' combat system.

[@Zenith07]

Things i disagree Floaty controls? - the Controls are actually tight and the movement of Ori feels fitting as well Platforming on edges - I never had problems with those curved edges honestly Rubberbanding Flood - I actually loved som Rubber Banding in most games because it keeps the Tension going in some games they dont fit well but in this section it honestly feels more natural just to keep the player engaged and mistakes could lead to your demise kind of feeling. It is a moment of rush keeping you on your toes while trying to escape the flood Bash - The bash is one of the most Creative abilities ever and i have no complains on it at all. Things i agree Not a good metroidvania - yeh the game lacks on this aspect a bit too much, Sequel fixed it but it leads more to be desired Save links/Save spots - Yeh i never liked those actually, using Mana to save instead of using it in “Fun” ways such as abilities or other things makes me hate it. Using Resources just to save is never “Fun” Combat. - YES ITS TERRIBLE, tho question why do you literally just stand still when attacking, you know you can move right? Sequel however has the BEST COMBAT, what actually upsets me is that theres not much Combat or room to explore combat more because the game kinda ends abruptly especially when you are given all this incredible powers, abilities & Weapons the game doesn’t let you explore those more, needs more Battle Arena’s more encounters and especially MORE BOSSFIGHTS Story - yeh the story, its nothing special really, i liked it but its not something i would go crazy on about.

[@chrissmith4773]

Wow, you are not alone! Thanks for articulating how I felt about this game. I completely agree with everything you critiqued. I also find the controls extremely frustrating. I died more times trying to ascend the flooding tree than I did trying to complete the White Palace in Hollow Knight. I also didn't connect with the story very much. I found Celeste so much more rewarding to complete, even if it was frustrating at times. It certainly had much better controls. Ori is not a metroidvania game, even if the developers wanted it to be.

[@cadybird5809]

I love and adore Ori and the Blind Forest. I really enjoyed this video, it was pretty interesting to hear why someone would dislike what I consider a pretty perfectly made game. One thing that helped me enjoy it more was that I was sold it as an adventure platformer instead of a metroidvania. All I was told was it had metroidvania elements but was more of an adventure platformer due how linear it mostly is with light exploration. I feel like that distinction really helped me love the game more than I might've had I been told it was a metroidvania.

[@filmotter]

Ahhh I could see that helping me enjoy it a bit more!

[@TheVisionaryAnimation]

I would actually suggest playing through the game with a keyboard (no mouse cuz eh) because I had none of the problems you mentioned in the first 8 minutes of this video. In addition, despite not finishing the game yet, I have found that I’ll get an ability, then think back to something I couldn’t get past earlier. (Haven’t finished the video yet, but wanted to say this)

[@filmotter]

I never tried keyboard actually! I may go back and do that. Although since this video, I have played the sequel and found I loved that.

[@TheVisionaryAnimation]

@@filmotterI actually do have a question for you. I've watched a few of your other videos, and I was wondering if you intentionally try to find real life meaning in the games you play, or if it's something you just realize afterwards.

[@filmotter]

@@TheVisionaryAnimation I usually find it when I look back at a game after I've played it if that makes sense.

[@Skallordmc]

I totally agree with a lot of the points in this video. Not all, but many. I think Blind Forest was my second or third indie game ever, and I only played it because Will of the Wisps was coming out soon at the time. I think my lack of experience let me miss a lot of its flaws, but it's telling that I've put 200+ hours into the sequel over the last few years but haven't ever gone back to Blind Forest. Even in my memories, it feels clunky, poorly paced, and rather tedious. I still listen to the ost daily tho.

[@filmotter]

I ended up playing the sequel and loving it so much. And yeah, I have to say the OST for both was amazing.

[@markabyss1200]

I will add, the game does have a dodge button. The bash works as a pseudo dodge that you can do mid combat. While I personally loved every part of the game, including the combat (it is simple, but combat isn't a major focus obviously) I slipped the bash into combat for both sending projectiles and simply getting out of the way. I personally did not like hollow knight for a while, but this game worked as a sort of middle ground between metroid (my favorite games ever) and hollow knight! This is not only a 10/10 for me, but its gotten me into other wonderful games. I've yet to b play the sequel, but I'm excited to try it very soon.

[@Trazynn]

Yeah well put. The escape from the Ginzo tree sequence should feel liberating but instead it's a hard bottleneck, especially on a joycon when everything feels even more janky.

[@engineergaming3830]

I agree with a lot of the points the combination of insa-kills and the slippery movements made getting the no-death run was pure hell but I think ori has floaty movement due to lore reasons (he's a leaf light being) that's naturally light

[@Sgt_Long_Dong]

I agree with most of your points, except the movement. I can understand exactly what you mean, but it was really never an issue for me. I never play platformers, so maybe that’s why I picked it up quicker (no preconceived expectations) so I usually ran through the chase sequences without any issues, and to me it felt very satisfying to jump around. Unless you have like arthritis or something get good (bash is perfect mad cuz bad)

[@Amongus_2_Revenge_of_the_Sus]

Great video, but I have to disagree with every single point you made. This game is literally perfect, I'm not even joking. The only complaint I have of it is that it is too easy.

[@autobottodoggo1036]

If you haven't played Will of the Wisps yet, you need to drop whatever you're doing and go play it NOW. It fixes literally every issue with Blind Forest and then improves on it 100x. The moveset is refined and great to use. There's a ton of lock-and-key back and forth as you collect abilities and endless secrets to discover. The combat is *immensely* better, you get like 12 different weapons and they're all fantastic. The chase scenes are challenging, not frustrating, and you also get bossfights. The story is compelling. The music is a masterpiece in its own right. Wisps is literally a perfect 10/10 game and your life is incomplete if you haven't played it.

[@filmotter]

I did play WotW since making this video! Loved it! It's on my list of future videos to make actually lol

[@TacticalPhoenixYT]

Idk about the weapons. I felt a lot of them overlapped, and I barely used the star or flash.

[@seffinspace]

Absolutely great video once again, Otter! I just want to thank you for being so upfront about how this is your opinion and people with differing opinions can co-exist with you. We need more media of people speaking out about how others are ALLOWED to have their own opinions on certain things. In the present world, the internet has the tendency to be so hostile with other's opinions. I know you touched on this with the fandom video, but it makes me happy that you're bringing it up in another video as well. I hope people that loved the game and watched this respect your opinions, especially with how you approached the essay. 💛

[@filmotter]

Seff!!! Thank you so much! I was inspired to make this for exactly that reason. Not enough discourse out there about differing opinions being ok if you ask me. 😄

[@charliecarrot]

I agree with the floaty/awkward controls, but I was able to get used to them. The Ginzo Tree escape was so rewarding when I beat it, with every failure along the way feeling like it was my own fault, not the controls or mechanics. As far as it being a Metroidvania or not, that didn't really matter or change the impact of the game for me. I went into this thinking of it as a platformer first, coming off games like Celeste. I don't really enjoy backtracking though, so that may be why I don't care about the lack of meaningful backtracking complaint personally. It gets overwhelming for me. I enjoy how, in Ori and the Blind Forest, it never felt necessary to revisit previous areas after getting new abilities; secrets were awesome when I found them, and they always had a functional purpose, but always skippable. It's impossible not to compare games to others we've played that are at all similar, but I really enjoyed what it presented on its own merits. Maybe it's not a great Metroidvania, or not a great precision platformer, but it's great at being Ori. Completely agree on combat. And yeah I cried at the opening of the game. I loved and felt attached to Naru simply because of their design and animations, and affection for Ori. But also the music just really gets me. I encourage everyone to try it out, and give it time to get used to the controls. If you don't like it after the Ginzo Tree, you probably won't like the rest of the game! Great video

[@TomHelps]

Play Will of the Wisps. The controls have been improved 100 times. A lot smoother.

[@filmotter]

Agreed. I've played the sequel since making this video and it was wayyyy better

[@lopesdoria]

Hello, I also did not like Ori. :-) I never dare to share my experience with this game because of how universally loved it is, and because I know people will say that my opinion isn't valid because I haven't finished it or because I "didn't give it a fair shot" but I will make this video an exception, as I feel comfortable knowing I am not the only one who feels this way. The combat is not good, as almost everyone agrees on, and the floaty movement did not click for me. I also could not get the hang of the bash ability so after a couple of hours of not having fun and being frustrated with the platforming, I decided to drop it. And I think the story does just enough to make the player care and have context for what they are doing, which is fine. All in all, I'm glad to be able to get this off my chest now knowing someone else shares this opinion with me and can articulate it so well and respectfully. Thanks.

[@filmotter]

I'm not alone! 😅 Yeah I've off-handedly mentioned that I didn't enjoy the game a fee times in other videos and there are SO many people who take that very personally. I'm still going to try out the sequel someday, though. I hear that most of the issues I have with this game are fixed in that one. But I can't speak to that just yet. 😄

[@lopesdoria]

@@filmotter I've been afraid to try the sequel becuse the movement looks to be very floaty still and that made platforming hell for me in the first one. There are so many other great games out there that I'm okay with potentially missing out on one of them.

[@filmotter]

Oh for sure! I'm just going to try it because I'm curious on a personal level. What are some of the games you're thinking of diving into next?

[@lopesdoria]

@@filmotter I've had Timespinner and SteamWorld Dig 2 wainting on my backlog for a while, but I've also bought The Wild at Heart recently, so definitely one of those three.

[@filmotter]

@Emma Rose 🥰 Thank you for being an understanding and empathetic person! 🥰

[@KattsCreativeCrochetCorner]

I’ve honestly restarted this game 4x and still haven’t beaten it yet… but I do love the music and art and even though there are times when I want to throw the controller, I just hit pause and just sit in the music. I hate how slippery the controls are and hate that I almost feel punished for now grasping it. (ADHD gamer here) I love a good challenge, but even when playing on easy mode, I feel like I should be able to get a better grasp on the game and not feel like I have an ever growing wall of frustration.

[@mompou_]

as the only other person on this planet earth that also dislikes ori, you covered basically everything that makes it not work for me. but i loved hearing from the other creators featured here, everyone did a really great job! this video is a nice way to look at the game from different perspectives - and also a good reminder to apply this kind of thinking to any other game. some people will like it and some people won't and we can all still co-exist peacefully. probably

[@filmotter]

Probably! And thanks. I know of literally one other person apart from you who dislikes the game lol. But yeah I think everyone else's perspectives added a lot to the conversation. Especially when it comes to the story of the game. Gave me lots to think about, personally.

[@jakisaur]

excuse me i also dont like this game

[@MaitreduMal]

Exact, Ori does not encourage backtracking, this is an old habit we have gained throughout our gaming experience, but Ori is way more direct and straightforward, which is OK really, I loved both Ori episodes, because you don't have to scratch your head to move forward, the downside off course is way less replayability. At contrary I found backtracking in Metroid Dread heavy and a bit forced. Ori is a light Metroidvania with accents on platforming, action and movesets innovations, which were honest tentatives to refresh the genre IMO.

[@PsychoBackflip]

Back tracking in Ori and the achievements in the game literally go hand in hand. Are you sure you played the game ?

[@Scion141]

@@PsychoBackflip I honestly don't think they did. I was left scratching my head when the video mentioned that

[@clawdane2611]

I won’t lie after playing Ori I became obsessed with finding another who played like ori. I found ori once mastered to be the king of freedom of movement. That being said for it’s combat, I always felt Ori was a runner and survivor first before a fighter

[@ІсаєнкоАртем]

If you think about it, Ori *is* a runner and not a fighter lore-wise.

[@clawdane2611]

@@ІсаєнкоАртем second game that changes though he becomes a guardian and protector too and his kit starts to reflect that

[@Yellow-pi9ie]

Thank you for the great video. I really enjoy Ori and appreciate the fair criticism. I played on keyboard and mouse and didn't think the controls were that bad. Maybe controller difficulty you had was from what controller/controls you used. (The game really should let you customize your controls.) Part of the reason I like Ori is how streamlined it is. You can complete the game almost entirely in about 5 hours; 3 if you know what you are doing. Unlike so many other games that you have to practically slog through to find everything, Ori never seems to overstay its welcome.

[@squabblecat]

This was a game I loved as a teenager but over time came to really dislike for a lot of the reasons that you point out. I had never thought much about the controls in this game compared to anything else. This was my first metroidvania so I didn't have anything else to compare to, but it's an interesting perspective I've never taken into consideration. Something I always try to nip in the bud about this game in discussion, especially when compared to Hollow Knight like in this video, is that Ori isn't an indie title like the community leads on. Moon Studios *is* an indie company but Ori was pitched to, funded by, and contractually signed to Microsoft. Ori would not have existed the way it is without Microsoft and such does not constitute as indie, the same way that Platinum Games is indie but the Bayonetta series is not. Ori is simply a AA Xbox owned platformer. I personally see Hollow Knight as a lot more impressive for actually being indie and it's sheer amount of content over Ori. A big thing that brought me down over time was my experience in the community, and realizing how shallow not only the narrative choices in both Ori games are but how hollow the world holding it together is. I think it's absurd that the 1st game tries to redeem Kuro. I think it's baffling the 2nd game doubles down on that choice. I think it's insane that they repeat magically reviving a character that was shown/inferred to die. I think most of the events of the 1st game rely heavily on inference on how Nibel works or simply suspending your disbelief. I never see anyone point out that it was the Spirit Tree's action to call out to Ori that set off the event of the game, or suggest that he should take any narrative accountability. I look at the ending of the 1st game and everything up to the ending of the 2nd and think none of it needs to be there. I look at CEO of Moon Studios Thomas Mahler's behavior online and his attitude about game design and think about how much of these games' stories were compromised by him or people like him in the studio. I think the RPG elements added to Ori 2 made the already muddied style of the 1st game a lot worse. I haven't tried No Rest For The Wicked and I don't intend to seeing what's being said about it's design choices already. I'm playing through the Ori games again to see if I can still enjoy the gameplay like I did when I first played them, and to see if any of my opinions might change. I think Ori 1 is still fun for me as an arcade-like take on the metroidvania genre. I couldn't finish a 2nd playthrough of Ori 2 when it came out. I'd like to see that change or give myself a new opinion. I think my take away from both Ori games has been that although I love artistic presentation, big beautiful set pieces, fun gameplay and a beautiful score, I can only come to appreciate that when it has a spine supporting it, which I don't believe Ori has, nor do I believe in the integrity of it's lead creators. This was a game I loved when I was younger and left a huge impression on me, but now rests on my shelf as a frustrating disappointment the more I think about it and the more I see coming from Moon Studios.

[@ratatoskrnuts6354]

I agree that the combat is bad. It's not great, but I do notice that you're purposely making it look worse by not having upgrades or using other abilities like bash to dodge through enemies. I saw that a lot in the first gameplay section, where you're obviously playing poorly to make the gameplay look worse. Other than that, I don't agree with anything. The video was well put together though, so cheers to that.

[@tanner_titus]

Did you add the purple arrow at 9:30 ? It seems like there’s an arrow for ori and an arrow for the projectile. If you were editing in a visual aid, it could’ve fooled me that it was always a part of the game.

[@filmotter]

Yup, I added it to show what I would have preferred for the UI to look like. And it took me longer than I'd like to admit LMAO

[@BreadstixTheAnimator]

while i've spent 32 hours on a single Ori WotW save, and beat it numerous times, it just wasn't the same for Ori BF. As soon as i 100%ed it, i immediately stopped playing it. I just found it sometimes extremely frustrating

[@filmotter]

I definitely still need to dive into the sequel!

[@KC_rocka]

As someone who both loves and hates Ori and the Blind Forest this was a great video to watch, you made some amazing points with reasons to why you dislike some aspects and mechanics and having other people's views on to why they love the game was really nice to see. Such a well made video as always Otter.

[@MudrasofEarth]

Bro i already cried at the title screen :D But yeah i get your points. Kinda feel the same with the controls

[@MimiMoxieCreative]

Love your frames. What brand are they?

[@hojugames8340]

These videos are very well made. Glad the algorithm recommended your channel. Totally understandable you're issues with Blind Forest. I myself do quite like its movement and aesthetics but the combat is mindless. Will of the Wisps is a huge step up there but movement is basically identical, but again for me it was the combat changes that made the sequel excellent in my mind as I already liked movement in both games.

[@filmotter]

Since making this video I've played the sequel actually and really loved it! I am thinking of making a follow up video actually.

[@hojugames8340]

@@filmotter Would absolutely love to watch your take on that. As I said before, I totally understand your criticisms of the first game and agree with some myself but I do still enjoy it more than I don't. I think the sequel really did address the main issues I had with the first game as well.

[@filmotter]

@@hojugames8340 it's definitely a video in the pipeline. There's just been so many ideas I've had for videos lmao

[@hojugames8340]

@@filmotter Nothing wrong with that! You make the content you want to make and I'll continue to enjoy it as it comes along.

[@filmotter]

@@hojugames8340 I appreciate that! Very kind!

[@gumbilicious1]

I played Ori and the Will 'O the Wisps first, then went back and played Blind Forest. I am glad I played WOTW first, because I probably wouldn't have played it if I played BF first. BF was not a 'bad' game in any respect, it just came off a unbalanced and unpolished (in certain ways). like combat was unsatisfying, skills were too slow-rolled, pacing was unimpressive. I can also see why people loved it as well, but it didn't really do it for me. WOTW on the other hand took me completely by surprise, I had no idea i'd love that game so much. I can't help but think that BF's faults were more apparent after I played the sequel, so who knows how would have really felt if I had played BF first.

[@MaxWattage]

I agree with you about this game. I found it incredibly frustrating to play, which was a shame as I liked the graphics and loved the music, and the developers clearly put a lot of love into making it. There is a limit to how many times my game character can die over-and-over in a game at the same point before I quit, not from rage, but from something much worse, boredom. The boss fights are merely dexterity tests against the controls, and they are totally unforgiving and never adapt to the player's ability level, no matter how many times you die. This renders it not fun to play, and being fun to play is the entire purpose of a game.

[@filmotter]

Oh yeah boredom is the kiss of death for a game like this. I think if I wasn't streaming it when I was... I would've put the game down during the Tree Escape. Streaming really does make me push through a lot of sections that would make me put a game down otherwise.

[@MaxWattage]

@@filmotter PS: It seemed rude to watch all your beautifully crafted videos without contributing anything, so I'm now one of your monthly supporters on Ko-fi .

[@filmotter]

@@MaxWattage oh my gosh, that is super sweet of you and I really appreciate your support! Just so you know, it is never expected. But always appreciated. ❤️❤️❤️

[@DustinB855]

Love the game but can igree with you on controls. Thats the only part that drives me a little nits just because of the floaty and laggy feeling controls has caused frustration in a few parts ive played

[@MillisecondFalcon]

I played through Ori DE twice on easy ages ago, before trying hard recently and I got as far as Mount Horu several abilities away from triple jump. So I've had to resort to farming spirit light to level up my skillz, but it's taking ages cos you need 3 points for each of the higher abilities. And there's an ability that increases the amount of spirit light you get from kills, but I was a few slots behind that one on a different branch than triple jump! Long story short, that's one aspect of the game that really sucks. There's nothing left for me to do except Mount Horu but I have to spend a couple of hours farming spirit light just to get triple jump. But I guess that's what makes it "hard" mode, huh?!? 🙄

[@kittenfan7664]

the main thing that gives you HARD mode is removeing some checkpoints in the escape sequences, and taking more damage. you're just too much of a GAMER to notice the missing checkpoints

[@mompou_]

well, otter, you must be apathetic and emotionless

[@filmotter]

It's true! The KZbin comment section said so!

[@Haydenthemaker1000]

3:57 is when the whining ends and the video begins

[@filmotter]

Lmao damn thank you for proving my point

[@ryelynnwrites]

Not you coming for Emily in Paris 😂 Amazing video as always! Congrats on the Partnership--you deserve it!

[@filmotter]

I'm sorry but I had to, at least a little bit. 🤣 And thank you!!! That means a lot. Especially since you've been here since day one. 🥰🥰🥰

[@Guyonabench]

Looking at Blind Forest as a traditional metroidvania, it doesn’t grant the game many favors. I personally enjoyed the more linear experience and the underplayed need for backtracking (which there will be if you want to 100 percent complete it), but I can easily see how it would disappoint if you wanted more of that doors and keys structure (which a lot of games have so I think it’s really cool to have some variety). Also getting a new toy and later a bunch of cool ways to use that toy worked great for me. The bash is easily one of my absolute favorite movement abilities in a game because you can use it in so many different and satisfying ways and feels really fluid to me. The purple arrow idea is good though, but that is something you can overcome in the game I feel like. Some on the other abilities weren’t a hit for me, like the charged super jump or the dash that you get so late that you kinda forget to use it haha. I did at least.. It’s a couple of years since I played the game but these were the thoughts I had when playing the first time. I can’t recall if the movement felt too floaty to me, but looking at the footage it sure looks floaty. I remember the achievements being fine for the most part but there one where you need to find ALL secrets which can be pretty obnoxious when a secret is not part of the 100% completion of an area. This is what I wanted to add to the conversation about the game^^ Also the combat is really bad

[@filmotter]

I will say I recently started playing the sequel and have enjoyed it WAY more. I think the sequel (for me) excels in all the parts of the first game I didn't personally care for.

[@Guyonabench]

Cool to hear you enjoy it^^ I also think the sequel does things a lot better

[@rgb-robloxgamingmore5062]

Just finished 100%ing this game on hard mode and I gotta say the Forlorn Ruins and Moon Grotto were oretty annoying at times. Other than that it's amazing, 9.8/10 overall Edit: I played the Definitive Edition, not the normal edition.

[@filmotter]

I'm glad you enjoyed it! I... think?... that I played the Definitive? If I remember correctly they removed the original from Steam?

[@rgb-robloxgamingmore5062]

​@@filmotterNo idea. Also haven't finished watching it but so far all of your suggestions make a lot of sense. I also really wish you could come to a stop faster, that killed me a few times

[@rgb-robloxgamingmore5062]

​@@filmotterDid you see the Black Root Burrows? If so that's the definitive edition

[@rgb-robloxgamingmore5062]

​@@filmotteralso as for not seeing things you can't get to yet, most ability-related objects are very subtle, like the lanterns for Bash or the pegs for Stomp

[@LeoDpt]

It actually took me like 3 attempts at starting the game to actually go through it, the first 2 times I just stopped after a while because I didn’t really enjoy it. In the end I finished it and enjoyed the latter half, but that was just so that I could play the sequel, which was much more fun from the get go ! I remember after finishing it I just kept moving around the world because of how much I loved simply moving around in it Great video as always, keep it up 😁

[@filmotter]

This makes me excited to try the sequel actually!

[@xanderquinn6010]

I agree with your points on the combat, that’s pretty much universal, but I feel very differently about the movement and story telling. It’s truly a matter of preference regarding the movement, I absolutely loved the platforming and movements of it, but I’ll admit this is coming from a guy who has always felt like the movement in games like hollow knight and Metroid were rigid and static, and I adored the movement in pro. Your comments on the story are, when viewed in the light you did, are completely correct, and that’s not bad, I did actually reassess my own view on the story after listening to yours, and while I’ve found my self understanding your opinion, I just don’t agree with it. (Note: I am extremely empathetic, I get very attached to damn near anything very quickly, so that does affect my view on this) The death of Naru didn’t feel cheap to me at all, I saw it like this. From what we see; Naru is Ori’s world, and if everything had been fine with Naru, Ori would have had no reason to do anything, sure they may have seen that the forest was hurting, but they had to agency to do anything about it, but Naru’s death brought the reality of the forest into their home, it made it real and tangible to Ori, the hurt, and allowed them to understand loss, they left their home because they had no desire to stay, why would they, so they left and wandered, without direction until they got roped into saving the forest by the tree and wisp. And Her meeting with Kuro would make Kuro realize that her actions had not made her feel better, but only caused others to know her pain. (Note2: I’ll also admit that much of my reading is inferred and pulls heavily from my own emotions) In the end, I think that Ori’s story is about cycles of pain, how they end and begin, about mistakes, unintended consequences, forgiveness, healing, and atonement. With such universal concepts, sometime deep and complex characters can muddle and obfuscate these themes. In Ori, we see a cycle of pain begin with the tree losing Ori, that pain is passed to Kuro, and she inflicts pain on others, namely, Ori, we see these characters react to that pain, the things they do and the consequences of those actions, we see how that cycle ends, with forgiveness, understanding, and healing. Healing, I think, is the most important theme there, while I would like to say that everyone can heal just as everyone can be hurt, that’s just not true, Ori is the only one who really heals from his own actions, but in their journey they are the catalyst for the healing of other characters, he helps Gumo, and he eventually moves past his pain and helps Naru, the three eventually help heal the forest, but healing does not always have a happily ever after end. Kuro, perhaps she heals, maybe she doesn’t, but in the end, Naru helps her see through her pain to see what she has caused, and is given options, one is to continue to hurt, or to stop and let it be, allowing her last child to live n a world that is built on pain, or to atone, to attempt to close that loop of pain and help heal the world, even if just a little, so that others don’t have to live in pain. And others still are sadly truly beyond healing, Kuros other children are beyond it. (The sequel hits very well on people who don’t want to heal) And thus, some can heal and others can’t, some can do it themselves and others need help, some desire it and others wallow in their pain, for some, healing is the beginning and a new story, and for others, it is the end. Ori is a truly important story for me, it helped me realize this when I needed it, it help me understand why I was hurting and how I could heal, this reading of Ori may be niche and biased, but this is truly my experience with it, thank you for your video, and thanks to any who actually read this far. Love you all.

[@cyberrainofficial5965]

I disagree with most of your points but sure, everyone has their own taste. When it comes to the movement every point you brought up can be summarized as not being used to it and can be quickly fixed with just the standard "get good" I've never actually heard anyone complain about bash before for more than the first few seconds of using it because it gets quickly understood and then you're used to it. When it comes to incentive for backtracking in my experience it is the exact opposite of what you said for Ori, all I heard at that point in the video was "I did not explore the world around me and now I'm mad that I can travel around without problems" Abilities like stomp and bash have countless uses around the map that you have to backtrack to figure out, I'm guessing you weren't much of a completionist while playing because if you don't backtrack it is literally impossible to 100% most areas because you don't have the movement required for it when you first go there. Sure the combat in the game isn't amazing but saying there is no dodge-button is just false, most of your movement abilities are dodge-buttons and you never have to actually stand still to deal damage, that is just how you damage yourself. I'm not saying you're wrong, I'm saying you're bad

[@jpyuf1300]

I like to see those videos that have "hot takes" because it's an interesting way to hear more voices and see things that i couldn't. Great video, I hope you can play Will of the wisps and make a video on it.

[@filmotter]

I have a feeling there will definitely be a video on it soon!

[@billcipher8942]

I enjoyed the game ngl. I agree with the floaty movement definitely but I also would've mentioned how some of the chase scenes rely on enemies attacking you which can be inconsistent as hell and lead to an unfair death. As for your complaints of backtracking I completely disagree, there are plenty of puzzles where you can't get what you want and you realize you will have to come back, and some of the rewards are good, like mana or health upgrades. But overalls a good video and I can see where you're coming from

[@vladi3862]

you can have your opinions but ORI LOOKS LIKE A MOBILE GAME TF?? that's not even an opinion, it's just wrong. have you seen hollow night? THAT lookd like a mobile game, which doesn't mean it's bad, but the artstyle is very simple

[@filmotter]

That is simply my opinion and that's ok. :D

[@FauxRetro]

I cannot watch because spoilers but I'm gonna be angry anyway. If that's alright.

[@filmotter]

Wow toxic behavior on the internet wow wow wow

[@cat.hexxes]

CONGRATS ON PARTNER!!! YOU AMAZE!!

[@filmotter]

Thank you Cat!!!

[@Septic24]

Couple of days ago i played and finished both of Ori games and i really liked it. They're not perfect so there are videos about them getting praised and criticized. so i watched and listened the both sides l. I can understand why this game is not enjoyable for everyone and i get the points you make in this video and even they affected your opinions they were mostly a non issiue for me. * Ori may feel floaty and unresponsive but that to me felt natural. It didn't need to execute the imput exactly the time i pressed, after a while i got used to it and pressed the buttons earlier like i was predicting the future and that with ori being very light ended up giving me some smooth movements it was just one fluid motion *The puzzles and parkour can be anoying mostly because how unforgiving they can get. But once you understand what you are doing that puzzle parts feel like butter. I know until that time you repeadatly fail and fail trying to guess what buttons u need to press at what time once you finally manage to do it it feels great (Ginso the is anoying AF but still is my favorite Rush) *Story is good about making you Emotional but it kinda crumbles if u try to look deeper It is not perfect but still great at the surface *Only thing I disagree with this video is that I think art style is great and with the music it creates a magical place. but still recpect your opinion You can dislike the things I like that ok Whats not ok that you not having a bigger audience with this much quality. Keep up the good work you just got yourself a new subscriber.

[@Minotaur-ey2lg]

My only complaint about it is that Ori handles like a drunken toddler. That’s the real learning curve.

[@Falcion-FF]

the intention behind this critiquing video should get awarded as a constructive argument, made by someone that wants to approach both sides of the debate "blind forest good or bad" despite me being disagreeing with one point after the other (visual direction, movement, feel of the movement, environment shape) i had to agree on under-utilizied lock and key system (yet it still happens to find rooms before the needed upgrade), inexistent combat and un-earned death in the story i think my comment won't change your plans, however DO consider experiencing "Will of the wisp" soon as an experience more than a game which still is an improvement over the original that covers what made the first one "not enough" for you, the only things i preferred in Blind forest are the longer escape sequences and... 3 particular soundtracks (restoring the light facing the dark,,,, escaping the ruins,,, and luma pools) anything else is as special or more in the second one