Ori and the Blind Forest: Definitive Edition – Xbox One

There’s a good reason so many reviews have taken care to mention that this game is "on-disc". Lately Microsoft has had a terrible track record of either sloppiness or malfeasance depending on your point of view. Several prominent titles like Halo: The Master Chief Collection, Halo 5, Rare Replay and Quantum Break seem like they were trojan horse style exercises in forcing users to connect to XBOX Live in order to use content that had no intrinsic need for a network connection – either because they didn’t allow the necessary time to complete development before release, or because they’re trying to desensitize customers traditionally conscious of and adverse to the disadvantages of "digital" distribution. This all seemed to be an attempt to steal back some of the control fantasy they lost when consumers went into open revolt after they announced XBOX One was to be always connected and even physical games would be "used up" when activated. Taken in a historical context this is an awful precedent because it damages the collectability of a game. It doesn’t matter if the patches needed to complete the game are provided free – game consoles are closed systems which means that the onlne service is the only place those patches can ever be obtained. When Live for XBOX 360 is retired in the next few years, there will be an entire generation of games that can no longer be played as intended because the necessary patches will no longer be available.

I’m extremely pleased to communicate that not only is the complete game and its definitive upgrade playable from the disc without Live, there are no pieces missng or patches – it’s all there, and it just works.

As a gamer who cut his teeth on the original Super Mario Bros., side-scrollers have always been my favorite format. This game is the perfect evolution of 2D side-scrolling adventure. The hand-drawn visuals are stunning – especially the thematic use of contrast – points of light in darkness are hauntingly beautiful. The controls feel natural and intuitive – especially as you progress and earn new abilities. Gameplay follows the tried-and-true upgrade-gated methodology popularized by Super Metriod and Castlevania: Symphony of the Night – that is to say that your path has branches that will not be accessible until you gain new abilities and return. In this way the adventure feels larger than the strict size of the environment, and advancement feels more meaningful and rewarding. The puzzles feel very organic and not contrived, and the action ranges from calming to downright nail-biting. The audio is captivating and really takes advantage of full-range speakers or headphones. This game truly is a masterpiece and shouldn’t be missed.

I loved playing this game. The hidden items, the changing landscape as you unlocked different parts of the world, the sound track, really everything about it was just awesome.

I felt the story was really moving too. You are not simply defeating an evil doer, you are on an adventure and the end of that adventure was just as moving as the beginning.

Great game!

Not sure why people are complaining about a missing disc. Mine came with two. One was the sound track (which is great) and the other disc is the definitive edition of the game. So far I’m enjoying the game and soundtrack. If you’re missing something just ask for a refund or replacement. No need to give this great game a bad rating.