Forest Spirits

Lore & Background

Ori is a guardian spirit who fell from the Spirit Tree during a storm as a newborn and was raised by a creature named Naru. A cataclysmic event soon makes the forest wither, and Naru dies of starvation. Newly orphaned, Ori explores the forest alone, collapsing near the Spirit Tree and being revived by it. Ori then meets Sein, a small orb who is the "light and eyes" of the Spirit Tree. Sein tasks Ori with recovering the light of three main elements supporting the balance of Nibel: Waters, Winds, and Warmth. Along the way, Ori encounters Gumo, the last survivor of the spider-like Gumon clan, and Kuro, a giant, shadowy owl hostile toward Ori. The source of Kuro's wrath is revealed: when Ori was lost, the Spirit Tree released a flash of light to look for it, which destroyed all three of Kuro's eggs. Kuro's attack caused Sein to fall from the Spirit Tree, causing Nibel to lose its balance. After the final element, Warmth, is restored, Kuro attacks Ori and Sein, but Naru arrives to protect Ori. Kuro softens, remembering the pain of losing her children, and sacrifices herself by carrying Sein back to the Spirit Tree, where she is enveloped by the light and transformed into a constellation of stars. The light dissipates the fire and restores the forest. Time passes as the forest flourishes, and a new Spirit Tree grows from the light, with Ori becoming the new guardian of the forest, as the spirits of the forest—including Naru and Gumo—gather around Ori.

In Their Own Story

The voice of the Spirit Tree in the forest of Nibel narrates the story of when Ori, a guardian spirit, fell from it during a storm as a newborn and was adopted by a creature named Naru, who raised Ori as her own. A cataclysmic event soon makes the forest wither, and Naru dies of starvation. Newly orphaned, Ori is left to explore the forest on their own. After collapsing near the Spirit Tree and being revived by it, Ori later meets Sein, a small orb who guides Ori on a journey to restore the forest. Sein tasks Ori with recovering the light of three main elements supporting the balance of Nibel: Waters, Winds, and Warmth. Ori and Sein come across two beings in their quest: Gumo, the last survivor of the spider-like Gumon clan, who were wiped out by the forest's cataclysm, and whose home supports the Wind element; and Kuro, a giant, shadowy owl who is hostile toward Ori. Gumo initially steals the key to the Water element, but he returns it after Ori saves him from a rockslide. After the Wind element is rekindled, Ori and Sein find Kuro's nest, empty except for a single egg, and they learn the source of her wrath and the forest's cataclysm: when Ori was lost, the Spirit Tree released a flash of light to look for it, which burned and killed all of Kuro's recently hatched offspring when she was away from her nest looking for food. Determined to prevent this from happening to her yet unborn child, Kuro took away the core on top of the Spirit Tree, which is actually Sein. Without its core, the Spirit Tree could not sustain the three elements, and Nibel lost its balance. Meanwhile, Gumo overhears Ori and Sein's intentions to restore Nibel and uses his clan treasure that stores the light from the Spirit Tree to revive Naru, taking her to where Ori is. After the final element, Warmth, is restored in the volcano Mount Horu, Kuro attacks Ori and Sein as the fire from Horu spreads. Naru, who had been separated from Gumo, arrives to protect Ori from Kuro. Kuro softens, remembering the pain of losing her children. As the fire spreads and is about to reach her remaining egg, Kuro takes Sein back to the Spirit Tree, which emits a flash of bright light that dissipates the fire and restores the forest, but Kuro is destroyed by the light. Time passes as the forest begins to flourish once more, and Ori watches new spirits being born in the field at the foot of the Spirit Tree. Gumo and Naru watch together from afar, before the latter goes home, where Kuro's last egg now rests, just in time to see it begin to hatch.

Reader's Guide

Players assume control of Ori, a small white spirit, and Sein, the "light and eyes" of the Forest's Spirit Tree. Players are tasked to move between platforms and solve puzzles. The game features a save system called "Soul Links", which allows players to save their progress at will with limited resources, and an upgrade system that allows players to strengthen Ori's skills and abilities. Ori and the Blind Forest is a 2D Metroidvania; a platform game with an emphasis on exploration, collecting items and upgrades, and backtracking to previously inaccessible areas. As Ori, players must jump, climb, and use various other abilities to navigate the game's world. Sein can shoot Spirit Flames to combat enemies or break obstacles. Ori is required to interact with the environment by jumping from platforms and solving puzzles, and is faced with various enemies. The player helps Ori collect health cells, energy cells, new abilities, and upgrades. The game world unfolds to the player in the fashion of a Metroidvania, with new abilities allowing the player to access previously inaccessible areas. In addition to scripted save points scattered in the game, players can create "soul links" at any time they choose to serve as checkpoints. However, soul links can only be created using energy cells collected during gameplay; the needed energy is not in abundant supply, forcing players to create them only when necessary. The player can obtain ability points to gain upgrades and benefits, such as increasing the damage of Sein's Spirit Flame. These upgrades can be achieved when the player has enough ability points to learn the skill they desire, anywhere a soul link has been created. An ability point is gained when Ori collects enough experience by killing enemies, destroying various plants, and finding spirit light containers or ability cells (which instantly awards Ori an ability point). Each skill must be learned in sequential order from one of three ability trees to allow the next skill to be accessible. Ori can learn new abilities such as wall jumping, and double jumping.

Did You Know?

• Ori and the Blind Forest was released for Windows and Xbox One in March 2015, and for Nintendo Switch in September 2019.
• The game's story was inspired by The Lion King and The Iron Giant, while gameplay elements were inspired by the Rayman and Metroid franchises.
• Moon Studios is a collective organization without a set location, with staffers working from around the world including Austria, Australia, Israel, and the United States.
• The game was profitable for Moon Studios within a few weeks after its initial launch, according to co-founder Gennadiy Korol.
• An expansion called the Definitive Edition was released in March 2016, adding new areas, mechanics, artwork, difficulty levels, and fast travel.