Spirit Tree

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Lore & Background

The Spirit Tree is the central life force of Nibel, and its core, Sein, is described as the "light and eyes" of the Forest's Spirit Tree. The tree's voice narrates the story of Ori, a spirit child who fell from it during a storm as a newborn and was adopted by a creature named Naru. A cataclysmic event, later revealed to be caused by Kuro stealing Sein in revenge for the destruction of her unhatched eggs, makes the forest wither. Without its core, the Spirit Tree could not sustain the three elements of Waters, Winds, and Warmth, causing Nibel to lose its balance. The tree's light is powerful enough to burn and destroy Kuro's unhatched eggs, and later, when Kuro sacrifices herself by carrying Sein back to the tree, the tree emits a flash of bright light that dissipates the fire and restores the forest, but consumes Kuro in the process.

In Their Own Story

The voice of the Spirit Tree narrates the story of when Ori fell from it during a storm as a newborn. After a cataclysmic event makes the forest wither and Naru dies of starvation, Ori collapses near the Spirit Tree and is revived by it. Ori then meets Sein, a small orb who is the tree's core, and is tasked with recovering the light of three main elements: Waters, Winds, and Warmth. The source of the cataclysm is revealed when Ori and Sein find Kuro's nest, empty except for a single egg. They learn that 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. Determined to protect her unborn child, Kuro took away the core on top of the Spirit Tree, which is Sein. In the climax, after the final element is restored, Kuro attacks Ori and Sein. Naru arrives to protect Ori, and 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.

Reader's Guide

The Spirit Tree is the central entity of Nibel, and its core, Sein, is the "light and eyes" of the Forest's Spirit Tree. The player controls Ori, a small white spirit, and Sein, who can shoot Spirit Flames to combat enemies or break obstacles. The game's plot revolves around restoring the Spirit Tree by recovering the light of three main elements: Waters, Winds, and Warmth. The tree's light is powerful enough to kill Kuro's offspring, and its absence causes the forest to wither. The tree is restored when Kuro returns Sein to it, causing a flash of bright light that dissipates the fire and restores the forest. The game's save system, called "Soul Links," allows players to save their progress at will with limited resources (energy cells). The game features an upgrade system that allows players to strengthen Ori's skills and abilities, such as wall jumping and double jumping, which are learned from three ability trees.

Did You Know?

• The Spirit Tree's voice narrates the entire story of Ori and the Blind Forest.
• The Spirit Tree's core, Sein, is described as the 'light and eyes' of the Forest's Spirit Tree.
• The Spirit Tree accidentally destroyed Kuro's unhatched eggs when it released a flash of light to find the lost Ori.
• Kuro stole Sein, the Spirit Tree's core, in retaliation for the destruction of her unhatched eggs, causing the forest to wither.
• The Spirit Tree is restored when Kuro sacrifices herself by carrying Sein back to it, emitting a flash of bright light that consumes Kuro but saves the forest.

Gameplay Mechanics and Progression

As a 2D Metroidvania, the game emphasizes exploration, collecting items and upgrades, and backtracking to previously inaccessible areas. The player controls Ori, a white guardian spirit, and Sein, who is the light and eyes of the Spirit Tree. Ori must jump, climb, and use various abilities to navigate the game's world, while Sein can shoot Spirit Flames to combat enemies or break obstacles. The player helps Ori collect health cells, energy cells, new abilities, and upgrades. The game world unfolds in the fashion of a Metroidvania, with new abilities allowing the player to access previously inaccessible areas. Players can create "soul links" at any time to serve as checkpoints, but only using energy cells collected during gameplay. The player can obtain ability points to gain upgrades and benefits, such as increasing the damage of Sein's Spirit Flame. An ability point is gained when Ori collects enough experience by killing enemies, destroying various plants, and finding spirit light containers or ability cells. 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.

Narrative Arc and Emotional Core

The voice of the Spirit Tree 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. 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: Gumo, the last survivor of the spider-like Gumon clan, and Kuro, a giant, shadowy owl who is hostile toward Ori. After the Wind element is rekindled, Ori and Sein find Kuro's nest, empty except for a single egg, and learn the source of her wrath: 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. Kuro took away the core on top of the Spirit Tree, which is Sein. In the climax, after the final element is restored, Kuro attacks. Naru arrives to protect Ori, and Kuro softens. 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 flourishes, and Ori watches new spirits being born. Gumo and Naru watch from afar, and Naru goes home, where Kuro's last egg now rests, just in time to see it begin to hatch.

Development Philosophy and Origins

Ori and the Blind Forest was developed by Moon Studios, a worldwide collaboration of designers and programmers who had been working on the game for four years before it was released. Microsoft acquired the game about a year after development started. One of the lead team members is Thomas Mahler, an artist formerly working with Blizzard Entertainment. Moon Studios is not located in any one location; staffers work from around the world, including Austria, Australia, Israel, and the United States. The designers say they were guided by works such as The Lion King and The Iron Giant and that it is a "coming-of-age story". The designers were heavily influenced by the work of Hayao Miyazaki, particularly with one of the levels "Valley of the Wind", being a nod to Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind. The art style is meant to appear hand-drawn, similar to the more recent Rayman titles. The game uses the Unity engine. The game takes place in one large map, rendered at 1080p and 60 frames per second with no visible loading time. According to Mahler, the game's backgrounds are all individual components, with none duplicated as in other similar titles.

Critical Reception and Lasting Legacy

Upon release, the game received critical acclaim, with players praising the gameplay, art direction, story, action sequences, musical score, and environmental design. The game was also named as a title that represented art in video games. Moon Studios co-founder Gennadiy Korol said the game was profitable for the company within a few weeks after its initial launch. An expansion, called the Definitive Edition, was released in March 2016. A direct sequel, Ori and the Will of the Wisps, was announced during Electronic Entertainment Expo 2017 and was released on March 11, 2020.