Using the energy resource, which is fairly plentiful, Ori can save in any safe place. Others I’ve spoken to are not fond of Ori’s save system, but I like it. By some accidental luck, I actually made it to the entrance of the final dungeon long before I was supposed to, and then had to turn back and try not to die as I escaped without the abilities I was supposed to have reached the area with. It comes with the genre’s captivating exploration, but also the minor flaw that such openness can lead to pointless excursions into places you’re not supposed to be yet. Ori can easily be compared to Metroid in that respect: It’s an intricate, winding network of passages, each with hidden areas, treacherous platforming puzzles, and projectile-spewing enemies. Ori is classified as a metroidvania, a genre of 2D platforming action games where new abilities are typically picked up along the way and backtracking-often to find formerly unreachable secrets-is a necessary part of playing. The curiously calming (and fantastic) music seems more suited for a city builder, but smartly so: piano, winds, and strings relieve the stress of playing Ori and lull me into a cool-headed space, where I can routinely die by spike pit and keep going.
It’s also very fun, and pretty difficult.
