This was my first Metroidvania and what an introduction it was. The opening with Ori and Naru had me emotional within the first ten minutes. You watch this relationship build and then everything falls apart. The whole story about family and sacrifice runs through the entire game without needing much dialogue at all.
The movement in this game flows like water. You start with basic jumps but by the end you’re chaining together wall climbs and double jumps and using the bash mechanic to launch yourself off projectiles. Everything feels so smooth and responsive. When you pull off a perfect sequence through a dangerous area it feels like a dance.
That Ginso Tree escape sequence is burned into my memory. The water’s rising and you have ninety seconds to get out and there’s no checkpoints. Just pure platforming panic while this incredible music swells. I died so many times but when I finally made it out my hands were shaking. One of the best gaming moments I’ve experienced.
The way abilities work is perfect for someone new to the genre. You get something new and immediately start seeing all these areas you passed before that you can now reach. The map slowly opens up and connects in ways that make you feel clever for figuring it out. I spent ages hunting down every health and energy pickup because exploring felt so good.
Manual save points were stressful at first but I grew to love them. You use energy to create them so you’re always weighing whether to save now or push forward and risk losing progress. It made every section feel meaningful without being too punishing when you mess up.
The art looks like a living painting. Every area has its own mood and color palette. The Misty Woods are ethereal and confusing. Forlorn Ruins feel ancient and sad. The soundtrack matches perfectly and swells at just the right moments. Some tracks still give me chills when I hear them.
The Switch port runs great which surprised me. No slowdowns even during the intense escape sequences. Everything looks gorgeous on the handheld screen too.
It’s only about 13 hours but this game stuck with me long after finishing it. The combination of that emotional story and butter smooth gameplay created something special. Made me fall in love with the whole Metroidvania genre and immediately want to play more games like it. Got 98% completion because I didn’t want it to end.