Welcome to our CHEATfactor Game Review of Ori and the Blind Forest. We review the game and then factor in how the available cheats affect the overall game experience. For better or worse, our reviews will help you decide whether or not to use cheats when playing the game.

Every generation there's an unexpected little game that defines the early days if the hardware available and Ori and the Blind Forest is that game for this new generation. It's an incredibly charming and gorgeous platformer that plays like a dream and is sure to challenge you regardless of your skill level. It may not challenge many genre conventions but it always feels masterfully crafted from beginning to end and is sure to stick with you until long after the credits roll. Be warned though, it's a deceivingly difficult game and once the difficulty gets turned up, and it does so faster than you'd believe, you're sure to be humbled quickly. To put it simply - Ori and the Blind Forest is a must play.

From the moment you start Moon Studios' platformer, it paints a unique picture of just what type of game it is. What starts out as a simple and charming tale of friendship quickly turns darker and the game takes on a different tone, a journey of self growth and worth. Players control Ori, a cat like forrest animal who is adopted by the kind and generous Naru. When tragedy strikes the forrest and Naru passes, it's up to Ori to restore the spirit of the forrest. I was constantly impressed by just how respectfully Moon Studios treated the world and characters that they've created. This may be their first adventure, but they're brought to life as if they've been an existing property for years. Very few games, let alone introductory games are this well thought out, and this well crafted. The soundtrack from Gareth Coker is sweeping and is also one of the few game soundtracks I'll listen to outside of the game - I may actually be listening to it right now as I write this.

You'll likely notice from the first time you even see Ori and the Blind Forest just how gorgeous the entire thing is. From the fluid animations of the opening cinematic to the gorgeous watercolor environments, Ori and The Blind Forest is quite simply one of the best looking games I've ever seen - period. It feels like the best of classic Disney animation mixed with the works of Hayao Miyazaki. I often felt like every time I looked at the screen I would see something new that would completely amaze me. From the mysterious creatures moving in the forefront giving the world an amazing amount of depth to the detail on even the smallest piece of scenery and the fluid animation style of each of the characters (especially Ori), this is definitely one of those games that is sure to catch anyone's eyes as they see someone else playing it. It can be said that a lot of the pathways in the game look and feel the same, so you're bound to get turned around while playing, but that often feels like it's intended to emphasize the feeling of being on this journey on your own.

The game is built on the same DNA as so many action platformers, with the most obvious influence being the Metroid series. Ori runs, jumps and glides gracefully, unlocking new moves and techniques as you play through the game. You'll start out with the most basic of moves, like running at a slow speed and simple jumps, but as you gain experience you begin to learn new moves like wall running, hovering and a sweet group-pound type move. It's a technique that a lot of games do, in fact it's almost standard fare these days but it feels like it's done with such care here and mimics how Ori gains more confidence as the game progresses on. As you'd expect, you're going to be collecting a lot of stuff in your time with Ori and the Blind Forest and it's really a bit of overkill right away as the game almost drowns you in information about what you're collecting and what it does. You'll eventually be able to keep everything straight, but there was a good period of time I was just collecting anything that looked shiny.

While it may look like a simple platformer that you'll pass through in a day, Ori and the Blind Forest packs a surprising amount of depth and challenge into it's experience. You'll learn a lot of moves and techniques and you're going to need to become proficient at chaining them all together to get past some of the game's tougher sections, and you're probably going to die...a lot. These often uneven difficulty spikes come in the form of environmental hazards like lava and falling rocks or different bad guys that you've never seen before and must react to quick. Though some of the more difficult times seemed to be uneven, I never felt like I was failing at a section because of the game or it's controls, I just had to try something different, and that made for a remarkably rewarding experience (it also helped that I really cared about Ori as a character and wanted to see him not only survive, but succeed).

I finished Ori and the Blind Forest and then quickly sat down to write this, I was that impressed by it. It might not reinvent the platformer wheel, but what it lacks in new ideas, it more than makes up for with loads of charm, gorgeous visuals and an accessible yet challenging campaign. If you're looking for something new to play and experience you can't go wrong with Ori and the Blind Forest, one of the best games of this year so far.