Board 8 > Ori a go go.

(+) Yeah! (+)

This is probably a playthrough topic if it meets half the hype...been putting off playing this awhile, but I'm real excited to try it.

Spoilers from here on out.
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Fifteen minutes in and I feel like I've seen the whole cast die.
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I seem to have gotten myself stuck in Black Root Burrows.
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Okay, I think that area's just harder than intended for a new person to be caught up in...it's got some hard concepts for the first hour of playtime! I was resisting the intended direction of the game and then oops, but I made it through and got Dash along the way.

Just quit at the part where I can make the big web-nest fall down and forge a new path.

Neat game so far. It's floatier than I thought it'd be and I didn't expect skill trees either, but so far things are welcome. I've been loading up on the purple route and a little bit of green -- I don't know how much the game wants me to really be a pro at combat yet, not with my current means of attacking anyway.

The beginning was slow but I like its sentimental nature so it's a wash.
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which path has the triple jump? get the triple jump.

Ori is great. expect some quiet moments and some real loud ones. it ebbs and flows in smart ways.
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Green (3): Rekindle, Regroup, Charge Flame Efficiency (Triple Jump is at the end here)

Purple (4): Spirit Magnet, Map Markers, Life Efficiency, Ultra Spirit Magnet (Sense at the end)

Red (1): Quick Flame (Ultra Spirit Flame to end)
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yeah I always skip red
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So I'm stuck at Hollow Grove. I might have tricked the game into destroying one of the green walls for me but I can't jump over some burning stuff.

In Thornfelt Swao, I've got to a spot real close to where the game wants me to arrive, but I can't jump high enough to climb a wall I think I need too.

Pretty sure the game wants me to have double-jump by this point, but the only spot I see I can make some gains on my map is in the Valley of the Wind on the other side of the map...so, uh, guess that's where I'm going.
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I doubt you're stuck. double jump feels like it's right around the corner for a good while.
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I found an egg-looking thing on a tree above the birds...collected it, but no idea what it was.

Hmmm.
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Oh, right...that rock I moved can be moved again.

Okay, finally some progress.
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Now I'm chasing Atlus from Portal 2.

Lots of spikes...you know what means! 'Cuz I don't yet.
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Four soul links-poweeeeeeeer!

That means I now have access for two doors I can't reach! Also one that's really far away -- yeah!!!
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Ori's good early on but it gets a lot better with double jump. that game is made to flow.
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I've now got six abilities points...waiting. As soon as I get double-jump though, that'll open me up to three new Green abilities. If I can avoid unlocking anything else, that'll also put me at just seven more points from triple jumps.
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Double Jump
Air Dash
Ultra Soul Link
Charge Dash

All at once? Oh man. It's on.
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I wouldn't neglect red if I were you - the skills that improve the damage and/or attack rate of the Spirit Flame (standard attack) are extremely useful. You really notice the difference between not leveling these up and doing so. The non-Spirit Flame red skills are pretty bad though.

Green is pretty good, although the next 3-4 skills you can unlock are pretty meh. The last two are godly though.

Purple is easily the worst tree - the first skill is a necessity; all the others can wait until you've maxed the other two branches.

Red = Green > Purple IMO.
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I'd like to attack better, yes, but right now Ori's in need of some flippers because I just learned how to breathe underwater.
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Oh I'm sorry, spiky corridors, maybe you should expect Ori to to have those SMB and TEiN skills next time!

I also just finally proved my hypothesis incorrect: the arrows that shoot from my double-jumps do not actually hurt enemies. Only had to die a bunch to check this.
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Aaaaand okay the game just picked up.

Now I can Bash,which looks super sweet expect I'm realizing my d-pad is giving out on me (did I mentioned I olayed SMB and TEiN?) so it's giving me some bad luck where my springing and tossing will go in opposite directions than intended (I know the shots are supposed to -- still the opposite!). Thank goodness I realized holding down Y will buy me time to adjust.

Escaping the tree was AWESOME. Beautiful art with the water rising and everything too, plus I like that dared me to get some more ability-points along the way -- you bet your ass I'm getting them. The game REALLY stressed the bash skills here, and good, but now I know there's gonna be a lot more where that came from.

Karo, you Tootsie Pop-marketing fiend you, just you wait until I'm ready to rock you!

My landing spot is beautifully serene. This must be some of the clean water my ability tree was telling me about -- if I didn't have that breathing skill yet for water, would it give me an oxygen bar or...? Not sure what happens withiut that skill obtained yet.

And there it is, Triple Jump! I'll finish Green off by taking less damage, then I'll just play it by ear after that. Good place to stop for the night.
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I like the game, but I needed these last thirty minutes to show me what's here to love about the game. I hope my controller doesn't fight me too much along the rest of the game, but we'll see.

Two things mechanically:

1) Combat's feeling real repetitive. Get close, mash X, repeat. Maybe some power upgrades will help, or maybe I'll just dodge more enemies. I'm sure bash-skills are about to change things too.

2) I didn't think I would like the soul link-system at first, but as I get more soul slots it's growing on me. It's nice to be able to save right in front of trouble-spots! It ain't perfect but it's a neat thing.
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Bash is what separates Ori from the rest.

sounds like you might need some red upgrades - but also, there are tons of ways to fight enemies in this game besides just using the spirit flame. you can bash things into them, or bash past/over them, or ground pound (this does wonders) -- don't think you have to stick to using your attack button just because that's what games usually make you do.

I play Ori with the analog stick and have never had any real problems. I feel like Bash encourages the analog stick too. your call of course. I needed a dpad for axiom verge but Ori was just fine with analog control.
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Encounters, but maybe it's longer for you because you haven't been getting the combat upgrades? I split mine between the three trees.
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Just got Stomp, Light Burst, and Ultra Defense...oh yeah!

Joystick's working better than I feared too, so good work-around.
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I can launch myself with Light Bursts too?! Oh man, this is getting exciting now.

Gotta go watch a musical, but I'll be back to wreck this game.
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you can definitely separate Ori into before bash and after bash. I wonder what they do in the sequel - if you start with it or what. it'd be tough to sell going backwards on that.

the game really forces you to get good with it. there's that huge gauntlet that doubles as a clever bash tutorial and then gives you a final exam with the ginso tree escape. by the time you get out, you're ready to fly around the world and bounce off enemies instinctively.
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Quick update that Ori is becoming god.

Spark Flame
Charge Flame Burn
Split Flame
Ultra Light Burst
Cinder Flame
Energy Efficiency

And I got away with clunking Kuro with some rocks. Fuck you owl!
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I'll take that Cinder Stomp and Rapid Flame too, thanks! Getting more powerful has helped a lot withh the button-mashing attacks, as has switching it up with bash-parries and better mobility for when I just wanna dodge.

Misty Woods was pretty odd! I'm sure it was intended to be dizzying and easy to get lost in, but I could tell the game was confident in what it was doing. 100%'d that area and now I'm quitting for the night in the Valley of the Wind, right where I turned in that seal to open a new area.
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no map kills me there, even if it's pretty linear. probably my least favourite part.
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It's also one of the hardest areas on a level 1 run, precisely because most of the difficulty comes from the enemies rather than the platforming.
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So I just got to the four-piece door I had to unlock in Forlorn Ruins and got to the cutscene. I don't feel like I learned everything the game wanted me to though. Specifically, I thiiiiink the gane wants me to learn how my gravitational pull can shoot straight left/right and up/down while still holding the ice ball, but I couldn't figure that out. Fortunately, the map allowed me to get all four pieces I need for the door and progress anyway, but there's definitely a spiky corridor I skipped and some other little spots that probably would have made my life easier if I could do it like that.
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Oh shit, I killed them babies.

Mama bird is rightously upset.
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So now I'm just running around the map picking up items I missed along the way, and I'm in good good shape.

Aced the Red tree
(8 ability points from acing the Purple tree too)
9 soul slots
13 pieces of health
All skills except one from the pause-menu

The game's suggesting I go to Sorrow Pass now, but I have some old business to settle in Hollow Grove.
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Just unlocked Life Markers and see two health collectables left to get on the map...one of which I think I can get about as soon as I type this post.

I imagine Purple's pretty good for early-game and first-time players.
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Charge Jump! Yep, that explains how to get several of the items I can't reach yet.
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Oh from the walls too?! Trying to make me into a superhero or something.
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Achievement unlocked - Phenom. Upgraded everything!
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Okay I've compmetely wiped out the map and 100%'d everything I can. Black Root Burrows and Lost Cove still say 99%, but I can't see any items on their maps so what-ev.

Game says I'm 91% done and I'm about to place the Sunstone, so it's looking like I'm close to the end.

HYYYYYYYYYYYYPE
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Just gonna say it: it's like these writers 60% committed to rhyming.
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Really enjoying Horu so far -- liking these little trials.
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Game is 99% done, Horu is 97% done, and I think I just drained the last of the lava.
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Wow, Kuro is mad.

I can't figure out how the game wants me to get past the falling fire rocks-part...won't let me bash the rocks and Kuro comes even faster if I scale the wall closest to me. Time to keep trying I guess.....
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that took me a while. I hit the button by accident.

try the feather.
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Aaaaaaaand game! Man, they give me some rocks they don't want me to bash and then switch it in the same damn area to rocks they do want me to bash -- come on!

Love will overcome, friendship yay, a baby is born, and only you can prevent forest fires. All the important notes for any ending.

Game's pretty great! Maybe the warp points shouldn't be quite as spaced out, but otherwise this rocked -- I can forgive the slow beginning for what it did in the end too.

So I've heard Ori compared to Super Metroid and C:SotN as among the very greatest of this genre, and it's probably up there for me too (C:SotN > SM guy here)...I'll need more time to simmer on this first. Definitely better than the likes of Guacamelee and Shadow Complex anyway, which are fine already. I like that this is more movement-based than SM or C:SotN -- it just feels really good to get new powers and know you're gonna be able to do the things you want to do even better now.

Best part of the game is the end of each of these three main boss-levels with the escape routes, no question. They've nailed urgency in a game, not just because of their designs there but also how they pace the game in general. Tran's right -- pretty smart eb and flow to the game.

10:13:38
99%
359 deaths
All collectables and upgrades with four ability points to spare (what's up with 99% then?!)

I'll be playing Wispy Willows, pretty confident in that as long as they don't eff it up.

For now, time to watch an Ori speedrun.
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Watching an any% run in under twelve minutes...can't wait to see how this works.

It reminds me one of those early baddies reminds me a lot of Toad Man, except these guys actually hit me.
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Ori speedruns don't make much sense to me. they drag enemies around and totally break sequence in a way I can't totally appreciate. I do with super metroid but not with Ori.

Ori's great. they really empower you with movement which is why I play these games. I can put a Metroid or two above it for the genre, but that's about it.
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