It turns out that Moon Studios’ ethereal platformer Ori and the Blind Forest won’t make it out of the gate in time for Christmas, after Microsoft confirmed that the title has been pushed back to early 2015.
In tandem with the announcement, the development team released the following statement which reveals that a final layer of polish is needed before players can venture into the game’s mystical realm.
While we’re extremely excited for all of you to get your hands on Ori and the Blind Forest as soon as possible, we made the decision together with our partners at Microsoft Studios that we’ll need just a little more time in order to add a final layer of polish to – what we hope – will be an unforgettable gaming experience.
We want to thank all the Ori and the Blind Forest fans out there for their continued encouragement and their amazing support.
Initially unveiled back at E3, Ori and the Blind Forest is a part of Microsoft’s rejuvenated line-up of indie titles, and is scheduled to arrive on Xbox One, PC and Xbox 360. And while it’s understood that Moon Studios is readying the gorgeous adventure for early 2015, the game’s official Twitter account confirmed that the title won’t arrive on the latter platform until later in 2015.
Billed as a coming-of-age tale, the story hones many influences from Studio Ghibli films, and will see players step into the fairy-like shoes of the titular spirit, who must navigate through a dark and dangerous forest with the help of a bear-like companion — a surrogate mother figure, essentially. From the footage released, Ori is certainly shaping up to be an excellent adventure with a inspiring soundtrack to match, so here’s hoping the delay will provide the studio with enough time to deliver on that promise.
We’ll keep you right up to date with all the news pertaining to Ori and the Blind Forest but, in the interim, be sure to check out our own hands-on impressions from E3.
