 Writing for "Game Informer", Andrew Reiner gave the game a 9.5/10, praising its accessible yet challenging gameplay, well-designed controls, strong storytelling, surprising plot twists, rewarding exploration, orchestrated music, breathtaking and mesmerizing environmental design, as well as the wonderfully scripted challenges, which require players to utilize creative thinking.However, he stated that the combat system in the game is not as refined as the platforming.He named the game "one of the best games of the year" and claimed that "There isn't a bad moment in "Ori and the Blind Forest"".