The most beautiful music you'll hear in a platformer.

To accompany its stunning visuals and touching story, Ori and the Blind Forest has an emotional soundtrack put together by Gareth Coker. The music in the game will add so much to the experience and keep you fully immersed throughout. Here are, in my opinion, the 10 best songs on the soundtrack.

(SPOILERS AHEAD)

10. Inspiriting

Ori and the Blind Forest - Inspiriting

Inspiriting is the song that plays when Ori is at their lowest. It starts off melancholy, taking from the melody of the song that plays during Naru’s death. We feel our hearts break while Ori drags themself along in exhaustion, then there is an uplifting shift when the Spirit Tree revives Ori. It’s an excellent introduction to the highs and lows we will experience as we explore and restore Ori’s world.

9. Kuro’s Tale I - Her Rage

Ori and the Blind Forest - Kuro's Tale I - Her Rage

This song plays as we first see our story’s villain. Kuro is an imposing figure, she is terrifying and yet we find ourselves able to sympathize with her once we learn how she has come to be. The song distorts the main theme with heavy brass and pairs it with powerful, emotional, operatic vocals. ‘Kuro’s Tale I’ encompasses the duality of Kuro stunningly.

8. Climbing the Ginso Tree

Ori and the Blind Forest - Climbing the Ginso Tree

The Ginso Tree is one of the game’s most beloved areas and is accompanied by a lovely soundtrack. The considerate use of percussion, chimes, and strings builds the tension while you make your way up the tree with careful platforming. It is a song with just the right balance of builds and drops that matches the mood of its titular area incredibly well.

7. Gumo’s Hideout

Ori and the Blind Forest - Gumo's Hideout

The music in Gumo’s Hideout is equal parts suspenseful and light. Its most memorable feature is the use of xylophone and woodwinds to make this one of the most upbeat area soundtracks in the game. It matches the home of our quirky soon-to-be-friend very well, and it’s great to listen to while you explore the area.

6. Lost in the Misty Woods

Ori and the Blind Forest - Lost in the Misty Woods

If there is a soundtrack that matches its area perfectly, I would say it is this one. The eeriness of the music to go with the ominous, shifting landscape of the Misty Woods was an excellent choice on the part of the game makers. The piano sounds a little off, a little dissonant, and it adds to the feeling of being somewhere and struggling to make your way out.

5. The Spirit Tree

Ori and the Blind Forest - The Spirit Tree (feat. Aeralie Brighton)

‘The Spirit Tree’ is an optimistic track that plays on Ori’s revival. What makes it special is the angelic vocals brought in by Aeralie Brighton. To me, this song represents  new life and rebirth, and it feels that way when you listen to it.

4. Home of the Gumon

Ori and the Blind Forest - Home Of the Gumon

When we come to a strange, industrial area of the game, we learn the tragic fate of the beings who created all of it. This song feels suitably epic for exploring the creative, mechanical world of Gumo’s family while maintaining a sad undertone as you see more of the abandoned inventions.

3. The Ancestral Trees

Ori and the Blind Forest - The Ancestral Trees

Again, we have beautiful vocals to accompany the string and piano melody of this short song. I associate the sound of it with triumph, hope, and optimism. ‘The Ancestral Trees’ is one of the most magical-sounding  songs you’ll hear throughout the game.

2. Light of Nibel

Ori and the Blind Forest - Light of Nibel (feat. Aeralie Brighton)

‘Light of Nibel’ is the epic reprise of the main theme. Its orchestral nature and subtle, emotional vocals invoke the pride you must feel when you hear this after finishing the game. It is simply a work of art - one of the songs you will find yourself listening to on repeat.

1. Restoring the Light, Facing the Dark

Ori and the Blind Forest - Restoring the Light, Facing the Dark

Or, as most may recognize it, the song that plays while escaping the Ginso Tree. This song is untouchable in my opinion. Though you will likely hear it on repeat over many attempts to make one of the most difficult escape attempts in the game, you are unlikely to get tired of it. Its upbeat tone and lovely piano melody were what made the Ginso Tree escape less frustrating and more fun for me. It has a tense, theatrical outro that plays when Ori has to escape Kuro which makes for the perfect ending to the best area in the game.

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