There are moments where it sounds ‘familiar’ and yet it has a personality all of its own. Gareth Coker’s “Ori and the Blind Forest” is a magnificent piece of work. The score comes to a fantastic end with “Light of Nibel”, another easy highlight, where Coker somehow manages to take the main theme to a new level, with lively percussion, strings, piano and vocals. “Up the Spirit Caverns” offers plenty of bells, woodwinds and solo violin, evoking a pastoral sound akin to “A River Runs Through It”. “The Sacrifice”, “The Spirit Tree” and “The Waters Cleansed” are three phenomenal cues reprising the various themes in all their glory. “Mount Horu” is a dramatic and atmospheric cue, with “Titanic”-like vocals and harmonic shifts appearing towards the end (I have to say, this did confuse me somewhat). “Lost in the Misty Woods” is an intriguing cue with mysterious chord progressions and instrumentation. The metallic mallets of “Kuro’s Tale II” or indeed opener “Ori Lost in the Storm” may remind of Hans Zimmer’s “Beyond Rangoon” (not that he has a patent on using those instruments, of course). Other tracks like “Gumo’s Hideout”, “Inspiriting” offer beautiful, forest-like soundscapes through their use of flute, occasional vocals, wooden mallets, bells and other light metallic sounds. “Fleeing Kuro” ups the ante with stronger percussion and a very infectious melody. And I would imagine fans of studio Ghibli’s scores to enjoy Coker’s work for “Ori”.Ĭues like “Escaping the Ruins”, “Finding Sein”, “Restoring the Light, Facing the Dark” are exciting, fast-paced tracks for strings, percussion, piano, winds and vocals. And to avoid misunderstandings: I really like it! It reminds me a little of Joe Hisaishi, who also has a knack for coming up with these modern, catchy melodies, whilst retaining a fully orchestral setting. Again, it has a certain ‘pop’ directness, despite the orchestral arrangement. Wooden mallets and a string ostinato lend a whole new character to the main theme when it appears in “Climbing the Ginso Tree”, whilst Indian flute and percussion recur in “Completing the Circle”, alongside another piano theme. Elsewhere “Riding the Wind” makes beautiful use of Indian flute and percussion against warm strings whilst “The Crumbling Path” offers a new dramatic take on a secondary theme. In fact, the score shows quite a few ‘Eastern’ influences, without actually sounding Eastern. “Calling Out” offers a secondary piano theme (similar, but different to the first), and also introduces an Indian flute – a wonderful, fitting sound that is to return several times throughout the score. There are quite a few of them here – tracks that are just perfect all on their own. “Naru, Embracing the Light” is a playful, and at times soaring, cue for piano and flute that really opens this score up and is one of many tracks that feel like complete entities in their own right. It’s reprised numerous times, in all sort of variations, throughout the score. It’s a lovely melody, in a ‘gentle pop song’ sort of a way. Opening with “Ori Lost in the Storm”, Coker present his main theme on piano, accompanied by Aeralie Brighton’s atmospheric wordless vocals. Flutes and wordless vocals often take the lead but one of the most prevailing instruments here is the piano (…and that’s alongside a full-sized orchestra). There is a strong presence from light metallic mallets, providing a shimmering atmosphere, as well as wooden mallets for that earthy sound. One of the first things that spring to mind about “Ori and the Blind Forest” is how light and airy and how colourful it is.
We tried to create memorable characters in an atmospheric world and to craft a story that players will truly care about! The soundtrack is by British composer Gareth Coker featuring solo artists Aeralie Brighton, Rachel Mellis, and Tom Boyd, and performed by the Nashville Music Scoring Orchestra. The player is put into the role of a forest spirit, who – over the course of his journey – has to find out more about his role within the world he’s living in. In the words of developers Moon Studios: Ori is a bit of a coming-of-age story. WINNER– 2015 Synchrotones’ Soundtrack Awards “Ori and the Blind Forest” is a great example. Games so often offer the scope and the inspiration for wonderful music. Gareth Coker, 2015, Microsoft Studios Music
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