A browse through the latest video game releases can often inspire an unwanted feeling of deja vu: "Oh look, another opportunity to step into the size thirteens of a square-jawed hero armed with a dusting of stubble and one-liners. And then there's the new bouncy Asian starlet squeezed into an impractical battle corset."
Which is why games like Ori and the Blind Forest deserve your attention.
Don't let the twee title put you off - this indie-platformer is already amassing serious "Game of the Year" credentials: with gameplay to match its beautiful aesthetics, Moon Studios has set out to create an experience that draws on the magic of old classics like Super Metroid and Zelda: A Link to the Past.
You play Ori, a mysterious white spirit, partnered by the ethereal sidekick Sein. Gaining new platforming skills as you journey though the strange twilight world of the Blind Forest, this is the 2D revival you didn't know you were waiting for.
And if that doesn't grab your interest, then the gorgeous launch trailer below should make your mind up.
Ori and the Magic Forest arrives on PC and Xbox One on 11 March
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