Xbox One game Ori and the Blind Forest is the result of nostalgia and NeoGAF

Microsoft's upcoming indie release Ori and the Blind Forest was inspired by the gamer nostalgia found in the forums of internet message board NeoGAF, game director Thomas Mahler told Polygon.

Speaking to us during this year's E3 event, Mahler notes that modern game developers have not tapped into the gameplay-centric philosophy that once existed in old school metroidvania titles. "I grew up playing Super Metroid and I want games like that again," he told us. "I read NeoGAF and constantly read how they want games like this but it's not being done."

Mahler emphasizes that while the game's announcement during yesterday's Microsoft conference didn't show off gameplay — a fact that he worries will result in gamers thinking it's just a "pretty art game" — the studio spent four years developing the core gameplay systems that make up the new release.

Ori and the Blind Forest features a complex talent tree system and "a lot of abilities" that can be combined in a variety of ways and "really push the controls" on the game. Comparing the upcoming indie title to Team Meat's cult hit Super Meat Boy, Mahler says Ori will include more abilities than offered in the Team Meat title. These include Soul Links which allow players to place down objects that save the game if the player has enough energy stored, as well as a huge number of abilities that affect combat.

Developer Moon Studios also hopes to create a close relationship with fans, says Mahler, who plans to reward the first person who plays through Ori and the Blind Forest without dying by putting them in the credits of the game.

Ori and the Blind Forest is scheduled to launch later this fall simultaneously on Xbox One and Windows PC.