Ori boss teases wild idea for third game: 'Think Katamari, with a Ghibli twist'

Moon Studios CEO Thomas Mahler has shared what he calls one of the "crazier ideas" for a potential third Ori game, inspired by the GameCube FMV tech demo Rebirth. The demo follows a woodland creature that cocoons itself and grows into a giant tree, a concept Mahler says sparked a different direction for the series.

He describes a game where you play a Spirit Tree, maneuvering as a small tree through a desolate landscape and bringing it back to life bit by bit. "Think Katamari, but with a Ghibli-twist," Mahler writes, suggesting the focus would be on changing the environment rather than simply increasing the player's powers.

Mahler gives a concrete example: a map that begins as a dead forest. Rather than unlocking a double jump or dash to cross gaps, players would restore the forest to traverse them—repairing water flows to cross ravines or encouraging tree growth to form bridges.

ori, moon studios, thomas mahler, spirit tree, katamari, ghibli, rebirth, gamecube, double jump, tree growth