Ori and the Blind Forest: Definitive Edition gets stunning new abilities, areas to explore and more on Xbox One

Ori and the Blind Forest, one of the best indie games of 2015, has released its Definitive Edition for Xbox One that features new abilities, fresh story sequences, expanded difficulty options and more. Players who bought Ori's original release can upgrade to the Definitive Edition for $4.99 (£3.5), while new players can purchase it for $19.99 (£14).

Described by developers as a "Metroidvania", Ori debuted in 2015 and quickly captured fans' hearts with its emotional storytelling, engaging gameplay and gorgeous visuals. Drawing you in with its heartfelt Pixar-like narrative, the game follows the charming story of a rodent-like spirit animal named Ori tasked with saving the ancient forest of Nebil.

Paired with its simple, heartfelt story, the game's memorable characters and beautifully rendered setting that "look like a painting come to life" easily make it one of the best looking games on Xbox One.

Launched just one year after its debut, the Definitive Edition weaves in new features into the original, giving players an expanded version of the already beloved game. The new version offers players two additional areas to explore — Black Root Burrows and Lost Grove — that "come with a unique theme in both graphical presentation as well as play mechanics".

"There is a great story sequence through Black Root Burrows where you're discovering the past of Naru, the mother character," executive producer Mark Coates said in a statement. "You discover her roots, where she came from, and you learn a bit more about her as a character and why maybe she is compelled to do some of the things that she does later on in the game. It's all interwoven with the already-existing story."

The Definitive Edition introduces two new moves which can be upgraded through the abilities tree. The Dash allows Ori to dash forward short distances with the tap of the right shoulder button. If you upgrade the Dash, you can then dash through enemies to cause damage and upgrade again to perform the move in midair.

The Light Burst move lets Ori toss a grenade-like projectile by tapping the left shoulder button. There is also a new fast travel feature that gives you the ability to teleport to the "Spirit Wells" scattered throughout the well and allows you to revisit areas, collect missed items and set new records.

Given the original game's inherent difficulty in Normal mode, developers have added new difficulty settings — Easy, Normal, Hard and the near-impossible One-Life setting — which is a welcome addition.

There is also an expanded Theater that allows players to view cinematic cut scenes from the game, scrapped game play mechanics, promotional game trailers, early level designs and even witness the actual orchestra performing some of the game's exceptional score.

"We wanted to make the Definitive Edition a celebration of sorts for our players and fans, and welcome them into the journey that we went through from the beginning to the end of the development process," Coates said. "All of these things make Ori very special."

Steam and Windows 10 versions of Ori will be released at a later date.