This sequel expands on the metroidvania elements of the original and adds smooth combat to the effortless platforming. The collectibles, challenges, and exploration are thoroughly engaging, and the overall vibe is quite relaxing. That said, there were some moments where my failure felt frustrating rather than motivating. Like the first Ori, this game's story tries to double-dip on emotional beats in a way which minimizes their overall impact. Individual characters however are charming and humorously written. Although the game is often visually stunning, the excessive bloom/glow on everything occasionally creates a confusing visual maelstrom. A highly enjoyable game, but not quite a masterpiece.

I liked the first Ori game a lot. This game is more of the same but better in every aspect!

The platforming was satisfying, but a bit floaty at times. The combat was really nothing to write home about, same as the first game. The new upgrade mechanics are a good addition though. And yes, they're basically the charm system lifted from Hollow Knight, except with upgrades.

My favorite part of this game is how lovely the world is, and how it actually uses dynamic changes in the environment. A frozen world that gets slowly thawed out, some obstacles melting, others coming back to life. A thin cavern full of acid becomes an expansive underwater ecosystem once you cleanse the source of the water. It was super satisfying to me and I loved every moment I spent in it.

1st time ever in my entire life, after finishing final quest of the game I felt the inner need to say out loud "fucking masterpiece".
This incredible conclusion to the story of friendly, little light-being did something I wasn't sure it could acomplish - it outgrew the original which personally I adore.
Devs listened to what worked in "The Blind Forest" and made more of it, upgrading it and enhnancing it, what wasn't so great was thrown away.
So thanks to that we are now fighting multiple bosses at the end of each more important quest, which are really fun, hard but not in a way that's making you rethink every desicion in your life.
Artstyle is able to fully gloom on newer generation, which is fulfilled by expanding the world, now varied locations - each with its own gimmick, and incredible views. New characters are absolutely gorgeus, every talk with them feels like a breathtaking concept art.
Previous entry of the duology was well known of emotinal moments that are accompanimented with deep and powerfull soundtrack, both are back, and are still as powerfull.
Story is plain simple as previous, storytelling is driven entirely by the stunning visuals, from time to time narrator speaks only to add more depth to what we are experiencing in this very moment.
"Ori and the Will of the Wisps" - in my eyes one of the greatest games I've ever had pleasure to play.

Um dos melhores metroidvanias já feitos, no mesmo patamar de Castlevania: Symphony of The Night, Super Metroid e Hollow Knight.
Joguei o início de Ori and The Blind Forrest e desisti. Senti que funcionava como um metroidvania, mas era cru em sua essência.
Meses depois, aproveitei que Ori and The Will of the Wisps está no Game Pass e decidi dar mais uma chance a essa série, esse daqui me surpreendeu e muito.
Um jogo de qualidade excepcional, com uma movimentação digna de um bom e fluído metroidvania. Um level design interconectado e riquíssimo de detalhes mesmo em só 16 horas de jogo.
Além disso, nada supera Ori em nível técnico com relação a sua direção de arte, animações e gráficos, muito acima do padrão da indústria de jogos 2D e até mesmo 3A.
Trilha sonora impecável e concatenada de forma perfeita em momentos de perseguição, corrida e exploração de cenários.
De resto, Ori and The Will of the Wisps faz um dos melhores arroz com feijão que eu já experimentei na indústria de videogames.

Oh wow, this is how you make a sequel. I really liked Ori and the Blind Forest, but there were a few things about it that I thought could be improved on and this game managed to fix all of them while improving on what the first game did so well. In my mind a good sequel should do three things:

1. Take what the first game did right and expand on it. Don't try to fix something if it isn't broken - they kept true to their vision of the first and didn't reinvent the wheel with their Metrodivania layout or platforming.
2. Take what the first game does wrong and figure out a way to make it work - they made the combat more fun and got rid of the out-of-place Soulsike aspects.
3. Expand upon the story, the characters, and the world in a way that feels genuine and worthwhile. It should contribute to its predecessor, not contradict it - many lesser sequels, I feel, are overtaken in arrogance and try too hard to make something different than the first. Why? We love the first for a reason, don't try to undermine it. Will of the Wisps evolved the world that the first one laid out in a meaningful way.

Much like the first game, Will of the Wisps is an exemplary showcase of visual storytelling. Their is little dialogue; most of the story is conveyed through purposeful actions, music, and visuals. The way they manage to capture such emotion with such little dialogue should be applauded. It helps when your game looks this good. I mean holy damn, this game is stunning. The colors, the environments, the music, it's all so breathtaking to look at. I got emotional several times throughout the story and that's in large part because of how gorgeous it all looked and felt.

The only thing I didn't like was a cheap copout at the end of the story (I don't want to spoil anything) and, even though it was a significant improvement on the first game, the combat was still the weakest part of the game. But I can forgive the combat because the platforming was flames, and that was the bread and butter of the gameplay.

I really loved this game. I also appreciate it being relatively short; I can't do longform Metroidvania. This may be my new gold standard for the Metroidvania genre.