Ori and the Will of the Wisps is a phenomenal game. It’s a drop-dead gorgeous marvel of language free storytelling that has cemented Ori’s (the character) story in my memory.
I played in Supersampled 6k running 60 fps, a benefit of playing nearly two years after initial release. The game sings at all times, seamlessly blending foreground and background art into a colorful world of a magnitude I’ve never seen painted onto a 2D plane.
Builds on the strong basis of its predecessor, not only through expanding combat abilities but focusing the main story rewards on traversal components. This doesn’t come as a hassle, Will of the Wisps hardly misses a beat by awarding Ori her double jump and dash abilities soon after the journey begins.
The Glade is a wonderful meeting place for the new cast of characters and Moki to occupy, and it feels like home. I’m a sucker for when a game includes a home base-like area, even more so when you’re able to build upon it. The characters are unique and charming in design, animation, personality. They fill the world, endearing it further as they travel beyond the Glade’s safety.
Side quests are a wonderful addition, for the first time in games I felt like I was able to complete a chain delivery quest with my own knowledge of the characters and world.
Not only this, you’re able to gather and equip Spirit Shards to gear Ori’s strengths to your playstyle. I was able to grab the triple jump rather early. This modification certainly helped to shape my journey and lasting impressions of the traversal challenges. I was able to game my way to upgrades earlier than expected, and move with a greater degree of freedom.
Even without a Platinum trophy (or full Gamerscore) at the end of the road I beat the game with 87% completion and am planning to go back and finish out the world.
Combat shrines were wonderful and usually challenging; races are the same. The boss fights are frantic in a way that I haven’t seen in many places before. Always difficult, they present constant threats that even an expanded combat arsenal cannot quell. There’s a distinct imperative to move deliberately (and constantly), pick your moments and get in close to scrap. The final boss kicks, as many of the boss fights are phenomenal, with their accompanying chase scenes swatting at perfection.
Checkpoints throughout fights and chases are made more generous and forgiving, as with platforming (especially in the endgame). The game is challenging but never feels punishing. The ending scenes are a gut punch that I’ll carry with me for a while.
The only detractor to this game’s otherwise undeterred momentum is in the story’s larger second act. A friend is gravely injured and the world expands, tasking Ori to traverse its 4 corners in search of Spirit Wisps to restore the land. This newly-opened world strikes as just an illusion, however. A quiet order exists that isn’t readily apparent to the player. It’s not a major issue thanks to generous fast travel points (an unlockable skill for its best use), but it smarts in a notable way. The cadence of exploring a new annal of the world, gaining a new ability, cracking that same area wide open then transitioning to a battle with a great chase is lost. It’s reduced to placing a pin in something to return later with losing the growing familiarity of the distinct regions.
I also felt that some of the areas dragged more than others. Where Moon Studios succeeds in creating a thrilling aquatic world, they counter it with a tedious underground region. As the thrilling ability to launch Ori as a projectile is acquired, it's challenged by another tedious and rather punishing platforming portion.
Ori and the Will of the Wisps is an enormous success mounting from the original's strong foundation. The hearts of its creators are felt in the world and their passion for perfection does not go untapped. This is a must play for video game fans of any background.
I played in Supersampled 6k running 60 fps, a benefit of playing nearly two years after initial release. The game sings at all times, seamlessly blending foreground and background art into a colorful world of a magnitude I’ve never seen painted onto a 2D plane.
Builds on the strong basis of its predecessor, not only through expanding combat abilities but focusing the main story rewards on traversal components. This doesn’t come as a hassle, Will of the Wisps hardly misses a beat by awarding Ori her double jump and dash abilities soon after the journey begins.
The Glade is a wonderful meeting place for the new cast of characters and Moki to occupy, and it feels like home. I’m a sucker for when a game includes a home base-like area, even more so when you’re able to build upon it. The characters are unique and charming in design, animation, personality. They fill the world, endearing it further as they travel beyond the Glade’s safety.
Side quests are a wonderful addition, for the first time in games I felt like I was able to complete a chain delivery quest with my own knowledge of the characters and world.
Not only this, you’re able to gather and equip Spirit Shards to gear Ori’s strengths to your playstyle. I was able to grab the triple jump rather early. This modification certainly helped to shape my journey and lasting impressions of the traversal challenges. I was able to game my way to upgrades earlier than expected, and move with a greater degree of freedom.
Even without a Platinum trophy (or full Gamerscore) at the end of the road I beat the game with 87% completion and am planning to go back and finish out the world.
Combat shrines were wonderful and usually challenging; races are the same. The boss fights are frantic in a way that I haven’t seen in many places before. Always difficult, they present constant threats that even an expanded combat arsenal cannot quell. There’s a distinct imperative to move deliberately (and constantly), pick your moments and get in close to scrap. The final boss kicks, as many of the boss fights are phenomenal, with their accompanying chase scenes swatting at perfection.
Checkpoints throughout fights and chases are made more generous and forgiving, as with platforming (especially in the endgame). The game is challenging but never feels punishing. The ending scenes are a gut punch that I’ll carry with me for a while.
The only detractor to this game’s otherwise undeterred momentum is in the story’s larger second act. A friend is gravely injured and the world expands, tasking Ori to traverse its 4 corners in search of Spirit Wisps to restore the land. This newly-opened world strikes as just an illusion, however. A quiet order exists that isn’t readily apparent to the player. It’s not a major issue thanks to generous fast travel points (an unlockable skill for its best use), but it smarts in a notable way. The cadence of exploring a new annal of the world, gaining a new ability, cracking that same area wide open then transitioning to a battle with a great chase is lost. It’s reduced to placing a pin in something to return later with losing the growing familiarity of the distinct regions.
I also felt that some of the areas dragged more than others. Where Moon Studios succeeds in creating a thrilling aquatic world, they counter it with a tedious underground region. As the thrilling ability to launch Ori as a projectile is acquired, it's challenged by another tedious and rather punishing platforming portion.
Ori and the Will of the Wisps is an enormous success mounting from the original's strong foundation. The hearts of its creators are felt in the world and their passion for perfection does not go untapped. This is a must play for video game fans of any background.