Ori and the Blind Forest was one of my favorite Metroidvania games out there. Thanks to its clever combination of an emotional story with gorgeous graphics, a stellar score, and challenging gameplay, the game easily conquered my heart. I was beyond excited when I finally got to play the long-anticipated sequel and I must say, it didn’t disappoint at all!
The story continues
Ori and the Will of the Wisps is a direct sequel of the Blind Forest and starts off where we left. Remember Kuro’s unhatched egg at the end of the original? Well, it turned out to be Ku, your new buddy! Without spoiling too much, the opening is typical for the Ori franchise. It’s bittersweet. Combining the joy of meeting a new friend and helping each other to reach higher grounds with the pain of losing that special bond mere seconds after your time together. The start of Will of the Wisps is very similar to the first game and it, once again, manages to get you emotionally involved in minutes. It’s really amazing to see how well crafted the opening scene is. The graphics clearly got boosted and the soundtrack is simply said incredible. From the moment you start the game, you’ll realize you’ll do whatever it takes to save your small friend from disaster. It’s time to go on a quest that’s filled with mystery, gorgeous environments, friendship, and brutal enemies.
An organic evolution of the gameplay
At its core, Ori and the Will of the Wisps is still a Metroidvania game, meaning you’ll go from location to location and travel back to most of them when you unlocked a new skill to reach previously locked sections. The genre itself is one of the oldest in the industry but Ori really tilts it to a new level. The first one already excelled at the genre but this sequel makes it even better. The main difference is the presence of NPC characters. Everywhere you’ll go, you’ll meet new and interesting characters that are willing to help you out. Some of those will even sell you maps or some needed skills. Thanks to the inclusion of more characters, the world of Ori really comes to life this time. Where you were previously on your own, you’re surrounded by others this time, combining the Metroidvania genre with that of the better Adventure games.
Due to the interaction with NPC characters, everything feels a lot more organic. You’re sent on a lot of quests, including tons of side-quests, in order to restore the light in the land currently covered in darkness. It’s not just you trying to save the world, it’s you forming an actual bond with the world and its inhabitants. At first, I was a bit skeptical if those characters would truly add to the atmosphere but in the end, I couldn’t do it without them. The world of Ori truly comes to life this time and it’s a joy to spend your time there, trying to help every creature that’s counting on you. But, not every creature has good intentions, you better prepare for some thrilling fights too!
Never give up
Discovering the environments while meeting new NPC characters isn’t the only thing you’ll do in Ori and the Will of the Wisps, combat is a major portion of the gameplay as well. Right from the start, things get a lot more personal. Instead of using a floating orb of light to attack, Ori uses what can be best described as a katana made of light to take down the enemies. This weapon demands a more up close technique, making every fight a true test of skill. During your first hours, you’ll die a lot since the enemies all are pretty powerful and you can’t take them out with just one single hit. The more you advance, however, the better your arsenal gets. From upgrades to your melee weapons to the addition of long-ranged weapons, Ori really has what it takes to take on hordes of enemies. Where you struggled to defeat the enemies at first, you’ll blast through those regular type enemies in no time. But, never underestimate the brute power of the bosses.
Will of the Wisps is filled with boss fights, ranging from smaller mid-bosses to gigantic main bosses. Even on the easiest of settings, these offer a true challenge, even if you managed to discover their pattern. The boss fights, although being hard, are one of the game’s highlights. All bosses tell their own story and have a background that’s deeply rooted in the world of Will of the Wisps. This results in gorgeously designed creatures that will test your true skills before you can continue your quest. Ori and the Will of the Wisps is a gorgeous game and it even gets better when they combine the gorgeous engine and stellar soundtrack with the adrenaline rush of a boss fight. It’s in moments like these that you’ll truly understand why this game is so good.
Not flawless
Although everything about Ori and the Will of the Wisps is bigger and better, the game does suffer from some technical issues. I played the game with the Day One patch installed on my Xbox One X and come across some technical hiccups. Skills no longer working, small glitches or some minor freezes during my longer sessions, these are just a few examples. It’s a bit of a shame that a game this gorgeously crafted suffers from technical issues but I’m pretty sure the developers will do everything that’s in their power to fix those. Compared to the version I played without the patch, this is already a huge leap forward but it’s not flawless yet. That being said, the technical issues can easily be overlooked once you’re fully immersed in the game.
Conclusion:
Ori and the Will of the Wisps is an instant classic. The team took everything that made the original good and added elements to make it even better. It’s an emotional journey filled with environmental puzzles, difficult to defeat bosses and above all an incredible atmosphere. It’s another great example of a Metroidvania game done right and I think we should rename the genre to MetrORIvania from now one, Ori deserves all the love and should be enjoyed by everyone.
