When Ori and The Blind Forest was released in March 2022, the world was blown away by a magnificent game that bordered on perfection. Moon Studios came out of nowhere, but with the partnership established with Microsoft, it had the resources and support needed to create the game they always dreamed of. And now it's time to show the evolution of your beautiful universe with Ori and the Will of the Wisps, which comes to grace us with an exuberant audiovisual journey, an exciting narrative and challenging gameplay.
Everything looks pretty familiar from the first game, but we can quickly feel an evolution in everything we see on screen. The sound and graphics spectacle is even more impressive, the gameplay has more elements and the story captivates you from its prologue. If in the first game Ori was a small and vulnerable being, in Will of the Wisps he appears more grown up and the game evolves along with him.
An exciting new journey
One of the outstanding points of the Ori series is its story, which always carries us into a spiral of strong feelings, and in the new game this would be no different. Ori and the Will of the Wisps continues the events of Blind Forest, where Ori and her family are helping Kun, a surviving cub of Kuro, the great antagonist of the first game. Kun is struggling to fly as he was born with a severe deformity in one of his wings, but his new family is doing everything they can to help him. When he finds a way to do this, Ori and Kun fly together for the first time, but an unexpected and sinister storm sends the friends crashing into Niwen Forest. And so begins our journey together with Ori in search of his friend Kun.
During our journey we will also meet the inhabitants of this new place, because unlike the first game we have a series of characters to meet, and that greatly enrich the narrative and expand our knowledge of Niwen. They introduce us to new information as we progress through the plot and are an important part of our adventure, creating a beautiful bond of friendship and trust with Ori. The little character is not only committed to finding his friend, but also to helping those people, who are suffering from Degradation, a kind of corruption that is destroying all the beauty and life of Niwen. One of the greatest threats to the forest is the sinister and colossal bird known as Scream, which frightens everyone wherever it goes, and seems to have an influence on the entire gloomy atmosphere that surrounds the place. So while we're looking for Kun, let's also help them through these difficult times.
As we unravel the mysteries of this new place, the sense of urgency only grows, all while we are bombarded with shocking and dramatic events, but always with room for beautiful lessons about friendship and social inclusion. Yes, Will of the Wisps brings all that emotional charge of the first game, and you will be touched at different times. But all this is done without appeal, and with a great sensitivity, which makes our experience flooded with an unparalleled immersion, because we feel part of that journey and we really want to help those characters.
The inclusion of the new characters also brought side quests that enrich the world of the title, as they were not only added to increase the length of the game, but encourage exploration of the map and add important information about the people and history of Niwen. They make the map feel alive and are a good excuse to go back in early areas.
Gameplay grew along with our dear Ori
Ori and the Will of the Wisps maintains the structure of the previous game, but shows that it has grown along with its protagonist, offering more resources for a wider journey with more dangers. It continues to be a game with great platform challenges, requiring the player's skill and precision to go through sections that get more and more complicated and with more elements, making us use, with creativity, each new skill acquired. Don't be fooled by the cute looks of the Ori series, as it remains very challenging, and pushes you to the limit once again.
To the delight of players, Moon Studios remains very competent in the execution of the gameplay, and the commands are accurate both for combat and for platform crossings, making the experience even more pleasant. Many platform games lack this precision, frustrating the player, but Ori is far from being a game with this result. There are several sections in the game where we have to race against time, within a course full of the most varied and complex obstacles that offer a very high level of challenge, testing the player's skill to the maximum. You will fail, but this is a matter of memorizing the route, not because of poorly developed commands. Will of the Wisps is extremely competent in its gameplay, which further encourages the player to venture into its world.
Another factor that improved was the fighting. In addition to the enemies scattered across the maps, which become increasingly aggressive and challenging as we progress through the story, Ori and the Will of the Wisps It also adds electrifying boss fights, which require a keen understanding of not only your attacking skills, but your platforming talents as well, providing a great challenge as well as a beautiful spectacle on screen. As for the variety of enemies, she is very good, and not only in their types, but also in the skills they use. We often find ourselves in combat with different types of enemies and this requires a lot of movement and quick attacks, but as the commands work very well, and the attack possibilities are very interesting, getting into battle is extremely fun.
Don't think of Ori as that extremely vulnerable being from the Blind Forest anymore, because now he's grown up and can fight his own battles, without depending on his companion Sein. We can use different types of attacks, such as the use of sword and spiritual arrows, fire attacks, or a heavy attack that not only repels enemies, but its hitting the ground gives a beautiful area effect on the screen. In addition to these attack skills, there are still others of traversal, such as jumping farther or creating light in the darkness. You can equip up to three at the same time, but you can easily and quickly change them at any time, adapting your arsenal to each challenge you face.
There are still passive skills, which allow Ori to stick to walls, pull orbs like a magnet, or even increase health, energy, resistance or damage in combat. Initially we can equip three of these abilities, but we can expand the possibilities by winning the Combat Sanctuaries, a novelty where we must face several waves of enemies until we reach the end and receive this upgrade. These challenges can be found at certain points on the map, and it was something very interesting added to the game, not only as a source of improvements, but for us to test skills and their combinations.
Many of these abilities are found hidden around the map or as quest rewards, but they can also be acquired and improved with NPCs added to the world of Ori. The currency of exchange is the Spirit Orbs that we collect through the environment and by defeating enemies. A new feature added is Gorlek Ore, which is well hidden across the map, and if it's delivered to a certain character, it expands some locations in your safe area to find new items and side quests. Yes, Ori has a kind of base, where you can buy and improve skills, as well as acquire and complete quests, and also enjoy very interesting dialogues about your journey.
A beautiful and vast world to explore
When Moon Studios revealed that the map of Ori and the Will of the Wisps would be three times bigger than Blind Forest's they weren't exaggerating. Niwen is definitely much bigger than Nibel. Not only has the world of Ori gotten wider, but the metroidvania elements are even stronger. As we explore the gigantic universe of the game, we find several obstacles that impede our progression, and that can only be overcome after obtaining certain skills. So you'll find yourself constantly moving back and forth across the map to discover new areas and new challenges. Don't wait for the game to take you by the hand and tell you where to go, because even if some missions are marked on the map, the way to get there must be discovered by you. Some quests are unmarked and you must turn around to figure out what to do. Even if you get lost sometimes, it makes exploring even more addictive.
The game also has several secret areas, which are very well hidden by the maps, and which hide improvements for our little character. In other words, it's worth exploring every corner of Niwen's world.
Another novelty are the Races, which, like the Sanctuaries, are hidden at certain points on the map. This challenge is for us to test our platforming skills against other players' ghosts. The idea is to try to beat their time on that stretch. A very fun content that gives a good replay factor to the game.
The save system has also changed, and there is no longer the ability to save anywhere on the map using energy. Now, in addition to the fixed save points, the game has several moments where it automatically saves, bringing a little more confidence in not losing long, and precious, progression periods. These fixed points are also good for fast travel, and help a lot in exploring locations further and further away from your safe area.
As for its duration, Ori and the Will of the Wisps brings a good amount of hours to the player, and can be completed in around 14 hours on normal difficulty (there are Easy, Normal and Hard levels). Of course, this varies depending on the player's skill and exploration of the scenario, which can drastically change this time. I finished the game's story with 14 hours and reached 81% progression, which indicates that I still need to explore more areas in search of more items and side quests to definitely do 100% in your world.
A great audiovisual show
Analyze the graphic part of Ori and the Will of the Wisps it's easy, but at the same time a great responsibility, as Moon Studios has once again delivered superb work. A true work of art. The hand-painted backdrops are still impressive, and manage to show their magnitude in front of little Ori.
the world of Will of the Wisps it is much more reactive to the player, without static structures and that do not react to the touch of our character. So we can see the water of a waterfall splashing to the sides or even jump on structures and see it react to it, which shows that the world of this journey is alive. Furthermore, everything in the game is rich in detail, and we can feel that the developers put their heart into every piece of scenery, and every character created.
The fluidity of the title, which runs at 60 FPS, is also impressive, because even in a heavy storm and with several elements on the screen, everything is presented in a light and natural way, which intensify all the beauty and emotional charge of the events. Playing on Xbox One X I was able to have a great experience, without stuttering or crashes, which further increases the immersion within Ori's journey.
The details of particles placed in the environments are impressive, as well as the lighting effects that are incredible, and give even more beauty and life to the title. Both in 4K and 1080p resolution the game presents itself spectacularly. The colors are vivid and hypnotize with all the spectacle we see on the screen, and even in the darkest and gloomiest environments the developer knew how to use the color palettes, as well as the lighting and shadows to its advantage, making competent use of HDR technology. . I ran into some rare issues with certain visual glitches, but the studio itself assured that there would be a Day One patch to fix this, so anyone who plays at launch shouldn't encounter this type of issue.
Ori and the Will of the Wisps offers one of the best, if not the best, visual presentation of this generation, and if Blind Forest has already impressed the world with the talent of Moon Studios, this new game shows that the studio can raise the level of its creations a lot.
Another outstanding feature of the Ori series games is their soundtrack, which is chilling and thrills with every note. As in the previous game, it was composed and orchestrated by Gareth Coker, with fantastic execution by the Nashville Music Scoring Orchestra and all the sensitivity of Aeralie Brighton's vocals, a package that sets the right tone for every moment, whether in the most tense or more dramatic events. But this doesn't just happen at specific moments of the adventure, as the melodies are always present, as if they were a living character in the game. They involve you and excite you throughout the gameplay. The songs are masterfully orchestrated, and the quality exceeds any and all expectations.
Ori and the Will of the Wisps it has much more dialogue than the previous game, and the new characters have voice to bring to life the own dialect created by Moon Studios for their games. The choice of voices was precise, as each one brings personality to their character, making the plot even more interesting to follow. Highlight, once again, for the narrator, who appears with his impacting voice in certain important moments of the narrative, giving weight to what we are following.
All dialogues and game menus are subtitled in Portuguese from our country, which, once again, shows the special care of Xbox Game Studios and Moon Studios with our country players.
Opinion
Ori and the Will of the Wisps enough to put the franchise once and for all in gaming history. If the first game was superb, this new one is even better. The story is deep and has a unique appeal, where we are connected from the beginning, with its proposal. The plot has dramatic contours, but is filled with sensitivity and interesting themes such as prejudice, the importance of inclusion and friendship. Everything fits well with the created universe.
Gameplay is more fluid and responsive than ever, leaving the player in control of every move, which is crucial in a good platformer. The new elements expand the gameplay in a coherent way, they are not just there to bloat the game, but make sense within the growth of Ori and the magnitude of her journey. The audiovisual presentation is still perfect, with beautiful scenarios and a remarkable soundtrack.
the only problem of Ori and the Will of the Wisps is that you can't stop playing, because in addition to being a competent and beautiful game, it has a lot for the player to explore and get to know.
Moon Studios closes the generation on a high note, and I can't wait for what they will create in the future.
understand our notes
Ori and the Will of the Wisps arrives tomorrow, the 11th, for the players. It is worth remembering that Xbox Game Pass subscribers will be able to play on the first day. Pre-download is now available.
Click and check Microsoft Store
Did you like it? Share!
- Tweet
- Telegram
