Given the acclaim surrounding Ori and the Blind Forest, developed by Moon Studios,
it’s not surprising to see the developer return to this enchanting world in a new sequel,
Ori and the Will of the Wisps.
It’s been five years since the release of the original, but it’s clear Moon Studios
not only listened to feedback, but took a closer look at the competition in the time since.
The lessons learned certainly benefit this second effort.
This is immediately noticeable when it comes to the game’s combat system.
The original opted for a more laid back approach that never really demanded much thought,
but that all changes now.
Will of the Wisps has evolved into something more satisfying, and the combat is further elevated
by introducing more challenging types of enemies to put your new skills to the test.
It’s a drastic improvement that helps give the sequel a more complete and distinct feel.
Ori and the Blind Forest didn’t feature traditional boss encounters,
instead favoring exhilarating chase sequences that required precise platforming skills.
While Will of the Wisps retains these heart-pumping chases,
it also works in numerous bosses that put up decent fights with multiple phases,
sometimes weaving in short chase sequences for good measure.
The new combat mechanics and bosses
are welcome additions that leave you with a greater sense of gratification.
Will of the Wisps does a great job of thoughtfully considering its difficulty, too.
The world is structured in a way that makes dealing with enemy encounters easier
if you explore more rather than rushing to your next primary goal.
Will of the Wisps achieves this by hiding unique power-ups and abilities
in easy-to-miss locations, which includes entire areas of the game
and side objectives that are completely optional.
It’s a near-perfect synergy between exploration and reward
that enhances the game’s balance.
One element that factored into the original’s difficulty that’s no longer present
was the option to manually generate your own save points.
Instead, the sequel automatically does this for you.
This is a much better solution that allows you to focus on the best parts of the game
rather than worrying about a bothersome mechanic that could potentially result in losing progress.
It’s to be expected that a game of this nature demands a lot of backtracking,
but Will of the Wisps mitigates the tedium typically associated with this design
by providing the ability to fast travel between activated save shrines.
Despite this, it never feels like progression skews more towards being linear.
The tried-and-true philosophy of teasing inaccessible paths
that clearly require you to come back with a new ability is in full effect.
Many of these unique abilities are holdovers from the previous game,
each of them contributing to the wide variety of ways you can traverse through each environment.
Launching off enemies and projectiles is just as fun as before,
allowing you to do amazing aerial maneuvers that add to the fluid nature of your movements.
What’s impressive is that Will of the Wisps takes things a step further with its new abilities like grappling,
which meshes so well with the improved combat style.
Will of the Wisps provides plenty of secondary objectives that all come with satisfying payoffs.
There’s a trading sequence with a worthwhile reward waiting at the end,
and an emotional side story tied to rebuilding a village
that delivers a bounty of benefits for each stage of its completion.
For those looking for something that’s more of a test of brawn than brain,
there are a handful of races through portions of each area
as well as intense battle arenas that throw waves of enemies at you
to test your combat prowess.
The races make good use of online integration by offering leaderboards
as well as the ability to race against ghosts,
providing a more direct sense of competition and insight into achieving faster times.
With everything to see and do, especially with a world that seems larger than before,
it’s surprising to see this sequel only takes a bit longer than the original to complete.
Clocking in at around 10-15 hours, it near flawlessly walks the narrow line of leaving you filled
with a hearty sense of accomplishment without overstaying its welcome.
Ori and the Will of the Wisps retains what the original did well,
trims what held it back, and then manages to add in wonderful new elements
that elevate this follow-up to new heights.
It boasts a fantastic soundtrack and stunning visuals
that work perfectly together to craft a beautiful atmosphere.
It tops it all off with an emotional story culminating in a great ending
that ties together both games.
Meanwhile optional side quests offer wonderful insights into this new world.
It’s an exceptional game that you don’t want to miss.
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