The game “Ori and the Blind Forest” is already 2015 for Microsoft Xbox One and Windows PCs appeared. In 2019 there was also a surprising port to the Nintendo Switch. This week the developers of Moon Studios have released the successor: “Ori and the Will of the Wisps”. I have now played the game and can give a real recommendation here.
I confess: I have left out the predecessor, “Ori and the Blind Forest”. When the game was released, I had neither an Xbox One nor I played on the PC. Delves into that PlayStation-World, so the platform rushed past me. Despite a Game Pass subscription I ignored the game so far, probably because there were just too many alternatives. Microsoft still wanted to circle me and provided me with a review code for “Ori and the Will of the Wisps”. Now I am annoyed that I have so far ignored this franchise.
Because the cuddly beginning of the game immediately caught me more than some bombastic cutscene at the beginning of a triple-a-game. So the little guardian spirit Ori and his friends find a small, newborn owl, which they baptize and raise. The poultry initially has problems with flying. Together they know how to help themselves with an oversized feather, but get caught in a thunderstorm. Ori and Ku are separated and this is where the real story begins, in which one tries to reunite the characters.
The gameplay is basically the typical Metroidvania style: “Ori and the Will of the Wisps” is a non-linear platformer where you can always take different paths and branches – a good overview map helps with that Orientation. Often, however, you will come across a place where it is initially not possible to progress. You can only get through scrub if you have a torch with you or can hit it hard with one blow. You will only climb some heights if you have learned the double jump and / or can hold onto walls.
Probably the pattern becomes clear to you: You feel your way through the game world and try to get on the right path. You regularly reach new areas and unlock new skills via individual shards. However, you cannot use all moves at the same time, but have to make a selection, which brings some tactics into play and about “Bloodstained” remind. In a similar way, you also increase your life energy over time, so you become stronger and more versatile in your abilities as the game progresses.
Sometimes you have to puzzle and combine several skills to fight your way through obstacles like hurting thorn bushes and various opponents. The game always remains fair and offers you several levels of difficulty. Optionally, you can also see how much damage you’re doing to enemies, which can help you find the most efficient ways to overcome them. I never found the struggles too dominant, they loosen up the skills well without being annoying.
What sets “Ori and the Will of the Wisps” apart from the competition in the Metroidvania area is the atmosphere. I liked the game with its melancholy mood and also the character design Films by Studio Ghibli remind. Especially since a first-class piano soundtrack accompanies the events sometimes darkly, sometimes dreamily. I tested the game on an Xbox One X, where the game is shown crystal clear in high resolution with 60 FPS and HDR. Sometimes there is a slight drop in performance, but overall, the title almost always runs smoothly and the gaming fun is not affected.
The graphic? Well, you move in a 2D world, but everything is rendered in 3D. The Unity engine serves as the basis. The backgrounds are extremely detailed and everything is bursting with animation and movement. Coupled with the strong color palette and the bright main character Ori, this sometimes borders discreetly on sensory overload. In some scenarios with all sorts of obstacles and opponents that hacked me in parallel, I even briefly lost the overview. But you can pay this price, because most of the season “Ori and the Will of the Wisps” is really eye-candy.
The story of the game may be simple and not so much in the foreground, but you always meet other characters in the course of the game and learn something about the background of the game world. I’m actually more into story-heavy games, but I found this title to be a very nice change that somehow reminded me of the old SNES days when such platforms were still the ultimate. Because even if the level of difficulty is generally fair, I went over the Jordan more than once and almost bit into the controller.
An “Ori and the Will of the Wisps” doesn’t take too much by the hand, so tips and hints don’t suddenly pop up to show you the way. I find it very pleasant, because that way you still put your brains to the test, experiment and have corresponding successes. I particularly like this certain naivety, which radiates the game in a positive way. That’s why I can wholeheartedly recommend the game to families. However, the title is only released “From 12 years”, for sure, because there are also a few dark scenarios to be seen in the eerie forest. So maybe parents should play games with their children.
Well and how do you get “Ori and the Will of the Wisps”? You can either play the game in stores for 29.99 euros as a physical version or for 49.99 euros also as Collector’s Edition acquire. The digital version in the Microsoft Store (or on steam) changes also for 29.99 euros the owner. If you subscribe to the Xbox Game Pass, you can also play “Ori and the Will of the Wisps” at no additional cost, because the game is already included – just like the predecessor. So we have another good argument for the Game Pass, which I will finally use to catch up with the predecessor.
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