Ori and the Will of the Wisps Xbox One and PC Game Review

Explore an enchanted world of wonder and danger at every turn.

Reviewed by Noah F. on Mar 16, 2020

Rating:

Once again, play as the white guardian spirit Ori on a journey past the forest of Nibel, and meet the challenges that lie ahead. The original game cemented itself as one of the best Xbox exclusives, but how does its sequel stand up? See what Kidzworld tho

We loved Ori and the Blind Forest back in 2015, and its sequel Ori and the Will of the Wisps takes everything a step further. Blind Forest was one of our favorite Xbox One games, but Will of the Wisps stands as one of the best games released during this console generation. Pretty much everything Ori sets out to do has been done before like its giant 2D map filled with secrets, challenges, and bosses to its incredible visuals and music. But no other Metroidvania nails each element as a whole quite like Will of the Wisps, at least not since 1997’s Castlevania: Symphony of the Night.

Ori and the Will of the Wisps - Gameplay Trailer

Picking Up Where We Left Off

Will of the Wisps begins directly after The Blind Forest and sees Ori’s friendship with Ku, a young owl. The story is shown via cutscenes and from some visual narration, but you never feel like the experience is interrupted. Story sections are short but pack a huge punch, delivering incredibly beautiful, and sometimes haunting drama. Where the game is mostly about battling creatures and platforming through the environment, the story gives everything a sense of weight and greater purpose. The best games weave story and gameplay closely, and Will of the Wisps succeeds in stride. Happiness, deep sadness, wonder, fear and triumph it's all here.

Ori and his family take care of the young owl, Ku.

The Gameplay

The success games like Super Metroid and Symphony of the Night saw in the 1990s inspired a whole generation of game developers. Indie developer Moon Studio has managed to make two games now that stand up as some of the best in the genre. Will of the Wisps has a few changes that make the experience better. While the game is still plenty challenging, autosaving means you will spend less time repeating sections after dying, and more time exploring and beating bosses. If the game ends up being too easy or hard for you, there are 3 difficulty modes to let you customize the experience to your liking. Enemies hit hard, and you don’t have much health, but there are several abilities and skills to make things easier. There are chances to choose and purchase attacks, from a heavy-hitting spear to movement modes that allow you to reach places you previously couldn’t. The game starts fairly simple, but before you know it Ori is a force to be reckoned with.

On your journey, you'll encounter fearsome boss creatures.

Beyond the Forest

There is something about filling in every inch of a map that has remained satisfying for years. Will of the Wisps features multiple large locations to explore, but you never feel lost thanks to the easy to read map screen. Moon Studios wanted to improve the game in nearly every way from Blind Forest, much like Super Mario Bros. To Super Mario Bros. 3 as they said. Traversal feels incredible, jumping and attacking is very satisfying, and the artwork is stunning at nearly all times. There wasn’t a single moment that wasn’t breathtaking, the Blind Forest was also a beautiful game, but the artists at Moon Studios have outdone themselves. The music is amazing as well, with every piece setting the mood and making the world feel mystical and dangerous in equal measure.

Every environment you explore is gorgeous to behold.

Final Thoughts

All in all, Ori and the Will of the Wisps is about an easy of a recommendation as it gets. The action-platformer gameplay is top-notch, the story is emotional, and the graphics and music are some of the best around. If you want to play a masterful action-platformer, look no further.