Do you see it? Do you hear it on the wind? There in the distance, just beyond the Nibel forest, floats a owl according to the breeze, a spirit resting on its back. Ori and the Will of the Wisps is there, and the sequel to the applestry hit is just as powerful, emotional and bewitching that you expect. Moon Studios had a major challenge to create an experience that could compete with its predecessor, but staying in development for five years gave the game enough time to hatch on a truly spectacular trip.
Will of the Wisps begins with the introduction of a new character; Ku. The little owl and adoptive sister of Ori is penaude and shy, but her forest family shows her love and her support as she grows over the seasons and learns to fly. Rising high in the clouds, Ku is delighted to bring OR in the sky, only for a tragedy to strike. Waking up through the sea in a new land, Ori must go in search of Ku and bring it home.
The game is just as powerful in its presentation and its gameplay. Although it is a lateral scrolling metroidvania, each image appears as a cinematographic experience. The background and the foreground are used with great advantage to create depth and alert the player to the danger on the horizon. The world feels incredibly alive with each strand of grass swinging in the breeze, each dancing leaf by falling, and each part of the screen overflowing with life. The beautiful color pallets and tones give life to this true paradise with rich shades that transform the game into a living painting.
Regarding the gameplay, Ori and the will of the crazy lights is in complete metroidvania mode in the best possible degree. It takes a short time before mastering your basic skills in terms of crossing and will soon spend more time in the air than in your foot. Or OR control is very natural and the game is structured to rationalize your exploration while offering the Metroidvania experience. Very early in the center of the forest, you will meet a number of insurmountable objects. Instead of simply going back later to discover their generosity, the story and the quests will send you anyway in this direction so that you do not have the impression that the winding and labyrinthical paths are useless.
Sein – The light and eyes of the spirits tree – is not there to help Or or to defeat his enemies. Instead, small trees impregnated with the forest light will offer or ord skills and capacities to survive. For the defense, Ori can be equipped with a sword, a hammer, an arc and many other weapons. Each weapon and skill can be cut into three facial buttons with LT pressure, so it is very easy to change on the fly for the current situation. Weapons have an incredible scope and a variety of directional capabilities, so experimenting is a joy to see what works for you.
Players can also be delighted that the Soul Links system has disappeared and that it has simply been replaced by frequent and effective automatic backups around the world, so take risks and take advantage of the exploration of the forest without apprehension. As the game does not have a limited number of lives or an excessive backtrack, Ori and the will of the follet fires lends itself perfectly as a game to refine and master the skills of the games of the genre. The challenges and battles are not so frustrating because there is nothing lost and everything to gain in persevering to become a better player. Ori wants you to succeed, and he does his best to get there. I met a particular escape scene that I had to play almost a dozen times for various faults, but at no time was I frustrated or angry, because I could learn and see the necessary process to succeed. Overcoming the segment-as small as it is a feat-made me feel good to have had the chance to improve my skills without fear of losing progress or money.
Speaking of money, various suppliers around the world are there to help you. Whether you sell new capacities and skills, that you proposed to improve the ones you have or just try to create a card in the region, there are several ways to spend this harshly won currency. While many games of this type will make you lose a large part of the hard -won room at death, Ori does not want to bother you this way. He encourages you to continue trying without inconvenience of failure. For these finalists, the inhabitants of the forest need your help. Secondary quests abound in Ori and the will of the crazy fires, often making you bounce between adorable NPCs to exchange essential goods for great awards. It is always worth keeping an eye on any smiling person. Ori suffered from some discrepancies, sometimes stopping the game for several seconds, but I was assured that this problem is solved quickly. My only real problem with the game came from the time to load the card. The paths are not always cleared in the woods, so I often had to go up my card and take my bearings. It just took a little too much time to load it, then settle it properly, but I am convinced that such a minor drawback will be corrected on the first day.
My time with Ori and the will of the crazy fires was an emotional journey. To look at Ku take her first steps to see her finally take her flight. Look or help these new foreigners in the face of danger and see grief on the faces of Gomu and Naru as they are looking for their lost family. Ori and the Will of the Wisps is indeed a difficult game, but not so difficult that it causes rage. It is beautiful in its aesthetics, its gameplay and its narration. Whether you come there as an experienced player who wants a challenge or someone who just likes the beauty of the game, it’s just a joy to play and will captivate you for hours.
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