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Ori and the Will of the Wisps

Developer: Moon Studios Publisher: Xbox Game Studios
11 March 2020
Ori and the Will of the Wisps - cover art
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3.99 / 5.0
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781 Ratings / 7 Reviews
#215 All-time
#8 for 2020
In this sequel to 2015's Ori and the Blind Forest, Ori must search for their lost friend Ku, as well as reverse the Decay that has consumed the land of Niwen.
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With a title like Ori and the Will of the Wisps, one can infer that Ori and the Blind Forest was greenlit for a sequel. All referential jokes to the introduction of my review of Ori’s first game aside, I’m quite pleased as punch for this opportunity to see the luminous forest nymph once again. Ori and the Blind Forest was an exemplary title in the new wave of indie Metroidvania games, presenting a captivating wooded world for the player to explore under the guise of the niche 2D platformer’s particular methods of progression. The game was undeniably gorgeous, and the silky smooth controls made hopping around the several shades of wild foliage wonderfully accessible. However, many of the accessible aspects in Ori and the Blind Forest besides the remarkable mechanics rendered the game rather sparse compared to its Metroidvania peers. Opting for frantic chase sequences from natural disasters and apex predators as opposed to duking it out with them in epic boss fight fashion was an especially unorthodox decision. I understand that Ori is intended to be lighthearted and more whimsical than the existential sci-fi horror of Metroid and the bloody, gothic glory of Castlevania. Still, the general ease of Ori’s gameplay with the added factor of zero boss battles seemed like the developer’s directive was to create a Metroidvania experience for an extremely young demographic, easing them into the realm of gaming with a title that wouldn’t obtrude on their impressionably vulnerable sensibilities. I’m not one to judge the intentions of an artist as long as they’re honest, but diluting a few gameplay attributes ostensibly for the sake of making your game digestible for children undermined Ori and the Blind Forest’s full potential. This is why Ori and the Will of the Wisps is in an ideal position as a sequel: another opportunity for the Ori IP to fill in the blanks that the first game either omitted or regrettably came to the developers as staircase thoughts. The final product of Ori and the Will of the Wisps suggests that they ultimately wanted Ori to kick ass, but wait till you hear about the source of inspiration the developers took to enable this initiative.

I suppose the resolution of Ori and the assorted group of destitute misfits around the forest banding together to live in one space is open to expanding on. The developer’s didn’t slap a “happily ever after” on this tender ending like one would expect from something that resembles a fairy tale, so there can be plenty of more strife in the lives of these adorable folk of the forest. For now, all they are concerned with is raising the sole surviving offspring of the dark indigo owl Sein who stalked Ori with impassioned ferocity in the previous game. Hence, the little owlet being the reason why the non-nuclear family unit is formed in the first place. Everything is as content and tranquil as the opening events of Blind Forest, except for the fact that Ku, the owlet, is pitifully failing in her attempts to fly when Ori and the others are teaching her due to having a lame wing. Considering the colossal size of her birth mother, Ori should be wary about inadvertently creating a monster down the line, but I suppose this could divert into a nature versus nurture debate. One day, Ku manages to soar a little TOO high using Kuro’s Feather, and a violent storm separates Ku from her glowing guardian Ori. Because Ku is frightened and fragile, it’s Ori’s duty to scour the uncharted Niwen forest to find her lost little lamb. This premise establishes exactly what I had wished for Ori after the events of the first game. Ori’s growth after ascending past her role as a helpless critter through her perilous venture was reduced greatly when Naru rose from the dead completely unscathed to continue his role as her furry protector. Now, putting Ori in a position of daunting responsibility to save someone as weak as she was, if not even more at the beginning of her first adventure proves that her acute physical prowess is dynamic.

So what is the extent of Ori’s ability to combat what lies in the hostile wilderness? On top of the valuable experience gathered from hiking through Nibel, Ori’s tactical enhancements in the sequel is the prime differentiating factor of the game, and where its source of inspiration I alluded to in the opening paragraph is most apparent. Let’s just say that the title of “Ori and the Will of the Wisps'' is a mirage. An honest title to Ori’s sequel is “Ori and the Hollow Knight.” Between the release of the two Ori games in 2015 and 2020, a dinky cobble of a studio in Australia surprisingly cemented its 2017 title Hollow Knight as what is quite possibly the zenith point of its genre. If the indie Metroidvania boom could be comparable to the classical period of music, Hollow Knight is clearly Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, practically eclipsing the contributions of its equally worthy peers with sensational amounts of approbation, and (almost) rightfully so. I cannot cite whether or not Hollow Knight’s accolades had Moon Studios seething with palpable envy like Salieri, but Team Cherry’s gold-medal game evidently affected Will of the Wisps without question. Instead of using the projectile fireworks of the flickering light spirit Sein as a bodyguard, Ori will stumble upon the “spirit edge” for a more personal, manual method of offense. This sharp, glowing, icicle-like weapon is eerily similar to The Knight’s nail art, even if Ori flails this thing around with less rhythmic grace than Hollow Knight’s protagonist does with his weapon of choice. As the game progresses, Ori will acquire the familiar attributes that allowed her to unlock more of Nibel’s grounds by absorbing the light of the ancestral trees, and familiar moves like the spirit smash and the light burst are now selected through a weapon wheel and are assigned to a button. Even though the spirit edge is grouped in with the roulette of Ori’s secondary abilities, the combative dexterity and inherent inexhaustible energy as a melee weapon will guarantee that it will be used as routinely as the nail art. Sure, the similarities between the primary weapons of both games isn’t enough to decry acts of plagiarism. Still, other frequent elements in Will of the Wisps also conjured too many clear memories of Hollow Knight for comfort, so I insist that everyone keep the comparisons in mind. I even encourage a drinking game whenever close similarities arise throughout this review because I’m so confident of how commonplace they are (but drink responsibly).

This isn't to say that Will of the Wisps implemented all of its new features by peering over at Hollow Knight and taking notes. Plenty of elements that are newly introduced to Will of the Wisps are uniquely Ori, or at least they don’t readily remind me of something from another IP. For instance, the spirit smash move isn’t merely a rebranding of the downward bash from the previous game. Using this move in any other cardinal direction that isn’t south will see Ori fling what looks like a hefty mallet that inflicts a massive amount of damage to enemies. To hit a series of out-of-reach switches, Ori channels her inner Robin Hood and shoots a spirit arrow to activate them. The instances of using the spirit arrows for this purpose are surprisingly confined to one space, so the most utility of this tool will be used for those pesky airborne enemies. Ori can torpedo herself through and out of a body of water like a leaping dolphin with “swim dash,” and the same practical move is extended to thick banks of sand with the “burrow” ability. Ori can coat herself in a traveling radius of light that protects her from being consumed by crushing darkness with “flash,” although how darkness can be so pitch black that it can kill someone is beyond me. Other skills can be purchased with the spirit light currency by the white-haired simian Opher, which include the “blaze” move that naturally engulfs enemies with flames and a sentry that serves as a surrogate attacker in Sein’s absence. The ability to breathe underwater is available to purchase here instead of gaining it through natural progression like in Blind Forest, which I think is an incorrect shift considering how essential it is to progression in some spots. Overall, the additions to Ori’s array of abilities is further proof that she’s no sitting duck anymore and that she’s got plenty of ways to protect herself.

On the surface, Niwen’s vast plains of untapped wilderness looks to be about as formidable as Nibel’s forest. Will of the Wisps was developed through the same engine as Blind Forest, so the vivid, picturesque depiction of an arboreal setting fit for a prestigious gallery showcasing the finest of video game graphics is still retained here. To further instill a sense of perceived uncanniness, Niwen’s districts even reuse the level tropes seen in Blind Forest with such areas as the snowy mountain peak of Baur’s Reach mirroring the icy elevation of the Forlorn Ruins, and the blindingly dim catacombs of Mouldwood Depths practically serving as a deadlier version of the Black Root Burrows. One can argue that the Inkwater Marsh and Kwolok’s Hollow districts situated at the center of Niwen are appropriately moody and somewhat tranquil as starting areas. Still, I can’t help but be bothered by how similar they are to Nibel’s Sunken Glades and Hollow Grove in their geographical placement, tone and general aesthetic. Because Ori’s areas are conceptually confined to natural, dendriform places, the developers discern the ones from their previous output with some clever new mechanics. For instance, Baur’s Reach doesn’t continue the anti-gravitational gimmick from the Forlorn Ruins, rather implementing an elemental contrast between frost and fire with the new properties of the light burst maneuver. Luma Pools expands upon the pristinely crisp waters of Thornfelt Swamp into an entire area, whose vibrant purplish pink trees all around the perimeter resemble the Lorax’s wondrous landscape before it was corrupted by the Onceler’s capitalist endeavors. The aquatic land is so effervescent that bubbles consistently emerge from its sparkling waters, and Ori uses them as springy platforms to aid in her traversal of the area. Similarly, the grim, lugubrious Silent Woods looks as if it’s drowned a number of horses in its days (that’s a Neverending Story reference) in its murky, sludgy streams, and Ori will be another victim to their gripping depths if she doesn’t plant herself precisely on the buoyant bubbles that catapult her upward. Progression through these areas will automatically fill in step by step as the case was for Blind Forest, but the cardinal difference is how the entirety of the map is revealed before Ori explores 100% of it. Instead of stumbling upon a stone basin that vaguely resembles a save mechanism on the field, the missing patches of land that haven’t been cleared on the map yet are half filled in by Ludo. This merry gentleman sells maps to Ori for a marginal price, and he’s found around the muddy corridors for every area for the game. Drink up, everyone, and if Ludo hummed a jaunty tune to signal his nearby presence, I’d make you all drink straight whiskey with no chaser.

The most unique of Niwen’s areas is the Wellspring Glades, a relaxed hub of sorts where the game’s NPCs reside to sell Ori their various wares. Dare I say, it’s similar to Dirtmouth from Hollow Knight (bottoms up)? Whether or not the comparisons are a fit once again, this treetop grove is an excellent respite area situated in a pocket of rare, glowing sunshine in Niwen. The temporary residents here in Wellspring Glades are all familiar faces seen all across Niwen’s spacious land. The nomadic Tokk leans on the bark of the area’s foundational support beam asking Ori to find esoteric areas of interest and lost items. The former cartographer would do it himself, but those days for the grizzled blue bird are behind him. The Final Fantasy mage-like Twillen is a purveyor of “shards,” enhancements to Ori’s skills with specific conditions that are assigned in the menu with a limited maximum (glug glug). A few NPCs use the fertile grounds of the glades to make Ori perform extraneous labor efforts. A common item called “gorlek ore” is given to a burly creature named Grom whose species shares the namesake of the material, and he uses it to build architectures around the hub to make it more hospitable. Turtle-bear hybrid creature Turley will plant seeds that Ori finds on the field to grow vegetation that makes higher reaches of the glades accessible. A nameless tribe of lemur-like Mokoi can also be spotted here, and they certainly make the hub friendlier because they’re so innocuous. Even though Niwen is a strange land that Ori is forced to excavate, this particular area makes this parallel forest homier thanks to the NPCs strewn about the locale.

Having a hub situated somewhere in Niwen is especially vital because Will of the Wisps is surprisingly more difficult than the previous games. I stated that one of the primary aspects in Blind Forest that made the overall experience somewhat lacking was the general ease of its difficulty, minus a few tense moments regarding platforming later in the game. While Will of the Wisps does not match the steep difficulty standard of that other Metroidvania game I keep comparing it to, stiff obstacles will occur more frequently throughout. Namely, the player might struggle a bit with this game’s bosses. Yes, another wish that Blind Forest didn’t quite deliver on has been fulfilled in its sequel, and the select few bosses across the game’s playtime are mighty foes with screen-spanning health bars. A giant wolf with the same shaded fur complexion as Kuro’s feathers will lull the player into the familiarity of a high stakes chase until his health bar appears and Ori gets the chance to defend herself by smacking it in the face repeatedly. The giant Beetle Ori fights next starts without a misleading precedent, as Ori will jump over the ferocious armored bug to hit its vulnerable backside. Unlike Howl who was in a compromising position throughout his encounter, the varied attack patterns of the Beetle showcases that this game’s bosses need considerable patience and a slight awareness of each of their offensive actions against Ori (I guess that’s another shot). A methodical approach to defeating the bosses is especially crucial with Mora and Kwolok, two gigantic foes whose fights are the climactic peak of two of the game’s main quests. Mora’s status as a queen, mother spider should indicate her physical enormity, and the second phase of the poor possessed toad sage (who has the same voice as both game’s narrator, but supposedly isn’t) takes places underwater before Ori has the chance to purchase her gills from the merchant in the glades. I am not ashamed to admit that these bosses took me more than a minute to triumph over, as the developers have done such a fantastic job implementing their encounters that it’s hard to believe that this is the first time that these kinds of substantial duels have been factored into an Ori game.

However, they are only the requisite challenges that Will of the Wisps has implanted. Off the beaten paths of Niwen are optional challenges that Ori can humor for an extra amount of spirit light or another notch where an additional shard can be used. Earning more currency comes in the shape of spirit trials, where Ori races against a wispy doppelganger of herself to the basin where the trial was initially activated. Ori’s shadow has evidently practiced navigating through the tough terrain, so every victory against it sprinting to the goal will always come down to the wire. The other auxiliary challenge the game provides is the spirit shrines, which will lock Ori into defeating waves of assorted enemies in combat. Without Ori’s new ability to regenerate her health using energy (without placing a checkpoint like the last game), these horde matches can amount to overwhelming tests of endurance. The game is practically compensating for Blind Forest’s breeziness at this point.

Even though the bosses in this game certainly stick out as memorable, threatening instances of improvement in Will of the Wisps, they ultimately stand aside as secondary pawns to the game’s primary antagonist Shriek. While Shriek is admittedly another dark purple bird of prey constantly looming over Ori, she is not a replica of Koru. We can immediately distinguish this from a design standpoint as Shriek’s body is supported by calcified exterior ligaments that Shriek uses to hoist herself into a walk position like a pair of stilts. She’s carried this strange affliction her entire life, which is what caused her to be shunned by the rest of the bird community she was born into. No wonder she’s now a menace that casts a blanket of tension overhead as she soars through Niwen’s skies. A section that highlights how harrowing Shriek is as a force of evil despite her handicap is a stealth section between the Silent Woods and the Windswept Wastes, annihilating Ori in a second if Ori is in her line of sight for too long. Shriek is a bird that has been scorned by her own kind, so it’s no wonder she harbors a grudge against all of Niwen’s denizens. It especially isn’t surprising that she literally stomps out Ku’s life (don’t worry, the screen fades to black as it’s happening) once her and Ori finally reconvene in the shady Silent Woods. An NPC laments that it’s unfair that the big and strong can prey on the meek and the pitiable, but the situation obviously stems from the storied history of dejection Shriek experienced as a young owl that looked exactly like Ku.

The titular wisps in the title refer to the main quest of retrieving three of them at Niwen’s different districts to restore the fractured Spirit Willow. Doing so will also erase the noxious decay that Niwen has been experiencing, which is so prevalent across the land that it’s affected even the prestigious sages. Mora was fortunate to have the effects of the decay smacked out her, but Kwolok wasn’t so lucky after the “stink spirit” wrapped him up in its infectious arms. The behemoth brown bear Baur who resides in the mountain range of his namesake was rather lucky, so the game resorts back to running away from Shriek as the pinnacle point of this section. Once the misplaced wisps are accounted for, Ori brings them to the cliffs of the Windswept Wastes to the entrance of the Willow’s End. The final section of Will of the Wisps resembles that of the erupting Mount Huro that finished off the first game. Ori is tasked with completing a series of platforming challenges that mainly involve a teleportation mechanic only utilized in the optional Midnight Burrows area to strike another stem of the whole pulpy, orange decay surrounding the core of the forest (chugalug). Seir, the spiritual embodiment of the great Willow’s lifeforce, is then snatched up by Shriek, finally giving Ori a chance to beat the blackened bird in a final boss that manages to be satisfyingly epic. To ensure that Ku is given another chance at life and that Niwen ceases atrophying, Ori has to merge with Seir to fully restore balance to this marvelous, beautiful land, meaning that her physical state as a nimble little nymph has to be sacrificed. Ultimately, she makes the right decision as Ku wakes up from her deep slumber to rejoin the custody of Gumo and Naru, as they make tributes to the new spirit willow that was once an integral member of their makeshift family. As tragic, intimidating, and fairly complex Shriek is as the game’s antagonist, I’m not sure she’s really the focal point of the game’s story. Every point where she makes an appearance seems like a series of circumstantial conveniences made to complicate the plot, but the pervasiveness of the decay seems substantial enough of a conflict to carry the game’s narrative given the harrowing examples of its effects. Perhaps she could’ve been a stronger narrative force if her motives to specifically burden Ori were more defined like Kuro’s were.


It’s so thrilling to have your wishes granted. I wrote my review of Ori and the Blind Forest in early 2023 after its sequel had already been released, but it’s as if the developers read my review and decided to craft the next title in the series based on the critiques I gave. Ori and the Will of the Wisps is, by definition, a perfect sequel to Ori and the Blind Forest. Every single gripe I had feeling unfulfilled by Blind Forest’s pensions for subduing aspects of the Metroidvania gameplay for some odd, unclear reasons were totally amended here, regarding the titanic boss battles, Ori’s combat shrewdness, and competent evolution of the two game’s eponymous protagonist. However, what slightly deters me is that all of Ori’s improvements here is that a large quantity of them seem to be borrowed from Hollow Knight, a “if you can’t beat them, join them” type of scenario that makes me question Will of the Wisps true quality. In saying that, I now realize how much I compared the gameplay aspects of Hollow Knight to Dark Souls, and will emphasize this to humble Team Cherry’s magnum opus a bit. There is a classic quote from Picasso where he claims that good artists borrow but great artists steal, and if Hollow Knight’s attributes are what Ori and the Will of the Wisps needed to fill in the blanks to elevate it up to the high Metroidvania echelons, so be it.
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Erockthestrange 2021-02-17T04:28:53Z
2021-02-17T04:28:53Z
8.5
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i didnt enjoy wotw and i try to understand why
ori 1 was a really magical experience for me. when i played it, i had been looking forward to it for a few years at that point, and it still exceeded my expectations. that alone may be why ori 2 felt off to me--i expected it to hit me as hard as the first game did, which it frankly never could. however, while playing it, i still noticed things that put me off from the game that were more than just it being a sequel, and some things genuinely ruined the game for me.
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snowysprig 2023-09-22T03:12:53Z
2023-09-22T03:12:53Z
1.5
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Beautiful game, can't believe it runs so well on the Switch with some of the atmospheric lighting effects. I didn't play the first one so I can't compare, but it scratched my metroidvania itch waiting for Silksong a lot better than Metroid Dread did.

Map design and interconnectivity is great, character and environment design is top notch. I like the variation in boss design between chases and battles, though I thought the chases were much easier (this might just be because I play a lot of platformers). I guess my only major gripe, and why it doesn't have a higher rating, is that the difficulty seems very inconsistent. One minute you're breezing through and the next you're stuck on what really doesn't seem like it's meant to be a roadblock. It also isn't quite as obvious as other metroidvania games when you've reached an area that's meant to be ability-locked, especially because of how many abilities essentially provide different ways to jump higher. I suppose this could be remedied by playing with a guide, though I didn't ever feel like I needed one until I started going back for 100%. Mission and level design was a lot more intuitive than Blasphemous, and didn't have time- or sequence-gated content either.
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AmazingRando81 2022-10-20T03:05:11Z
2022-10-20T03:05:11Z
4.0
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“Ori and the Will of the Wisps” obviously lacks the impact of the first game, but at the same time, it’s an improvement in most aspects and on a bigger scale. There are more abilities, better combat dynamics, and even a few side missions and challenges that reward upgrades for an easier experience. My only complaint is that I preferred the manual checkpoint system of the first game over the cozy autosave features of “Will of the Wisps”. I always thought that saving up your energy for creating checkpoints and managing the risks was part of the fun. Some of the bosses were also a little too hard if encountered too early in the game.

The graphics, art direction, story, and music are in line with the first game. Very simple but always manage to make me cry somehow.
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manicure 2022-02-10T10:11:26Z
2022-02-10T10:11:26Z
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Having just finished it yesterday it's a top 10 MV for me. Besides great platforming and movement options you have backtracking to progress, non-linear progression, and various sequence breaking opportunities meaning, so exploration is rather satisfying. Combat is also more prominent, something that's more give or take for me as I think the prequel's approach suited the player character better and made you think differently about taking on enemies while also making you feel more vulnerable. But this game also creates that vibe in the beginning, the chases and in mouldwood in particular. And the bosses were also good, if somewhat few, with some challenging ones but the forgiving checkpoint system let it avoid the frustration of Hollow Knight (except for the chases ironically as they didn't have them and also killed you in one hit). I mention HK as it's an obvious inspiration for certain aspects such as the shard slot system and how healing works, though the game also borrows from games like Guacamelee and Sonic Colors. I mostly didn't mind as it's generally done well.

I do wish the optional dark cave was more fleshed out, and maybe the sand area "dungeon" as well. Some other things could be tweaked like the seed rewards (mostly pointless to me), and being able to trade in unwanted shards for something else, among some other minor things like some shards working better as permanent abilities. I also liked having a teleporter beacon in the first, and being able to change difficulty on the fly, so those features were missed.

I guess there could've also been an optional battle arena gauntlet like in Darksiders 2, for those who really wanted a combat challenge.

If you're into the sequence breaking aspect of MVs I would recommend looking up sentry jump/super jump and skipping buying the maps from the map maker, it makes the exploration (even) more satisfying. You can also get Launch early but that pretty much breaks the game.

8/10 or 8.5/10 on a better PC and with all bugs fixed. Which is between great and amazing on my scale.
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residentLeever 2021-12-13T23:45:47Z
2021-12-13T23:45:47Z
4.0
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Combat is good but the enemies aren't interesting at all. Otherwise very solid. Areas are good now.
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headsoftyphon 2021-08-10T19:54:55Z
2021-08-10T19:54:55Z
3.5
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Catalog

llamajuice Ori and the Will of the Wisps 2024-03-28T03:06:42Z
2024-03-28T03:06:42Z
3.5
In collection Want to buy Used to own  
pkhg_ Ori and the Will of the Wisps 2024-03-26T08:00:18Z
2024-03-26T08:00:18Z
In collection Want to buy Used to own  
Lilith_01 Ori and the Will of the Wisps 2024-03-26T02:01:44Z
2024-03-26T02:01:44Z
4.0
In collection Want to buy Used to own  
Ali5ia Ori and the Will of the Wisps 2024-03-25T06:11:23Z
Windows
2024-03-25T06:11:23Z
In collection Want to buy Used to own  
deSelby Ori and the Will of the Wisps 2024-03-24T03:48:29Z
2024-03-24T03:48:29Z
In collection Want to buy Used to own  
Ali5ia Ori and the Will of the Wisps 2024-03-22T05:15:00Z
Switch
2024-03-22T05:15:00Z
4.0
1
In collection Want to buy Used to own  
Platformer Metroidvania
Amenhotep Ori and the Will of the Wisps 2024-03-18T18:18:31Z
2024-03-18T18:18:31Z
8.0
In collection Want to buy Used to own  
Jusdav Ori and the Will of the Wisps 2024-03-14T03:24:27Z
2024-03-14T03:24:27Z
4.0
In collection Want to buy Used to own  
eliottstaten Ori and the Will of the Wisps 2024-03-11T05:06:33Z
2024-03-11T05:06:33Z
In collection Want to buy Used to own  
Flagella Ori and the Will of the Wisps 2024-03-09T18:31:29Z
2024-03-09T18:31:29Z
4.5
In collection Want to buy Used to own  
jngold01 Ori and the Will of the Wisps 2024-03-09T11:29:09Z
2024-03-09T11:29:09Z
2.0
In collection Want to buy Used to own  
Gibbous Ori and the Will of the Wisps 2024-03-06T00:06:58Z
2024-03-06T00:06:58Z
4.0
1
In collection Want to buy Used to own  
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  • Previous comments (34) Loading...
  • DarkKira 2023-05-10 11:19:33.00111+00
    I enjoyed these type of games but the controls are very buggy to me, esp the down arrow (S). For some reason it doesnt want to let me down on platforms unless i let go of it while pressing space. Using the ↓ key works fine. And while swimming, holding S + space does nothing. So i had to change back and forth on the chase scene for kwolok.
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  • ThrashingFairy 2023-06-27 07:25:35.443914+00
    I don't get anyone saying that this looks generic. Not many games have that ethereal, fairy tale vibe like this does.
    reply
    • ThrashingFairy 2023-06-27 07:47:48.543575+00
      The way Ori controls might be my favourite I've felt in all the Metroidvanias I've played. (or at least tied with Hollow Knight).
    • Pumas 2023-07-09 15:20:25.717288+00
      Yeah Ori is one of the most artistically distinct games out there. And I agree the controls are soooo butter smooth, I can't understand how anyone thinks otherwise. In general it has some of the best traversal I've experienced.
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  • earthandspace 2023-09-09 03:51:27.659554+00
    surprised that the ending is so absurdly controversial with fans
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  • Drawdler 2023-10-16 08:54:45.796416+00
    Ori games are painfully overrated. Bland
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  • earthandspace 2023-10-30 06:36:21.619072+00
    on a tangent, i really wonder why this series has had less impact than expected for the scene, whether in the "indie" side or not (yes i know it straddles the line of being an indie due to microsoft's support but if anything that only makes it worse) . at the time both titles were considered serious contenders for being the best game of the year, at least by outlets. in general both games' gameplay (bar the combat) still hold up extremely well. both still and will likely forever look visually amazing due to their emphasis on maximal yet fantastical art styles. unlike other big indie platformers/ metroidvanias like celeste, hollow knight, pizza tower, or much nicher/less accessible titles like rain world, there just isn't really a big fandom behind it either despite the much larger reach and MS backing. while it's hard to imagine many devs taking after the art style given how intensive it is, i don't see anything trying to emulate its gameplay style or mood either.

    i don't think the accusations of misconduct at moon studios really had much to do with it either because it felt like the series' relevancy had already been waning.
    reply
    • finemotorsmiff 2023-12-23 04:35:40.942005+00
      Perhaps it all simply comes down to the quality of the games? Not to say the Ori games are bad games by any means but I mean, we can't all compete with the Hollow Knights and Pizza Towers of the world, y'know?

      I would also add that the Ori games' more big budget feel actually work against them in this regard too. I have no idea the degree of Microsoft's involvement but these games look and sound like big budget XBOX games. And they received quite a bit of mainstream media attention as you pointed out. These things directly clash with the formation of cult followings, as part of the appeal of a cult following is that sense of belonging to a smaller, more authentic community. Such is the appeal of 'indie' itself.

      That all being said, in my personal opinion these games fail to reach the level of artistic achievement that any of those other 3 games do, and I think that's the biggest reason why they don't have the same kind of devout fandom. Ori games are like Pixar movies. At their best, they have moments of undeniable beauty and a level of substance that seems to stand out from their fellow big-budget contemporaries. But you'd be hard-pressed to find people arguing that they're the peak of the medium... well maybe in the real world you would, but not in the places where cult followings are formed.
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