Ori and the Will of the Wisps | Xbox One Review

Ori and the Blind Forest was not a game I liked very much. I completed it, put it away, and nearly forgot about its existence until the sequel was announced. It was with complete shock and awe that I found myself unable to put Ori and the Will of the Wisps down. I’m not sure if it’s the improved combat, unbelievable level design, or simply being a happier person, but I adored this most recent game from Moon Studios.

Rescue the Princess

Ori is a simple story. Your friend is lost and hurt, so find the friend. It’s the typical “save the princess” formula, but it’s the world your fantastical forest sprite exists in that stands out. This game is constantly gorgeous. The animation resembles the finest animated films, and the sights make you feel squarely in a fairy tale. The art direction, combined with the musical score, sets your senses aflame with wonder.

Combat in Ori and the Will of the Wisps is serviceable, but nothing extraordinary. It breaks up the pace well enough, and only gated combat arenas present as annoying. You have three slots to equip combat skills as you see fit, though you’ll probably be relying mostly on the sword-esque one the game starts you with.

Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop

The real star of the show is the platforming. It’s tight, fast, and challenging. The levels are designed to keep you as constantly in motion as possible. I often found myself falling into a zen-like flow during these prolonged jumping challenges. The game interweaves all of your platforming abilities regularly, so you’re always being pushed to your limits.

As the first game was, so too is Ori and the Will of the Wisps a gear-gated game. You’re constantly coming across inaccessible areas, only to find the proper tool or skill later. It’s an unbelievably oversaturated genre right now, especially in the 2D space. However, Ori stands out with its spectacular craft. There were several occasions where I stopped to think “Wow, this a clever piece of level design.” It’s so good, so interconnected and laden with hidden areas or shortcuts, it would be impossible not to notice.

Run, Ori, Run

Boss battles and chase sequences from the first game return. The battles themselves are solid, even if it is more for the visual splendor than the combat challenge they provide. The chase sequences are exhilarating delights that I came to think of as platforming bosses. Every one of these is the right level of difficulty, and you’ll feel fantastic about yourself when you best them.

There are throwaway side missions in the game as well. A few of these led to new areas, but they most tended to be brief fetch quests. Eventually I found it much simpler to ignore these forgettable missions until I go back for the 100% completion. More interesting is the hub village you’ll continuously return to. At the start of the game, it’s overgrown with dangerous flora and lies mostly ruinous. Over time, you can pour resources into the town to help restore its luster. It’s a nice added narrative incentive to seek out hidden areas. I fully rebuilt the town’s garden, and felt pretty pleased with myself.

Unfortunately, all this beauty comes at a cost. Ori and the Will of the Wisps is somewhat of a technical nightmare. Ordinarily this is something I brush off completely, but all too often these technical woes cost me severe damage. The game regularly and consistently locks up for several seconds at a time. It could be during platforming, boss battles, or even cutscenes. It’s such a consistent problem I can’t imagine it wasn’t caught before the game’s release. The game even crashed on me twice. I have no doubt these issues will be resolved with a patch in time, but as it currently stands, it’s in pretty rough shape.

 

A Shining Star

Don’t let that deter you at all, however. As frustrating as the hitching can be, it never made me want to put the game down. I haven’t torn through a game at this pace all year. It’s seriously some of the best 2D level design in years. The way everything plays into the platforming is absolutely brilliant. Never before have I seen a gear-gated game so thoroughly focused on traversal over combat. And while the story may be simple, it makes more than a few bold choices that I appreciated, and wraps up in a beautiful and poignant way. Make no mistake, Ori and the Will of the Wisps is an absolute must-play for any Xbox One or PC owner.

To hear more about Ori and the Will of the Wisps, be sure to check out Episode 286 of The Gaming Outsider Podcast. The entire crew chatted about the game around the 1:04:57 time stamp.

This review is based on a copy of Ori and the Will of the Wisps downloaded via Xbox Gamepass. It is also available on GamePass via PC and may also be purchased for either platform.