What to Play: Ori and the Will of the Wisps

by Opaque Senator, GGR Contributor

Alright, so you all knew this was coming. The Opaque Senator is back again, and you know I was absolutely gushing earlier this year about the game Ori and the Blind Forest. I had such a fun time playing that game, and was truly moved by the music and story. I mentioned at the end of my article that playing through the game made me want to immediately buy its sequel, Ori and the Will of the Wisps. Well, I did. If you look up this game, it is getting amazing reviews from everyone; some even giving it “Game of the Year” kudos. You can count me among them.

This game is was released in March of 2020 and is a direct sequel to the first game, so I will be giving a completely spoiler free review here, with no story elements.

I did want to call out just how well done the story for the game was. I am not someone who gets terribly emotional in media. There's a couple of musical tracks out there, and a moment or two in movies that have gotten me over the years, but it's very rare. I was very teary eyed at the end of this game. There's no other word for it other than beautiful.

That word also extends to the visuals. The first game was a wonder, but everything is stepped up here (it helps that it's 5 years after the release of the first game). The first game had a lot of blues and greens in its color palette, but this one delves heavily into purples and golds. Mind you, each area is very pronounced in their own palettes, but that's the general theme and it serves the game and mood very well. The colors in the Luma Pools area of the game are definitely a high point. It feels like I'm on the world in the movie Avatar (the blue alien one, not the live action anime crap-fest, haha). But there's contrast here too. There are your typical forest, ice, desert, and graveyard-like areas. My favorite area to traverse was the Windswept Wastes. I've always been partial to desert themed areas, and this was no exception. Plus to top it off it has one of my favorite musical tracks in the game:

More on the music though in a bit, but feel free to play this one while you read.

The main thing to note in this game is the elements of the original they decided to improve on. There were some slight weaknesses in the first game.

The first, despite its fast and frenetic game play, the focus of the game was not combat but movement through the various areas. Though that core is kept here, there is a whole new array of weapons and ways to attack, completely overhauling combat. In the first game, your only measures of defense were through Sein, the light orb that works to defend you and your bashing enemies and projectiles while in air, with which of course you were also working on movement. Pretty early on in this game you get the equivalent of a lightsaber and from there combat is emphasized and built upon. You end up having 10 or so weapons and measures of attack, both melee and ranged, in addition to the returning “Bash” ability and a slew of others. By game’s end you are flying through the areas of the game. This is one of the first games in a long time I went through and actually completed all of the side quests. Believe me, I am NOT a completionist type gamer, its just not something I worry a ton about. But, I did get that achievement in this game. It was fun, but fast paced once you start upgrading. You can choose from a plethora of different battle styles, further making multiple playthroughs interesting.

Another place Ori and the Will of the Wisps expands on is an emphasis on more world building and side characters. You meet many different characters in this game, which also support the many side quests you can go on. At first, I actually was not a fan of this addition, especially the Moki, which are the main inhabitants of Niwen. I felt these creatures and the constant dialogue breaks just kept breaking up the pace of the game to start. As the game kept moving, though, and the story started gearing up, I was no longer annoyed by them but wanted to help them with their various problems. The mix of returning and new characters does serve the world and story well, and it ended up helping immensely with immersion. This extends to the various bosses of the game too. The bosses are all mostly the guardians of the world, corrupted by darkness. Beating them undoes the corruption, save for the main antagonist of the game, Shriek. Again, I won't give away any story elements, but I really like how the writers handled Shriek. If you play the game, you'll have to let me know if you agree.

The soundtrack is even more excellent than what was offered in the first game. This game is bigger than the first, and that includes the soundtrack. Every area has an appropriate theme, whether its sweeping orchestral music, to creepy ambiance, to powerful vocal numbers at the big moments. I know I went over my favorite level theme, but the intro music is also just an absolutely gorgeous piece. I really liked this rendition here by Lara Loft and Thomas Kruger...

Overall, much like the first game, even if you are not into Metroidvania style games, I highly, highly recommend Ori and the Will of the Wisps after you get through Ori and the Blind Forest. These are two beautiful games that Moon Studios certainly put their hearts and souls into. The sequel expands upon and improves on the original game. The soundtrack, story line, visual aesthetics, and game play all come together to form a real masterpiece of a game. You can find this game on Steam for the PC and Xbox One. Go...buy...it.

Thank you all for reading! In this rather opaque world, I hope this makes things a little more clear. Until next time!