Now Playing: Ori and the Will of the Wisps

Ori and the Will of the Wisps is what I would describe as a ‘perfect sequel’. It expands upon everything the original did right, whilst also fixing those minor things the original did wrong. And, to be fair, Ori and the Blind Forest didn’t get much wrong. Will of the Wisps didn’t need to reinvent or overhaul the core gameplay, it just needed to build upon it, and that’s exactly what it does.

Once again, you’re playing as the cute little Ori, now lost in an unknown land on a new adventure. You won’t start with any of the abilities you unlocked in the original – a concession to new players so they can be eased into the experience – but it’s not long before you’ll have access to all of your previous abilities, but also a wide and varied range of new abilities.

The most significant change in Will of the Wisps is combat. Combat in Blind Forest was very simple and mostly consisted of spamming a single attack button. But in Will of the Wisps, you have several combat skills you can switch between on the fly. As a result, the combat is more varied and flexible than in the original.

You’ll be switching between one skill to the next, combining them and your traversal skills to flip between enemies, racking up kills on the move. And this is even more important in the new boss fights. Like Blind Forest, Will of the Wisps includes some very enjoyable and tense ‘escape’ sequences to test your platform skills, but it also integrates some very enjoyable, multi-stage boss fights to test your combat skills.

I’m always in favour of combat systems that grant the player some creative flexibility, and that’s exactly what Will of the Wisps does. Whilst some skills are necessary to beat certain fights, there are others that are purely optional and are there for the player to explore, experiment with and combine in unique and creative ways.

The platform and puzzle aspect of Will of the Wisps is just as good as it was in the original but, once again, it’s a system that’s been expanded with a range of new abilities. As you progress, you’ll find yourself combining new and old skills to traverse some very tricky sections – including those escape sequences. And, like the original, the world design is excellent, as new skills not only unlock and allow access to new areas, but also allow you to unlock short-cuts and traverse previously tricky sections with ease.

It is, of course, the same tried and tested sequence of progression that we saw in the original. But I don’t think it’s always fully appreciated how important the world design is in a game like this, how each and every area connects from one to the next and how each new ability changes the way you traverse new and previously explored sections.

Will of the Wisps just makes it seem so effortless which is all the more impressive when you consider that the map is, I would estimate, nearly three times larger than that in the original. There’s more environments to explore and a greater variety of environment types. Visually, as you might expect, the game looks stunning and the music perfectly complements the mood.

The game also introduces new npc sides quests into the mix and a range of collectible ‘shards’ that you can equip to bolster existing abilities or modify various aspects of combat. Once again, it’s offering the player more creative flexibility in how they ‘build’ Ori around their preferred style of play.

The story isn’t something I want to spoil but it’s just as charming and emotional as that of the original. I’m not ashamed to admit it had me tearing up at the end. If I had one criticism of Will of the Wisps it would probably be the difficulty – I’d say this is an easier game than the original. The platform sequences aren’t quite as tricky or unforgiving, and the new ‘heal’ ability means you don’t worry as much about taking damage – if you do, you can just heal up and keep going.

Overall, I don’t really have much more to say about Ori and the Will of the Wisps. It’s a fantastic game, an excellent sequel and it doesn’t really put a foot wrong. It’s well paced, it’s always opening up new areas and environments to explore, new enemies to fight and new abilities to play with. Thanks to the brilliant world design, backtracking is never tedious despite the larger map, and the game doesn’t outstay its welcome. It knows when to end and end on a high note.

If you’ve not played Blind Forest then I’d recommend picking up and playing that first so you can better appreciate the story aspects. If you have played Blind Forest and liked it then Will of the Wisps is a must buy. It’s a perfect sequel and another strong contender for my GOTY.

9/10