Savepoint: ORI AND THE WILL OF THE WISPS
(this review contains no story spoilers)
It’s difficult to discuss Ori’s second adventure without resorting to comparisons, as the game wears its inspirations so proudly upon its sleeve. With that in mind, forgive me when I say:
ORI AND THE WILL OF THE WISPS (2020) is ORI AND THE BLIND FOREST (2015) meets SONIC COLOURS (2010) meets DONKEY KONG COUNTRY RETURNS (2010) meets MARK OF THE NINJA (2012) meets RAYMAN LEGENDS (2013) meets HOLLOW KNIGHT (2017) meets GUACAMELEE! 2 (2018) meets THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: LINK’S AWAKENING (1993/2019).
And I love it.
For those of you who haven’t devoured every popular platform game of the last decade (and I imagine that will be a lot of you), the similarities may not be clear: WILL OF THE WISPS initially stands out from its many competitors thanks to its gut-wrenching story and eye-popping visuals, not to mention the fully-orchestrated score made possible with the funds of the otherwise shooter-focused Microsoft. The most frequently made comparison before its release was with HOLLOW KNIGHT due to the updated combat shown off in its trailers, and even then enemies feel far less threatening in WILL OF THE WISPS, allowing the player to experiment with the wider pool of tools and abilities available.
Instead, it was in the moment-to-moment gameplay that the game’s inspirations truly shone through to me. I was overjoyed to cling to the azure-coloured grass as I had done in DONKEY KONG, and to burrow through sand as I had done in SONIC COLOURS. It seems strange that I’m showering such a familiar-sounding game with so much praise in a blog about adventures new and old, yet by combining such an eclectic collection of influences and improving on each one (Ori bursts out from the sand with a grace Sonic never had) WILL OF THE WISPS is able to craft a unique identity of its own. I’d love to gush about every single ability Ori gets throughout the roughly 10-hour adventure, but I think the thrill of discovering each one and experiencing how the level designers incorporate it with the rest of the world is the game’s greatest strength.
…Let’s step back a little. In my obsession with how the game compares to its peers, I’ve almost completely neglected to discuss it on its own terms. So… let’s do that.
At the centre of every platform game are two questions:
- Does the character feel good to control?
- Does the world feel good to explore?
Thankfully, WILL OF THE WISPS excels in both of these departments. In a design choice that is unconventional for its genre, Ori has a different move for all eight action buttons (or even more when you consider that the abilities assigned to X, Y and B can be changed). While this reduces the game’s simplicity compared to its three-button peers (as well as making it far less accessible to those who are unfamiliar with modern controllers), it transforms the platforming into an altogether spontaneous experience. The player is handed a vast toolbox of moves to experiment with, and stringing together a dozen or so actions without touching the floor feels euphoric.
This focus on improvisation extends to the updated combat, which has been completely redesigned for the sequel. What was once a bland, detached affair is now a frantic dance of death that offers players countless opportunities to not just defeat their foes, but to do so with style. Unlike the oppressive corridors and aggressive enemies of HOLLOW KNIGHT, the combat arenas in WILL OF THE WISPS are expansive and full of comparatively weak monsters, resulting in joyful encounters that effortlessly flow between land and air. The only problem is that of the twelve abilities, some feel far more essential than others, and with only three slots to use I quickly abandoned most of my arsenal. (Slow fire damage? In a game with laser swords and hammers? Really?)
The world Ori explores is also near-flawless. Eschewing the maze-like design of its contemporaries for a slightly more linear approach, WILL OF THE WISPS provides players with set goals, making the act of travelling from A to B more important than blind exploration. Whether that’s a good thing or not is up to each player’s taste, but personally I loved the constant sense of momentum as I freely danced from one beautifully designed area to another without touching the ground.
“STRINGING TOGETHER A DOZEN OR SO MOVES WITHOUT EVER TOUCHING THE FLOOR FEELS EUPHORIC”
Elsewhere, WILL OF THE WISPS looks, sounds and even reads like a dream. The new ‘2.5D’ visual style looks stunning, with diverse locations full of small details. I shuddered my way through the depths of the giant spider Mora’s lair, and my sense of wonder was just as powerful as I explored the vibrant Luma Pools.
The music is just as impressive, too. Returning composer Gareth Coker has provided yet another barrage of gorgeous original tracks (once again, the Luma Pools are a highlight) as well as fantastic remixes of songs from the original game, which shine brightest during the returning ‘escape sequences’.
While the main story scenes hit similar emotional highs to the original, it was in the dialogue for the newly introduced NPCs that Moon Studios’ storytellers charmed me the most. Characters speak to Ori in that perfect ‘adventure game style’: warm and humourous yet always cryptically hinting at some rumour they’ve heard on the grapevine. It’s Nintendo Treehouse-quality stuff.
Notice how this piece started as an emotional outburst, then settled into a conventional review? WILL OF THE WISPS does that, too. Despite my initial impressions being glowing, I was disappointed to see the game sink into over-familiarity as the adventure progressed. The final area is near-identical to Mount Horu from the first game, with only minor changes and an unsatisfying boss fight to differentiate it. Needless to say, the game’s final hours felt less like an improvement of established concepts and more like a retread of old, infertile ground.
As the game’s final scene played out before me, I let the sights and sounds of the credits wash over me, my mind overrun with questions. Why did I love such a familiar game? Did I love it at all? Have I spent my whole life sneering at sequels while holding close the ones I like? Even at the time of making this review, I can’t deny that possibility.
Instead, my conclusion is this: similar sequels can be fantastic. They often build upon the best aspects of a piece of media while giving the audience another chance to step back into a world they love. Yet for all the comfort Ori and friends provide to me, I know that the feeling of stumbling across something truly original is just as valuable a treasure.
(PC, Xbox One) (also available via Xbox Game Pass)
