Ori and the Will of the Wisps Review: A splendid platformer to fall in love with

In an era filled to the brim with battle royales, MOBAs, and tactical card battlers, it can be really difficult for more traditional genres, such as platformers and puzzlers to find their own space. So, it comes down to us to bring the best of these "backstage performers" into the spotlight, and today we've got a nice little platforming gem for you courtesy of Moon Studios.

Enter Ori and the Will of the Wisps, the chronological sequel to the much-loved Ori and the Blind Forest from 2015. Yup, Moon's lovable munchkin-like spirit is back for a second adventure on PC and Xbox One, and this time he's on a quest to unravel his true destiny. 

Simply marvellous

On the surface, WotW's main ingredients haven't changed much from its award-winning predecessor, and that's good news since the original's combination of dreamlike aesthetics, classic platformer gameplay and an engaging story was what made it such a great game. Well, WotW packs all of that and then some, but we'll cross those bridges as we go along. First things first - how does the updated Ori look?

Long story short, the little forest spirit himself looks amazing, but of course there's more to it. In terms of art style, the graceful and dreamlike allure of the Ori series was (and still is) one of its biggest plus points, in the sense that it's amazingly effective at capturing both the tranquil and menacing aspects of Ori's forest home when the situation calls for it.

That allure has been taken up a notch in WotW, especially within the game's numerous cinematic sequences and throughout my journey, I was often marvelling at the sheer beauty of the game, from the NPCs, to the environments and even Ori himself as he nimbly maneuvres through the levels. There's a certain fluidity and smoothness to the graphics that gels very well with the series' fantasy roots too, so thumbs up to the folks at Moon Studios in that regard. 

Apart from the exploratory aspect, WotW's aesthetics are also prominently featured in its combat aspect. After all, you'd be wise not to belittle the little munchkin - pair him up with the right abilities and suddenly he turns into the most badass mini-Jedi the forest has ever seen.

Yes, you heard me - a mini-Jedi, because spoiler alert: there's only one type of warrior I know that uses a sword made out of light. Anyway, let's just say I got a real kick out of using Moon Studios' version of a lightsaber, not to mention Ori's various other combat capabilities.

Couple all of the above with sound effects that provide just enough bite for you to feel the "oomph" without being overly flashy, and there you have it - a very pleasant, immersive and yet crisp-looking platformer that's fit for both a lazy afternoon or a rainy evening. Speaking of sounds, let's talk about the audio next. 

Sounds good!

So, that's the graphics done and dusted. But before we go any further, here's a pop quiz: What do you call a burger without any fillings?

Don't think too hard about it - the answer is just "bread", and by that same token, WotW's awe-inspiring graphics wouldn't really amount to much without an equally amazing soundtrack to accompany it. Fortunately, composer Gareth Coker has done a stellar job of filling in this blank, and I daresay he's outdone his work from the first game. 

For starters, our main takeaway regarding the audio hasn't changed from our preview experience - the music itself is entrancing, and the tunes pair perfectly with the emotions that the developers want you to feel at that point in time. So, whether it's the fear of facing a monstrous black wolf in the dead of night, or zipping through the levels without a care in the world, the melodies do a great job of creating that particular environmental "mood" for you, and that's something that any platformer title will appreciate, not just Ori. 

Looks aren't everything

Having great aesthetics are cool, but it would all be moot if the gameplay itself is dreary and boring, right? Lucky for us, that's not the case. Actually, I'll just go ahead and say it: WotW is one of the best platformers I have played in my life, and I'm not exaggerating. 

To be honest, it feels quite odd leaving the gameplay talk all the way on the second page, but hey, when everything deserves their time in the spotlight, you've got to compromise. Anyway, building on what we've already mentioned about the combat, it's time to tie that in with Ori's actual platformer bits. 

Conceptually, it's pretty much business as usual - explore the various zones, solve puzzles and discover abilities that will help you get past the next roadblock. Of course, you'll face various types of quirky enemies along the way, and bosses too, but we'll get into that in a bit.

So, what really makes Ori a spectacular platformer? The secret lies in his mobility, or rather, his amazing repertoire of traversal options. From simpler movements like double jumps and mid-air dashes to more complex ones like swinging from chains of light, the sheer dynamicity of how Ori can get around really takes the platformer experience to a whole new level. What's more, sometimes you have to chain them together too, especially when you're running away from the boss in parkour-intensive sequences. Like his weapons, this mobility features prominently in Ori's fights too, and it's pretty satisfying to slot in a few arrows in slow-motion before dashing in and dicing enemies up with your sword. 

Speaking of enemies, I didn't find the game particularly difficult, even the bosses. It's your usual formula of observing their attack patterns and adjusting accordingly - there's really not much more to it than that. I will concede that some bosses do a particularly good job of looking scary, and some which are really just interesting to look at - the variety is good.  

Meanwhile, the puzzles themselves aren't as complex as they might appear to be. In my opinion, they're much easier than what you find in your conventional puzzler, so you won't be tearing your hair out in frustration any time soon. Whether that's a good thing or not is entirely up to personal preference though - I know some gamers who would prefer to rack their brains and some who don't. It's also worth bringing up what Senior Game Producer Daniel Smith told us during our interview about setting personal challenges in WotW.

Essentially, one of the main pieces of feedback the team got for The Blind Forest was that it was too difficult, and so they've introduced the Shards system, which are basically small quality of life improvements (such as sticking to walls) that Ori can equip, up to a maximum of three. Now, this is a really smart addition as it caters to both types of platformer gamers, namely the ones that want a real challenge, and those who are just in it for fun, while still adding that extra unique flavour to WotW as a whole.

All of this ensures that no matter what kind of gamer you are, you're able to enjoy the game at your own difficulty, and at your own pace. It's difficult to find titles with as much freedom as this, much less a platformer, so I'm really taking my hat off to Moon Studios for this one.

Those little specks of dust

So far, the journey has been pretty smooth-sailing, but to quote a cliche, "Where there is light, there is also darkness", and WotW isn't exempt from that rule. There are two areas where I find the game a little lacking, but it might just be me.

My main gripe with WotW is actually a fundamental problem shared by most platformers, although some handle it a little better than others. Basically, it has to do with when players have to backtrack and find a puzzle piece or ability to help them get past the next obstacle. In WotW, there are literally no "Fast Travel" stations, and it can be downright tedious having to hoof it all the way back to explore a certain nook and cranny you'd ignored twenty minutes ago. 

Now I get that this is all part of a platformer's "revisitation" appeal, and while I'm generally ok with backtracking a little, I would have really appreciated it if they allowed teleportation to the "Fountains" or something of the sort. After all, having to retrace your steps isn't exactly the most pleasant thing to do, especially if there's an unexplored zone that's really far off. It doesn't help that the monsters respawn after you travel a certain number of zones away too. Granted, the fighting is pretty fun, but even that can get a little dull if you have to fight the same thing six or seven times while trying to find out what you've missed.

The other bit is with regard to what we'll call the game's Race Mode (or Spirit Trials). If you've played Time Trials on racing sims with a ghost opponent, this is pretty much the same thing in a platformer game, but on steroids. Basically, you can compete with several ghosts of friends or random players to see who can get to the end of a "challenge circuit" first - it's as simple as that. However, its simplicity means that it tends to get dry rather quickly too, especially since there's not much you can attain from winning but bragging rights and possibly some resources. Now, I understand that the developers were trying to leverage Ori's impressive movement repertoire with this addition, but honestly, I think it's going to need a little work.

Still, that's just two slightly rusty cogs in the whole WotW machine, and the game is a real masterpiece outside of it. So, I guess you could close an eye here if you're looking for a decent platformer. Between its gorgeous aesthetics and crisp gameplay experience, there's really a lot that Ori and the Will of the Wisps gets right, and the option of setting personal challenges or speed-running is always open to boot.

Some people have already managed to complete the game within an hour, but if you're just an everyday gamer with a fondness for platformers, taking it slow and seeing all that Ori's forest home has to offer is a pretty solid idea too. Don't forget to plug in the headphones!

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