I'm in the minority in actually preferring the original Ori game, even if only very slightly. On some level it's a weird conclusion to come to as Ori and the Will of the Wisps is just straight up better in a lot of ways; the movement pool is expanded, reintroduces the old abilities in swift fashion and many of the new abilities are enjoyable too, the chase sequences are much less frustrating due to being quite a bit easier to sight-read than in the first game, the game embraces being a Metroidvania rather than doing the awkward straddling of genres that Ori 1 did, the awful save system from the first game has been scrapped, the combat has been dramatically improved (which is to say it's now pretty good now, rather than so bad you just run past every enemy you can), and the uninspiring skill tree from the first game has been replaced with a badge system seemingly pulled almost directly from Hollow Knight.

And yet, despite the moment-to-moment gameplay just being a more enjoyable, engaging and well-designed experience, Ori 2 sometimes left me with a bit of a hollow feeling whilst playing it. A part of this is the story beats, with the same absence of emotional subtlety that Ori 1 had also, feel a lot more explicitly manipulative in something that often feels like a repeat of the first game's story; it was hard at points for me to take Ori 1's story sincerely, but here it feels just impossible. A part of this too is that I don't think being Bigger is actually necessarily Better in this case; this game has races, side-quests (including an arduous trading side-quest which is made hard to keep track of by all the Moki blending together) and multiple different ways to regrow a town, and while some of this adds to the game at some points an awful lot of the time completing the side content just felt like I was ticking off boxes. Maybe a full-on Metroidvania wasn't what I wanted all along, certainly I feel like the strongest parts of Ori tended to be the more linear, focused sections, or maybe a Metroidvania with all this Content can only really come together for me if the game has as much personality as Hollow Knight does in order to make that content more memorable rather than just going through the motions.

as i approached ori and the will of wisps (from here on ori 2 so you can guess what ori 1 is unless you got damage in the prefrontal cortex in that case I'm very sorry its ori and the blind forest) I knew I would end up crying like a bitch again at least 1/3 of the first game and somehow yes that was true I cried a lot but definitely less than the first game like the first game is honestly just that emotionally scarring and while playing ori 2 I was like oh anyway im not crying as much as ori 1 maybe im suddenly a mentally stable human being and then I'd cry and reconfirm my psychological instability

now as I'm talking about this I already forgot everything I wanted to say so this is gonna be hard maybe as hard as the final dungeon or as hard as my dick when I think about the locomotion that this duology made me experience

as a direct sequel of the first game obviously lots of stuff from that one carried over to this one in a quality augmented state

namely the battle system got SO MUCH THOUGHT put into it that it doesn't even remotely compare to ori 1 they really snapped with this one they said yknow what gaming community mocked us for making a shit battle system so that's what happens when you fuck with some shut ins make ori wield a fucking hammer

on a mechanical note its like ... umh ... how can you explain this battle system ok anyhow you get a flash of light (a sword or a stiletto? wait isnt stiletto the heel in english oh my god i hate this language anyway the thin sword) but then you can expand your arsenal with some other weapons (I LOVE the hammer guys I fucked with the hammer too much it was so fun to use and also to see it used like little small ori with a fat ass hammer was TOO much i actually ended up unlocking the hammer like early in the game and the others during the postgame and i havent used them not even once but idk i used the shuriken once and hated it so i just closed the game lets go) and also you can get umh skills ? or shit like that that unexpectedly work like the badges in hollow knight as soon as I saw them I was like oooooh now I get where they got the inspiration to further the ideas in the battle department and honestly I do not mind hollow knights combat is top notch so they learned from the champion

as I also said in the ori 1 review this also results into better boss battles and WHAT THE FUCK do I LOVE the boss battles in this game there's not many of them maybe like 5 in total but they are so cinematically pleasing mechanically outstanding and emotionally drenching sometimes and theyre an absolute pleasure to sit through very good moon studios you outdid yourselves again

now back to the best part of both games tho the movement ok well we already settled that ori locomotion is of utter brilliance and things here didnt change that much since the first game so i wont say something that i already said in the other review so i will just say that apart from the mapping of the buttons shit remained quite the same less some new abilities so thats it
clearly its still a pleasure to roam in this magnificent environment that now is another place its not nibel anymore lets go

niwen is now the focus of the game and if youre asking how the characters get here youll have to wait for the story section smartass

moon studios still know how to create tremendous environments and atmosphere its just incredible
every biome of niwen feels alive breathing and flourishing and its drawn and animated in a way so gentle and tender that i can just feel the love that was poured into this game through the fucking scene i swear its unreal

graphics got better somehow but thats not the most important part because the art direction is just as splendid as ever the mere sight of any screenshot of this game online will make you gasp in awe i just know it its just color theory everywhere how do they do that

plus something that accompanies these already immersive places is the soundtrack that somehow got broader and more solemn than the one in ori 1 which was already impressive im just gareth coker just how do you do that im asking seriously please share some of your talent with us plebs because this feels like god got their favourites and it doesnt sit right with me

honestly for a soundtrack that is precisely 2 times the one of ori 1 this is just evidently more mature and well put together everything here just sounds like honey poured in my headphones and i cant ask for anything else it got every mood possible from sorrow joy eagerness everything if youre not going to play the game at least listen to this OST its just UGHHHHHHHHHHHHH

"but bestie its the recurring trope of recent game music where they just layer as many instruments possible into it just to make it sound grand" ok idc i love it suck my dick

lemme think about what else to say ok gameplay is still platforming (less puzzles more action) and the new aspects of the game flow ? didnt love them didnt hate them like the side quests were cute but nothing groundbreaking for me and i feel like they are here just to tick another box into the triple A game trope but still this is ori so i can excuse everything

collecting stuff for the progression of the character and construction of the village was fun and interesting or whatever but less appealing than the one in ori 1 (i didnt 100% this one im sorry guys im not a true ori stan)

anyhow story wise HEAVY SPOILER felt weaker than the first one but still hit me in the feels ku (daughter of kuro) grows up with ori and naru (the cutscenes made me tear my hair our i swear ori helping ku and shit was too cute i feel like crying again) and tries to find her spot in the world and when she realises she cant fly because of a deep wound in her wing she kind of gets depressed and shit so ori gets back the feather of kuro that he used in the first game and repairs her wing so they fly together in the sky and a storm gets them to niwen and they get attacked by a big bad bird which is walmart kuro and gets also a sad flashback (i cried again) and somehow she ends up killing (almost killing ?) ku so oris new mission here is to get the 3 spirits of light (i dont know how theyre called in english) to help reviving the rotting land of niwen and also ku with it so you just do that (some more traumatic experiences in between) and get in a ruin of sort and reconstruct the golden light of seir and get infodumped about some legacy idk so they get to the dying willow to save the place but shocker theres nothing they can do for the tree itself BUT if seir and ori merge together they can form another spirit tree but shreik tries to kill ori so ori beats her ass and she returns to her dead tribe place and sleeps in the hands of her petrified parents (dont talk to me i was actually a mess honestly those single 3 seconds killed me im sorry this isnt a game for me im too emotional) so ori and seir unite but this means that ori will be trapped in the duty of watching over the land forever and this is actually the most painful trope i can think of this is just miserable im miserable and the ending scene where everyone helps the tree grow and cherish it and such and then naru finally exhaling her last breath near the being that she loved the most ? im sorry i cant keep on writing this is too much honestly this game ruined me again still didnt top ori 1 but damn what a ride this duology is im a corpse

the end

all in all cool game that definitely didnt leave me expressionless for a hour after finishing it

Meu Deus, que jogo maravilhoso ! Esse jogo me deixa tão feliz, tão alegre por dentro, que eu nem sei oque dizer direito, me diverti demais com ele e aproveitei o máximo que eu podia. A gameplay desse jogo é gostosa de mais, os gráficos lindos de morrer, e a história desse jogo é uma das mais lindas que já vi, confesso que quase chorei algumas vezes. Me diverti muito do inicio ao fim. Mesmo eu não gostando muito de metroidvanias, se tornou um dos meus jogos favoritos de todos os tempos. Isso pessoas não é um simples jogo, é uma Obra Prima!

"Ori and the Will of the Wisps" is a very delightful game.

Personally I didn't really know what to expect here. I played the first game rather easily and quickly. But I still enjoyed the overall experience that "Ori and the Blind Forest" offered.

So last week after I finished the hilarious and absurd game "Postal 2" I was looking for something a bit less crass and ridiculous that was Postal. So while looking through my endless backlog on steam I spotted the Ori sequel. And I really didn't give it a second thought of downloading it because of how good that first game was. And I feel bad that I didn't play this sequel sooner.

Ori and the Will of the Wisps not only improves on Ori and the Blind Forests gameplay it also amps up a lot of the emotional aspects of the characters and setting of this game. It was very interesting seeing how this game juggles the energetic combat, platforming and puzzle solving with these deep sentimental and quiet moments. Which is pretty different for a metroidvania because usually when you have a game with interesting characters and story they tend to ditch any form of interesting gameplay in service for a more compelling narrative. But the studio decided to give us both, which is always welcomed. Before anything else I have to mention the game's visual design because it is just gorgeous! A beautiful combination of these 2d/3d backgrounds, superep animations and the detailed character models. Most games nowadays tend to be quite bland looking so seeing this game use the entire color wheel was very nice.

After all that gushing about the game I gotta at least state one minor complaint I have with it. I wasn't really fond of the boss battles. Most of the time I really hated how button mashy it got and how absurdly tanky they were, which made them all kind feel the same despite them being quite different visually.

Anyways besides that one complaint I wholeheartedly recommend the game. I will absolutely keep an eye out for whatever this studio will do next.

Ori and the Will of the Wisps is a sequel that builds on the original in many ways and addresses almost all of its predecessor's faults. Its world is far more expansive, with far more things to do and collect. Small things like the Speed Trials and the Shrines help break up the monotony and are good ways to encourage the player to explore more and look for these challenges. The amount of collectibles has also increased compared to the Blind Forest, which only had health, mana, and ability upgrades.

One of Will of the Wisps' biggest improvements is in its structure. The first game had the taste of a real metroidvania, but never really delved deep enough to be considered so in a meaningful way. In contrast, the amount of freedom and non-linearity Will of the Wisps provides is a breath of fresh air. Although it still may not be as open as its fellow modern metroidvanias such as Hollow Knight, it still gives the player a good reason to backtrack and explore each area as much as possible. On top of this, allowing the player to visit each of the game's main quests in any order (think Divine Beasts from BOTW), is a great improvement on the Blind Forest, which felt foolish not to allow players to do the same.

Will of the Wisps also greatly improves on the combat. Although it is still not great, it is far less boring compared to the Blind Forest. The game provides multiple different weapons for the player to choose from, and although there isn't much reason to use them all, it's still a nice option. The newly added "Shard" system is also a decent way of adding some variety in movement and combat, although it feels almost exactly like a watered-down version of Hollow Knight's "charm" system than something original to Ori. Enemies continue to remain an issue, with most simply being minor inconveniences rather than something the player genuinely needs the feel to fight. This is especially unfortunate, as it makes the shiny new combat system feel largely redundant. Although the bosses were a nice touch, almost all of them turn into chase sequences by halfway through, and none of them particularly stand out, other than of course, the game's main antagonist.

One of Ori's greatest strengths has always been its compelling story, and fortunately, that continues to be the case in its sequel. Although the plot, once again, is nothing mind-blowing, it tells a very simple story in an effective, emotionally moving manner. The end of the game in particular shocked me and left me with both sadness and hope for the game's characters and world.

However, Ori's story would be nothing without its beautiful presentation. Gareth Coker once again returns as the game's composer and continues to prove himself as the star of this franchise. Each area, scene, and fight are launched into a whole new level thanks to his beautiful score, and the beautiful lands designed by Moon Studios would feel like empty shells without it. Speaking of these beautifully designed lands, they also continue to impress. Ori and the Blind Forest had stunning areas, but nearly every area in Will of the Wisps leaves the player in awe, admiring the breathtaking environments. Although the game may have faults in other aspects, presentation is definitely not one of them, and for all intents and purposes, is basically flawless.

The game suffers through some mild performance issues, with some pop-in and stuttering occurring throughout. However, none of this is major and didn't impact my experience with the game in any meaningful way.

One of the game's biggest issues is a lack of originality. The plot and mechanics of the game, while great, feel like exact replicas of those from the first. Not only that but a few areas and mechanics such as the aforementioned "Shards" system feel almost stolen from Hollow Knight. The structure of the game is nearly identical to that of the first, and while fitting for the end and beginning, feels largely lazy for the rest of the game.

All in all, Ori and the Will of the Wisps is a beautiful game, designed with passion and love for both its previously established fans and the newcomers it invites to the franchise. The game is still not perfect, with a lack of originality and a still subpar combat system to blame. However, as a sequel, it serves its purpose beautifully and leaves the player satisfied (and perhaps slightly teary-eyed!) by the end.

8/10

The second game by Moon Studios manages to surpass everything done in the game prior. With continued effort and passion from all ranges of its crew, extending out to the designer of AM2R, to Gareth Coker's continued musical excellence, all the way to the head designers, Ori and the Will of the Wisps offers an amazing cohesive action platformer experience that to me, has no conceivable equal in the ways it excels.

The combat is practically DMC meets platforming, with similar gravity and a whole customizable moveset that extends and prioritizes air time, spacing, and bashing enemies to and fro. You're able to play both defensively and offensively at any moment, and all these options have their own costs and benefits. Each of the enemies are well done in terms of moveset and forcing you to be wary of their movements and danger zones. To extend this further, the combat also supplements the already amazing movement taken straight from Ori 1 (minus bash momentum no longer being conserved, which is really the only negative I have here). Using enemies to construct more air time gives you several ways to sequence break the game at any point. And finally, the bosses are spectacular, every single one having perfectly speedy ways to kill them and their movesets themselves being worthy challenges to master and fight around. Even if you're tired of those, the overworld has several combat trials for you to bash your head on, of which can be retried even after completion.

The level design itself is nothing short of exceptional, with challenges in spades and atmospheric delights at each doorstep. While I wish there was a more path of pain-esque area to fully utilize what you can do with moveset swaps, what's here is still excellent. The escape sequences are also way better now, with most of the trial/error bullshit taken out and keeping the grueling challenge and one-shot nature that is a perfect encapsulation of Ori's speed systems.

I can't talk about the levels of course without acknowledging how absolutely beautiful the art is, with each area having a wonderful color palette and distinct tone. The story and music is just as well supplemented , with what I believe to be Gareth Coker's best work as he makes exceptional emotional moments with Luma Pools and every escape sequence and boss battle. I was brought to tears more than once by just how well executed each moment was.

There are a few miscellaneous things to discuss, I really enjoy the "dungeons" of Ori 2 over the original, I like how upgrades and collectibles work with clear benefits to the latter and each upgrade being very distinct for the former. The Hollow Knight charms system is a worthy thing to grab to utilize here. Lastly, I want to cover my one and only issue, of which might date this review (since there's a patch forthcoming) but needs to be said. The performance bugs as well as optimization is almost awful. For a cohesive artistic experience like this, having sound buzzing if you're not running on a SSD and complete stuttering in a couple areas can really just break the whole thing at times. It's a tightrope you don't want to fall off of, so I hope the patch comes as soon as possible.

Either way, I can't wait to go back and 100% this game several times over, and start speedrunning this game to hell and back. I'm already practicing the boss times to fight as fast as possible. Despite the current issues, I'm giving this one of my best scores. (9.5/10)

Ok, three big things and one weird tangent.

Big Thing 1. I’m yet to find something in a video game that I get more pleasure from than moving quickly and precisely in 2D platformers, and my god does this game do traversal like a dream. Despite its somewhat overwhelming controls you never feel outside of the character, it's floaty when you expect and sharp when you want, always flowing beautifully between the many traversal options it presents throughout the game that consistently complements the previous ones.

It's obviously very similar to Blind Forest, and doesn't introduce anything as groundbreaking as the Bash, but honestly I could just do this forever and never get tired of it.

(also other games should totally just steal Bash, what are you waiting for)

Big Thing 2. So, I have this long standing silly debate with some folks I know about whether Ori is a metroidvania or not. The crux of my argument against it is that the game has no real interest in exploration, it is very linear, guided and progression always comes from story. But Moon Studios clearly loved Hollow Knight, and while I appreciate the added complexity to combat and the quirky characters with charming voices populating the world, it still isn't a game about exploring. And that becomes very clear when you look at how the map guy works. While in HK he is basically just selling you paper so you can draw your routes, making it so you can only see where you’ve already been through, here it's like he’s the one playing a metroidvania and just selling you the results of his work after he’s done.

I really do love these games as platformers, but they got nothing on really good metroidvanias, and trying to double down on that without really committing to it just seems like a waste.

Big Thing 3. It’s wild how they’re just straight up repeating the same tricks from the first game with the story here. Kinda feels like they can’t do anything other than ‘first five minutes of Up’ type of storytelling.

Weird Tangent. Is this the best Spider-Man game ever made!? I really think the only way we’ll ever come close to replicating the acrobatic, fast paced and precise mobility of that character in a video game is by limiting the movement to two axis. The 3D games always reduce the more extravagant traversal scenes to cheap QTEs because it would be impossible to control a character in situations like that, but we do it with Ori all the time! And he crawls on walls! And has this glowy rope thing he shots at stuff to get closer and he fights animal-like beings and… you get the idea.

Vou admitir: Ori and the Blind Forest não me agradou muito, achei a jogabilidade muito díficil e "dura". Mas esse jogo é
completamente diferente! Ori and the Will of the Wisps é uma sequência excelente, que melhora em todos os aspectos do jogo e pode até ser classificado como uma "masterpiece".

Aqui a jogabilidade sofreu um aprimoramento incrível; a movimentação é mais fluida, responde melhor e tem várias novas mecânicas. E o combate nem se fala, ficou 100× melhor que aquela bola flutuante do jogo anterior, com a disponibilidade de espada, martelo, torreta, lança, bola de fogo e mais umas paradas aí, se tornou algo muito mais fluído e equilibrado. Não está perfeito e tem muito a melhorar, mas foi realmente um salto bem notável. Quase me esqueço de mencionar do sistema de save que mudou daquele sisteminha lixo de save manual e foi para um automático que deixou o jogo muito menos frustante, uma ótima alteração também.

Outro aspecto que melhorou mesmo parecendo impossível ter alguma melhora foram os gráficos. Put@ que pariu! Devia ser crime fazer uma obra tão bonita assim, todo cenário do jogo parece uma pintura e ele tem uma das 5 artes mais bonitas que já vi em toda a minha vida. Infelizmente não dá para colocar imagens aqui, mas colocaria muitas se pudesse.
Além dos gráficos, a trilha sonora também ficou do caralh#. Não que o outro jogo não tivesse, mas ess aqui ficou melhor ainda na minha opnião, tem quem ache a do outro melhor e vice-versa.

Agora falando de level design: dessa vez o mapa tem side quests, algo que eu estranhei à princípio mas foi aplicado muito bem aqui, toda missão tem uma progressão muito legal e sempre recompensa com mais histórias, personagens, e moedas. Com isso e o fato de terem diversas novas áreas, o jogo ficou bem maior que o primeiro. Porém esse tamanho ainda é adequado, considerando o ritmo do jogo.

Na questão da história eu achei ela tão boa quanto o primeiro, não é uma lore gigante mas funciona muito bem, introduz vários personagens bacanas e tem um final legal (até meio inesperado).

A única coisa que eu fiquei meio dívidido mesmo foram as boss-fights; por um lado elas são muito bonitas e tem uma trilha femomenal, mas por outro o combate é díficil e resulta em diversas mortes, quebrando todo o clima da batalha, mas todas ainda tem uma conclusão que vale a pena todo o esforço.

No fim, Ori and the Will of the Wisps é uma sequência que melhora em tudo e se torna uma obra-prima dos jogos de plataforma.
9,5/10

Structurally very similar to the first, but does everything way better.

The few new mechanics are well made, the art style became even prettier and the level design is much better, no more 200 deaths to spikes and bad double jumps.

The addition of boss fights fits well the game and are good and not the frustrant like the escape moments from the first. There are escape moments again, but very easy to first try.

A beautiful end, made the way it was suppose to be.

Yeah this might just be one of the best games I've ever played.

Ori and the Blind Forest was already a really well made Metroidvania-type game as it is, and this game basically dials everything up to 11. For one thing I definitely felt more invested in the story in this game - not only did it feel easier to follow but manages to do so while beefing it up in terms of characters, worldbuilding and lore and hitting a lot more emotional beats with the relationship between Ori and Ku. Plus, without spoiling it, the ending definitely feels impactful with how the story plays out.

Gameplay-wise, the world definitely feels much bigger in scope while also still being a lot of fun to explore. Admittedly I didn't really touch upon any of the side quests in my playthrough, but some of them manage to incentivize exploring while also touching on story beats that fit in with everything going on in the plot. The combat and movement feel really good here too - there's a lot of fluidity in how Ori controls plus a lot of options for movement and combat that you unlock throughout the game. Exploring, platforming, and fighting bosses and enemies all feel even better and more satisfying in this game than in Blind Forest, especially as you unlock more abilities on both fronts throughout the game. Plus there's also optional abilities and upgrades to unlock, including warping to Spirit Wells you've unlocked/lit from any point in the game which really cuts down on backtracking. The bigger scope overall lends itself well to replay value with the side quests and unlockables. The game's also decently challenging without being too frustrating or anything, making for a title that actually feels really satisfying to play all the way through.

And the visuals are outright stunning. Much of Blind Forest's art style is retained over here, but there's an added bit of 'oomph' to everything that really helps kick the visuals up a notch with it's lighting, character design, use of color and so on. It's especially good looking on the Series X which seems to have support for Supersampled 6K (or 4K 120FPS if your TV supports it), and the result is that the game just looks absolutely beautiful.

I mean, what else is there to say? Ori and the Will of the Wisps takes everything that worked well about Blind Forest and manages to improve upon everything in terms of scope, world design, visuals, core gameplay and atmosphere. I'll be honest it took me a little bit of time to get around to playing this game and frankly my only regret is not playing it sooner. It did manage to make for a great experience to christen my Xbox Series X though.

I've been waiting for a sequel to Ori and the Blind forest practically the moment I was looking at it's credits rolling. I knew a second part of this masterful game would double down on its strength and introduce us to another awe-inspiring world.
There is so much "good" in this game, it deserves the highest praise possible. But I want to focus on two things, that in my opinion make this game the best of its genre. The Art-Direction and the gameplay itself.

Anyone who remotely heard of the first part, probably knows what to expect. The level design is out of this world, literally. Every area or biome looks completely different, giving you the feeling you are exploring something new up until the very end. Every stage has so many very detailed layers, that reach far in the background to give it depth. Everything moves, breathes, reacts... just lives. The characters are often times cute and their stories heartfelt, sometimes sad and always a joy to follow, even though all you get is a few lines here and there. The sound design underlines everything perfectly and adds a beautiful soundtrack on top.

What makes this game the best of its kind though, is the way gameplay progression is paced and placed very carefully. What I mean by that, is, that from the beginning up until the very last moment of the game, you get new abilities and upgrades, that make you feel stronger. Every area introduces something new, just at the right moment, so that you had enough time to master all previous abilities. It's just perfectly timed. Nothing beats the moment though, were you start to combine these abilities, some complementing each other so well, that you start to breeze through the world like a ninja, making you feel like a pro. Traversal and fighting in this game is perfection and you won't get bored at any time, that's a promise.

I also feel the game arrives at a perfect time, as the villainy of the games antagonist roots in the fear and anger and discrimination we see ever so often in the real world. It is in contrast to the "good side" which thrives through collaboration and inclusiveness. There is a reason for the evil in the world and we can change that, one step at a time.

I started this game thinking, "there is no way this is going to be better than the first one" and i was surprised, Will of the Wisps not only is as good as the previous one but improves and implements upon it, it's truly a masterpiece and the best metroidvania i've ever played.

In a few words this game take what was "okay" on the last one and make it good, like the combat , the saves and teleports, brings new things to the table with amazing NPCs, and some fun side quests.

But in the end It shines yet again on his platform, playing Ori on this game fells so damn good, you fly through the map in a way i was not expecting, going to point a to b is just amazing, and the upgrades all make it even better, the platform is truly what makes Ori an amazing franchise and is at his best in here, unmissable.

The story is also excelent, simple but very touching, and of course the game itself is marvelous. the art and sound design are a straight ace on this one, just looking at it will make you smile.

Oh wow, this is how you make a sequel. I really liked Ori and the Blind Forest, but there were a few things about it that I thought could be improved on and this game managed to fix all of them while improving on what the first game did so well. In my mind a good sequel should do three things:

1. Take what the first game did right and expand on it. Don't try to fix something if it isn't broken - they kept true to their vision of the first and didn't reinvent the wheel with their Metrodivania layout or platforming.
2. Take what the first game does wrong and figure out a way to make it work - they made the combat more fun and got rid of the out-of-place Soulsike aspects.
3. Expand upon the story, the characters, and the world in a way that feels genuine and worthwhile. It should contribute to its predecessor, not contradict it - many lesser sequels, I feel, are overtaken in arrogance and try too hard to make something different than the first. Why? We love the first for a reason, don't try to undermine it. Will of the Wisps evolved the world that the first one laid out in a meaningful way.

Much like the first game, Will of the Wisps is an exemplary showcase of visual storytelling. Their is little dialogue; most of the story is conveyed through purposeful actions, music, and visuals. The way they manage to capture such emotion with such little dialogue should be applauded. It helps when your game looks this good. I mean holy damn, this game is stunning. The colors, the environments, the music, it's all so breathtaking to look at. I got emotional several times throughout the story and that's in large part because of how gorgeous it all looked and felt.

The only thing I didn't like was a cheap copout at the end of the story (I don't want to spoil anything) and, even though it was a significant improvement on the first game, the combat was still the weakest part of the game. But I can forgive the combat because the platforming was flames, and that was the bread and butter of the gameplay.

I really loved this game. I also appreciate it being relatively short; I can't do longform Metroidvania. This may be my new gold standard for the Metroidvania genre.

Ori and the Will of the Wisps é tudo que o maior fã dessa série poderia esperar. Apresentando uma nova fase de uma história profunda e tocante sobre amizade, amor e autodescobrimento, essa sequência brilha ao expandir as possibilidades de seu gameplay, introduzindo novas mecânicas e levando essa jornada para outro patamar de qualidade. Indo desde a evolução em seu combate, até a notável melhoria em seus visuais e set pieces, tudo que esse jogo apresenta é uma versão aprimorada daquilo que aprendemos a amar lá em 2015. E tudo isso sem perder sua essência... Assim como ressaltei lá no meu texto para o Ori and the Blind Forest, Ori and the Will of the Wisps continua sendo visualmente impecável, textualmente brilhante e mecanicamente satisfatório. Uma aventura sem igual para qualquer amante de projetos independentes inspirados no gênero Metroidvania, novamente graças a mais um trabalho exemplar da Moon Studios, agora ampliado pelos altos investimentos dado pela própria Microsoft!

This is one of those scenarios where the sequel is mechanically better than the first game in a lot of ways but that first game had that special something about it, you know? Will of the Wisps has far better movement tech and locales but the tradeoff is that a lot of the new additions like the sidequests and the currency system feel a little undercooked and the story feels weaker.

Ah yes, the story. Not gonna lie, the story is a bit of a mess that feels like it's trying really hard to hit those Oscar Award highs that the first game did but instead events just kinda happen without much impact beyond "this is Sad and Meaningful I Guess". The main villain in particular just felt like a less interesting version of Kuro from the first game, and the cutscene where they explain her backstory - instead of leaving a super strong impression like the scene with Kuro's nest in Blind Forest - almost came off as comical from the way they overdid it with the judgemental owl heads looming over her. At one point the game throws in an ancient prophecy complete with murals hidden in some desert ruins which...kinda makes a crucial moment at the end of the game less impactful because it feels less like a choice made by the character and more like something the character has to do to move the story along, and really, the game's writing is like that the entire game.

Also, gotta say. It really sucks that Blind Forest's big story theme was about Family and then this sequel immediately separates Ori from their family for the entire game save for the opening and ending cinematics. At least have Naru and Gumo hanging out in Wellspring Glades giving out words of encouragement instead of sticking them on a raft for the entire game, come on.

Of course, I really only have a beef with the story. The rest of the game, where you gradually give a glowing bunnydog enough jump abilities until they can launch themselves through mazes of spikes without breaking a sweat because you saw a glowing purple rock at the end, is a hell of a lot of fun. Ori's jumps are floaty, but the adjustment period from "damn I fell into some spikes" to "I just wall-jumped through a corridor of lasers" felt shorter than in Blind Forest. They try a lot of new movement mechanics in this one and they all feel great.

Just try not to think too hard about the story or question whether or not you're actually having fun constructing that one town, you'll only hurt yourself.

(Also this game has minor performance issues including annoying loading times when opening your map on the Switch but that's to be expected)

A great game and a strong refinement on Blind Forest. The presentation and art direction are somehow even more stunning, with every area just bursting with gorgeous vistas and vibrant color. This is backed by a lovely soundtrack and excellent sound design

Ori controls perfectly and the fluidity of the platforming is just as amazing as before, with more mechanics to precisely move through its meticulously designed areas. The combat is also greatly improved with the addition of overhauled skills, upgrades, and boss fights

eu nunca vi uma sequencia evoluir tao bem a historia da primeira parte.
ori 2 (pra ser mais curto) inova e evolui todos os aspectos do game na primeira parte, os dialogos sao mais cheios e completos, a jogabilidade muda de um jogo mais focado em puzzle pra um puzzle maduro, cheio de combates e skill no controle pra poder passar de determinadas partes, como tambem a evolucao do proprio ori, vc enxerga um personagem até mais maduro.

Ori 1 e 2 conseguiram me arrancar lagrimas e eu espero nunca mais esquecer da maravilhosa experiencia que tive nesses dois jogos, com certeza os dois juntos entram como um só no meu top 5 jogos da vida. ❤️

Also made me cry. Everything about the first game, but better.

The controls and abilities are all more streamlined, allowing the player to pick up the pace of both exploration and combat even more.

The art team really outdid themselves on this because wow, what a beautiful game to experience. The FX and backgrounds are especially beautiful. I love the way that the game has you backtrack when you get new abilities. Classic formula, but the pace of this game makes it fun to go back through old areas to find new paths and items.

I can't recommend this game and its predecessor enough.