Ori and the Will of the Wisps Review

00:00:01.940[Music]

00:00:06.050it was always hard to find anything bad

00:00:08.490to say about 2015's Orion the blind

00:00:10.710forest Moon Studios blend of an

00:00:12.750entrancing tragic fairytale world and

00:00:14.820white-knuckle platforming challenge left

00:00:16.860a mark that hasn't faded with time and

00:00:18.689yet the new follow-up Orion the will of

00:00:20.760the wisps successfully builds on that in

00:00:23.189a way that doesn't just retread the same

00:00:24.779ground there's more breadth and detail

00:00:27.119choice and diversity than ever and it's

00:00:29.640all done with engrossing color and light

00:00:31.619and an excellent inspiring soundtrack

00:00:34.340[Music]

00:00:43.320this is a great big open world backed by

00:00:47.020a great big beautiful score that shifts

00:00:49.900and echoes your successes and grows

00:00:51.880frantic and immediate in moments of

00:00:53.770tension

00:00:54.310it's your constant companion as you

00:00:56.230journey through diverse locations that

00:00:57.910sprawl out in all directions blooming

00:01:00.670fertile forests frigid mountainous peaks

00:01:03.070vibrant pools

00:01:04.449sizzling desert sands bug infested

00:01:06.700burrows choked in lethal darkness all of

00:01:09.130them feel distinct and alive and there's

00:01:10.900an incredible beauty and attention to

00:01:13.030the little details that serve the

00:01:14.620overarching theme of each whether you're

00:01:16.750burrowing through the sand and the

00:01:18.130blazing red light of the desert or

00:01:19.810pricking yourself on bare splintered

00:01:21.610timber in the mountainous regions

00:01:22.960there's always something surprising in

00:01:24.910store Orion the will of the wisps

00:01:26.530reinforces that theme of a wider living

00:01:28.990world with a menagerie of new creatures

00:01:30.790to fight big and small alongside

00:01:32.800woodland critters and animal guardians

00:01:34.690that hide and thrive in each area these

00:01:38.440new NPC characters provide helpful

00:01:40.090information offer you simple side quests

00:01:42.400sell you maps and abilities and upgrade

00:01:44.680a central hub village as you inevitably

00:01:46.300round up the many different collectables

00:01:48.340scattered around the world this new

00:01:49.960level of customization and the

00:01:51.700persistent goal of working towards

00:01:53.470something helped to ground me in the

00:01:55.390happenings of the world I felt like I

00:01:57.220had a stake in its success rather than

00:01:58.750just running through a series of places

00:02:00.670to leap and fight my way to the end

00:02:04.440[Music]

00:02:06.620exploring these secret nooks unlocks new

00:02:09.119abilities that let you interact with the

00:02:10.710world in new ways and avoiding deadly

00:02:12.780obstacles is the meet on the will of the

00:02:14.880wisps bones it all feels better than

00:02:16.890ever as I was nearing the end of my 12

00:02:18.780hour playthrough the speed and

00:02:20.700possibilities for creative movement put

00:02:22.620me in almost a zen-like state triple

00:02:25.470jumps burrowing dashing through water

00:02:27.330launching myself into the air bashing

00:02:29.190off of enemies and grappling to fix

00:02:30.960positions with a lasso and hope becomes

00:02:33.270second nature it's a gradual ramp up but

00:02:35.790as I unlocked each new ability I

00:02:37.470relished the chance to hop in a warp

00:02:39.480gate and head back to a previous area to

00:02:41.880plunder the collectables that were once

00:02:43.530just out of reach combat has been

00:02:46.770extended along the same lines you can

00:02:48.990get active abilities and passive shards

00:02:50.940that enhance already in unique ways like

00:02:53.370allowing you to triple jump or cling to

00:02:55.140walls or just pointing out secret

00:02:57.030locations and though you start with only

00:02:59.070a few of these shard slots you can

00:03:01.020unlock more for completing combat

00:03:02.580challenges and that gives you a chance

00:03:04.170to customize your aura to a degree that

00:03:06.180really changes your play style

00:03:09.940[Applause]

00:03:12.090most importantly orys new active

00:03:14.920abilities which are essentially weapons

00:03:17.020can be purchased equipped on-the-fly

00:03:18.940through a weapon wheel and upgraded you

00:03:21.069can use a fast slashing spirit edged

00:03:22.600sword

00:03:23.110you can deliver heavy spirit smash

00:03:24.850hammer blows fire a splinter in spirit

00:03:27.550arc energy bow light enemies on fire

00:03:29.430deploy spirit sentries to constantly

00:03:32.020pepper them with damage and so much more

00:03:34.270I'll admit at first I didn't venture too

00:03:36.760far out of my starting abilities but the

00:03:39.010diversity of each item in and out of

00:03:40.570combat makes many of them must-haves for

00:03:43.270example not only does that heavy spirit

00:03:45.400smash deliver big damage and knock

00:03:47.050enemies up in the air but it's also used

00:03:49.209to crush through breakable barriers and

00:03:51.040though that spirit Lance might cost a

00:03:53.050ton of energy to use it's a lifesaver

00:03:55.540when it staggers a boss mid attack and

00:03:57.459opens it up for you to deliver precious

00:03:59.350damage in one of the new enjoyable and

00:04:01.570occasionally harrowing boss fights and

00:04:04.260without going into spoiler territory

00:04:06.220with Orion the will of the wisps

00:04:08.380tragically beautiful story Moon Studios

00:04:10.959has delivered an excellent second

00:04:12.910chapter that plucks the same

00:04:14.470heartstrings of hope and loss and

00:04:16.329redemption as the first game it's an

00:04:18.790affecting mixture of sorrow and joy that

00:04:20.769shines a light on the power of empathy

00:04:22.660what I really appreciate about Ori is

00:04:24.520that even though it's a tale of light

00:04:26.050versus darkness it never fully falls

00:04:28.390into the simplicity of good versus evil

00:04:30.700instead it instills the ideas that even

00:04:33.310the ostensibly bad guys have hearts

00:04:35.260families and tragedy regardless of

00:04:37.870whether they choose to seek Redemption

00:04:40.410[Music]

00:04:44.970in Oriya in the will of the wisps moon

00:04:47.530studios has taken an excellent

00:04:49.240foundation and made even more out of it

00:04:51.340it's many new elements expand on and add

00:04:53.740to the first games fun without bogging

00:04:55.990it down or becoming overcomplicated and

00:04:57.760that's really the best praise you can

00:04:59.560give a sequel it stays true to the

00:05:01.600spirit of the original doubles down on

00:05:03.670what made it great and gives you more

00:05:05.950stake in the world and options to

00:05:07.510navigate it or in the will of the wisps

00:05:09.520is an excellent heartfelt follow-up that

00:05:12.190pushes the series to new heights for

00:05:14.530more on Orion the wool of the wisps you

00:05:16.030can watch them gameplay right now and

00:05:17.620for everything else you are already in

00:05:19.240the right place right here on IGN