Follow the continued adventures of Ori and the owl Ku in the sequel from the hit Ori and the Blind Forest.
General Gameplay
Ori and Will of the Wisp is a Metroidvania style game in which you control Ori and guide through different regions of the gaming world to find Ku and get back home. The game allows you as Ori gain new powers and abilities to use in the game and get to new levels of the game. Anyone that has played the original game will be right at home with this game. The Game Visuals are breathtaking. The game uses bright and detail visuals to showcase gameplay. Everything in the game is very detailed from enemies, to the very vivid and colorful backgrounds and the main character Ori are done with detail so you can see everything going on in the game without any distraction. When we say that this is a great looking game, take our word for it. The game does not support a colorblind mode, however as the game colors are very bright and vivid, there is no need for one and any gamers that suffer from different colorblind types are able to see the colors on screen without any trouble. In our playtesting, we did not run into any issues with the game colors or graphics. Audio in Ori and the Will of the Wisps is done in a wonderful fashion where it feels like watching an artistic picture in motion. All the sounds that you would expect to hear from the Ori series from the attacks, enemies, characters speech and where the game shines its background music. The game has spoken dialog, but the dialog that is spoken in the game native language so there is nothing offensive that comes from it and the only way to see what is being said is from the subtitles that are on screen. The game is presented in 5.1 surround sound and in 2.0 stereo sound. We recommend playing the game in a surround sound environment where you can best enjoy the audio in Ori and the Will of the Wisps. Controls in Ori and the Will of the Wisps are great. The controller layout is designed to be very responsive and easy to control Ori in the game. There is the left thumb stick that controls Ori, and a dash, jump and attack buttons laid out easy for anyone to play the game. The game is very easy to control and as the game is a lot of platforming from location to location the controller setup and response time must be very sharp, and it is. At first we thought that gamers in our testing group may have some trouble but after playing the game they were right at home with the game and the controller setup. As the game is a console game, the standard controller is fine for playing the game. For PC gamers we recommend using a controller as it is easier to play the game vs. using a keyboard and mouse setup. In our playtesting, we did not encounter any issues with the controller setup or even gameplay with the controller, the game is very special needs gaming friendly.
“Take everything done right from the first Ori game, add a better story, side mission and what you have a game that is a masterpiece that must be played by any gamer that loves Metroidvania or adventure game. Ori and the Will of the Wisp is one of those games that come out that has to be played to experience what a great game should be”
Family Friendly
When the first Ori game was released, it was a perfect mixture of an emotional story, great levels, characters, and most of all fun to play. We thought that they could not duplicate this formula and when we got our hands on this great game, we were wrong. Ori and the Will of the Wisps is a fantastic game where Moon Studios followed the simple formula “If it isn’t broke, don’t fix it” They did a great job of adding new material to the sequel and it shows. The levels are ever changing and that once you obtain a new ability you can go back to other parts of the game and explore even more. The game does not punish you for exploring, because that is what they want you to do is explore ever part of the game to discover new places that you could not get to before. Another new element that they added to the game is that there is more side quest that are provided to you to seek out. The rewards alone from these side quest doesn’t feel pushed onto you but more of go seek this out and return fetch quest, but they feel right in the game. The game also employs a light RPG element to your abilities and powers by giving you several abilities that you can upgrade. The abilities help in the game and you can customize your characters abilities by choosing what to upgrade that will help you throughout the game. Overall, the story will pull at the heartstrings, but in a good way where it shows what has happen from the first Ori game leading up to Ori and the Will of the Wisps. The story alone is worth the playthrough. Another great thing is that the controls setting is very sharp and to the point. With action/platformers what you must do is make sure that the game can match the action with the controller inputs and again the game is very tight on its controls. Another great addition is the ability to do speed runs. Throughout each area there is speed run start and ending positions where for those that like to see how fast they can finish a level this is a great addition to the game. Overall, this is a great, fun game for the family. The only complaint that we had was that some of the platforming can get challenging for non-platform gamers, but with forgiving checkpoints the game does become easier. In our special needs game testing, we did not encounter any issues with the game graphics, audio or even the controller settings, Ori and the Will of the Wisps is a very special needs gaming friendly.
Closing
Ori and the Will of the Wisps is a fantastic game for the family, the story, gameplay and overall fun is just amazing! We highly recommend this game for the family and gamers that loved the first Ori game.
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