Somehow Gareth Coker – legendary composer, has managed to outdo his fantastic work on Blind Forest with an even better soundtrack in Will of the Wisps. It’s a striking effect that just adds to the already breathtaking moving art on screen. But these light shafts are coming towards the player camera. Much like its predecessor, each area of the map has it’s own visual style, and cues that let you know you’re entering a different area before the game lets you know or even without you checking the map.Īnother singular aspect of the visual design was something I personally haven’t witnessed in a 2D game and that’s light shafts, or god rays. According to Moon, up to three times larger. The world itself is more detailed as a result and is also much larger than that of Blind Forest. All animations are also in 60 frames compared to the 30 from Blind Forest on Xbox. As Thomas Mahler – the co-founder of Moon Studios, mentioned on the Xbo圎ra podcast, all visuals in Ori and the Will of the Wisps are 3D which has allowed for even better animations than the already stellar ones seen in Blind Forest. Upon starting Will and the Wisps, the game will obviously look instantly familiar, but you’ll also notice how much smoother everything looks. Ori and the Blind Forest had some of the best visual design and animations seen in a game. How do you top some of the best 2D visuals ever? Make them 3D!
In true Moon fashion, all levels are carefully crafted to allow for non-linear exploration of the map that truly allow you to go off the beaten track and obtain items and power ups any way you can. Different spins, twists and versions of scenarios like the Ginso Tree or the gauntlet type run of Mount Horu. Without getting into spoiler territory, Will of the Wisps has many levels and game play segments that should make any Blind Forest fan happy. Both in the way the story is introduced, to the way the game carefully drip feeds you abilities as required and then makes you familiar with each one as you acquire it. Structurally, the two games are very similar. Instantly familiar, yet wholly uniqueĪnyone who has played Blind Forest will instantly feel comfortable upon beginning Will of the Wisps. Ori and the Will of Wisps becomes that all-time classic, widely accepted superior sequel by addressing all the concerns of the original, while also improving on all of its strengths.
Fortunately the latter was addressed in the Definitive Edition. The most common complaints being a lack of depth in the combat, the oftentimes brutal difficulty and the ability to be locked out of areas in the map (a cardinal sin for metroidvanias). A gorgeous living work of art that magnificently paired super tight, pixel perfect platforming with visuals in a class of their own as well as a musical score for the ages. Ori and the Blind Forest was a flawed masterpiece. In videogames you have titles like Sonic 2, Half-Life 2, Assassin’s Creed II, Uncharted 2 and Super Smash Bros. In movies you have Aliens, Terminator 2, The Empire Strikes Back and The Godfather Part II. For example, there are sequels to beloved titles that are simply acknowledged as superior to their predecessor in almost every fashion and elevate the IP to classic status.
In the games industry, as in the movie industry, there are accepted norms.