Ori and the Will of the Wisps: Everything We Know

Moon Studios’ original 2015 title ‘Ori and the Blind Forest’ is without question one of the most visually exhilarating video games ever made. The hand painted art style, the vibrant colors, fluid animations and ambitious character design made the forest of Nibel come alive in a way that few video games have managed to emulate before.

‘Ori and the Blind Forest’ wasn’t merely just a superficially pretty experience though; it was an extremely challenging game in its own right, often brutally so. It also told a rather mature story, which coupled with the game’s sweeping instrumental score made for a rather emotional narrative experience. Unsurprisingly, the game was a massive success story, garnering near universal critical acclaim and turning a nice profit for publisher Microsoft Studios. Since then, ‘Ori and the Blind Forest’ has also made its way to the Nintendo Switch, making its Nintendo debut earlier this year in September.

Of course, the hype was very real when a sequel to the original, titled ‘Ori and the Will of the Wisps’ was officially announced at E3 2017. It’s been an excruciatingly long wait, but we are now fast approaching the launch date of the new sequel. Read on to find out everything we know about ‘Ori and the Will of the Wisps’.

Ori and the Will of the Wisps Plot: What is it About?

The original ‘Ori and the Blind Forest’ took place in the backdrop of an ethereal wood known simply as the Forest of Nibel. The story follows Ori, an orphaned guardian spirit of pure white luster who was raised by a maternal forest creature called Naru. Ori is separated from his adoptive mother when Naru tragically dies in a catastrophic incident that leaves the entire forest in an atrophied state.

While roaming around desperately, Ori runs into Sein, an enigmatic blue orb who guides and protects Ori during his long and arduous journey to restore life in the forest. Ori and Sein meet many colorful new characters on their mission to restore the three balancing elements of the forest of Nibel – Waters, Winds and Warmth. To do this, they must restore the core of the forest’s great Spirit Tree.

Not much is known as of yet about the story of ‘Ori and the Will of the Wisps’, other than the fact that it might involve adventures beyond the forest of Nibel. It is very likely to be a very personal story, as Ori discovers his true destiny and purpose.

The webpage for the game describes it as follows: “Embark on an all-new adventure in a vast and exotic world where you’ll encounter towering enemies and challenging puzzles on your quest to unravel Ori’s true destiny.”

Ori and the Will of the Wisps Gameplay

‘Ori and the Will of the Wisps’ is a Metroidvania platformer game presented from a flat 2D perspective. You control Ori, who can jump, climb and use various other skills and abilities to navigate the treacherous terrain. As you jump from platform to platform and solve various environmental puzzles, you will also be faced with various types of enemies. Killing enemies and finding hidden spirit containers and ability cells grant Ori with experience points and all new skills.

‘Ori and the Will of the Wisps’ is a Metroidvania game, which means that as you progress and unlock new abilities, you will gain the ability to access locked off areas that were previously inaccessible to you.

There a few key notable upgrades ‘Ori and the Will of the Wisps’ makes over its predecessor. Gone is the convoluted “soul link” save system, which utilized rare items called energy cells in order to allow the player to save the game. Instead, soul links will be replaced by the good old autosave system. The sequential character upgrade and progression system is also eschewed in favor of a shard based upgrade system now. Abilities themselves can all be upgraded too, with some having multiple different upgrade options.

The combat has also been overhauled in order to make big battles a more strategic affair. Ori now has three weapon and skill slots which can be equipped with a lightning fast Spirit Sword, a powerful hammer, a bow, an explosive spirit bomb and more. Movement has also been upgraded, with the all new grappling hook and a burrow skill which allows Ori to dig into the ground for surprise subterranean attacks.

‘Ori and the Will of the Wisps’ fleshes out the world a good deal more than the original, with all new Non Player Characters (NPCs) and side quests this time around, something that was sorely lacking the last time around. This should help make the already cultured game world see even more alive this time around.

‘Ori and the Will of the Wisps’ will also feature a multiplayer mode for the first time. In certain locations in the world you can find “Spirit Trials”, which are time trial courses where you must navigate a certain section of the map in the shortest possible time frame. You can compare your score to that of your friends, with the added option of racing against their character “ghosts”.

Ori and the Will of the Wisps Developers: Who Are The People Behind It?

‘Ori and the Will of the Wisps’ is being developed by Austrian video game developer Moon Studios and published by Xbox Game Studios. Moon Studios are a relatively new video game development studio, with their only other major project thus far being the original ‘Ori and the Blind Forest’.

Ori and the Will of the Wisps Release Date: When And Where Can I Play It?

‘Ori and the Will of the Wisps’ is set to release on February 11 2020. It will reportedly only be available on PC and Xbox One at the time of its release.

Ori and the Will of the Wisps Trailer

You can check out the breathtaking new trailer for ‘Ori and the Will of the Wisps’ right here:

Read More: Best Star Wars Games

SPONSORED LINKS