Ori and the Will of the Wisps is everything a sequel and video game can be; it's pure perfection on almost every level, and, even though I tend to like sequels significantly less, it's my favorite game of all time.
[h2] Every step is a painting[/h2]
One of the core defining things about Ori is the art style; it's one of the best-looking 2D games I've ever laid my eyes on, and its sequel perfects it.
They really struck gold and kept polishing it to the maximum; every single area, every single sub-area is worth a screenshot. It's a painting that almost never ends with so much love and care put into it, and what makes it even prettier than its predecessor is how much better the effects and lighting look. Flowing water is so beautiful I almost wanna drink it with all the undiscovered bacteria inside it. Weather effects and the different times of day create such drastically different moods. The music too is wonderful, almost magical, and this all creates an atmosphere like no other.
Combine this all, and they still understand it's a game; you will always have enough clarity to understand what is part of the gameplay layer and what are background and foreground elements.
[h2] Movement like no other[/h2]
Luckily, this game doesn't just look superb; it plays great too.
Platforming and the abilities are easily my favorite. Ori's movement is so fluid, so clean, it's a genuine joy to move around, do platforming challenges, or speedrun to the next area, especially because every area has some ability and design choice that changes the way you move, but never for the worse.
This is where the abilities come into play. Ori doesn't waste your time; you get all your major abilities from the previous game back within the first 2 hours to immediately get things rolling. The bash makes a return once again, and it's as good as in the first game; it's one of Ori's defining abilities, but that's not all. The dash and light burst from the Definitive Edition make a return as well, and thanks to them being fully implemented and not just a bonus area thing, they never felt better. The way you can combine the bash with the burst is such a good decision and gives you so much player agency. However, the game doesn't only recycle. Burrowing through sand like the drill Wisp from Sonic Colors, swimming through water, and the grapple hook, almost every single ability has a use that will entertain you throughout your playthrough by enhancing your movement more and more to reach the ultimate flow state.
[h2] Combat that finally understands the game it's a part of[/h2]
Fortunately, they also finally improved the combat in a way that it reflects the rest of the game.
Ori and the Blind Forest already had good enemy design, but the way you fight just wasn't it. Will of the Wisps fixes that by giving you a blade. This isn't extremely deep though; you got your typical launch and can attack both whilst airborne or on the ground. You also get a bow and a bunch of optional combat abilities by purchasing them. There's also the flash, but that one wastes your energy and is only useful in the dark, so don't even bother.
Sure, this all does sound simple; however, thanks to Ori's movement, the combat is not really about extreme depth; it's more about how long I can style on the enemy until I get hit. The way the movement flows into the combat and vice versa makes every fight not feel like a pace breaker but like a test of your abilities and how much you understand them. Dodging multiple attacks isn't just going in a corner and waiting; you can bash, dash, double jump, grapple, glide, and wall jump to not just avoid the enemy but to keep fighting with no break.
This also ensured that the game has a bit more variation, as you do not just flee from stuff like in the original, but you have actual boss fights, escape sequences, and sometimes even both combined.
[h2] Improved exploration, and maybe some plagiarism[/h2]
What's also perfect is how much exploration plays a role. As you explore, you find the usual stuff like NPCs, quests, life and energy cells, and money to purchase new or upgraded abilities, but the most important thing are the spirit shards.
They killed off the skill tree for a system that makes much more sense because these spirit shards act as equippable upgrades, allowing you to cut down on mana use, give your grapple the ability to hook onto enemies, and more. Obviously, people who've played Hollow Knight will immediately say they stole that, and yeah, they did, and made it much better. Here it honestly feels like most of these upgrades are worth, at the very least, looking at and trying out. They are much better balanced as well and allow for a wide variety of builds that all have their strengths and weaknesses. Earning new slots to equip more spirit shards also feels like a genuine achievement, and you going "Ok I need another one though" to equip something that is actually useful. Sure, as a result this isn't revolutionary, but to me it matters more if they understood what they copied, understood why it works, and improve upon it, instead of simply nabbing stuff and it barely fitting in the game design.
[h2] The end of a duology[/h2]
The final big improvement is the story, and oh my lord, it's simple but great.
Ori and the Blind Forest had a story that tried to tug on your heart but never fully managed to, because sacrifices felt questionable, and due to the show-don't-tell style, it often had stuff happen with no proper context or logical explanation as to why this made even the slightest bit of sense.
Will of the Wisp instead goes for another simple story but understands that explaining and worldbuilding is equally as important to good writing as emotional moments. It's a story about family, those who lost one, found one, or never did. It's about decay and disability, getting bullied for being different for stuff that was never up to you.
This, combined with finding out Ori's true purpose and what the children of the Spirit Tree really are for, makes for a story that understands itself better than anything, since it knows it doesn't need to have an ultra-epic narrative with 10 betrayals. It's a perfect ending to this duology of games.
[h2] An issue that is barely worth pointing out[/h2]
The only thing I can think of criticizing are the optional weapons you purchase. Most of them are quite bad, and since there are no spirit shards that improve them, they rest in your arsenal never to be used.
[h2] Shoutout to the primordial soup...[/h2]
...and every atom that is part of the bodies of the team that made this game. Ori and the Will of the Wisps is a masterpiece in every way; it doesn't just fix things, it improves everything that was already present. 10/10.
