That of Xbox One is a story paved with failures that have relegated the latest born in the house Microsoft products in the rear, forced to watch the Sony flagship from afar which, between exclusive weight and a pounding marketing campaign, has been able to fully win this generation of videogames now running out. In these difficult years, however, the Redmond house did not stand by and watched with folded arms and a sullen face but rather, under the guidance of Phil Spencer the Xbox division has returned to give important signs of recovery which, although they have been able to do very little in this historical moment, could have important repercussions on the future of the company, when the much vaunted Next-Gen will make its triumphal appearance.
In short, Xbox One is not a console that will be remembered for its unmissable exclusives, but this certainly does not mean that great productions have not knocked on our doors, works of incredible productive value that have been able to transport us to unforgettable and fascinating worlds.
Among these, figure in particular Ori and the Blind Forest, metroidvania 2D license plate Moon Studios appeared out of nowhere that like a bolt from the blue has been able to bewitch millions of gamers thanks to its undoubted qualities. Now, exactly five years after the release of that first unforgettable chapter, the time has come to confront its sequel, the next step in an epic that once again has been able to present itself before our eyes with majestic strength. There are still a few days left for the official release of the game but we at Resources4Gaming, in the meantime, were able to enjoy the experience offered by the team well in advance and now we are ready to give you our definitive response. Ori and the Will of the Wisps is it really that evolutionary step we all hoped for?
Lost in the dark
Ori and the Will of the Wisps starts exactly where The Blind Forest left off. The darkness that gripped the forest of Nibel has now been defeated and, as a result of our noble deeds, someone else will have to suffer in our place. The egg that had been looked after with so much care by that being we thought was incapable of loving has in fact passed into our hands and, once hatched, it is the two big eyes of a small owl that appear in front of us; insecure, frightened and irremediably wounded in a wing already in his first moments of life. Needless to say, the improvised family created in the first chapter decides to adopt the little creature, renamed Ku, and we will spend most of his youth with her. The seasons pass, between sultry summer days and cool winter nights during which our group is getting closer and closer, but a new urgency knocks on the door. In fact, Ku feels his bird instinct becoming more and more pressing, but the desire to travel together with other flocks of birds must collide with the impossibility of flying given the condition in which his fragile wing is.
Our bright protagonist Ori does not give up, however, and, with a little ingenuity, he manages to give his adopted daughter the opportunity to explore the world in flight. Once on the back of Ku, then a few moments are more than enough to reach the soft clouds that stand out high in the night sky, but right at the most beautiful, a violent storm suddenly hits the close-knit duo which ends up falling into an unknown land. Confused and bewildered, we will wake up with a start in a world full of pitfalls and dominated by darkness, far from our Ku and unsure what to do. However, a few moments will be more than enough to rearrange ideas and take the first steps towards the unknown with only one goal in mind, to find Ku and bring her back to safety.
Starting from this narrative incipit, Ori and the Will of the Wisps he is outlining an adventure that moves along the lines of his older brother. The narrative component of the production will in fact lead us to explore a fascinating world to be discovered a little at a time, coming into contact with its inhabitants still illuminated by the light, its terrifying creatures now plagued by black darkness and its lands full of history. In a way, playing you feel the influence of various productions that in the course of these long years have appeared on the market, first of all that Hollow Knight that has now become a milestone of the genre. Although the script is the background to the more properly playful experience, the mood you breathe - at times exquisitely fantasy, in other cases more dismal and oppressive - manages to enchant by evoking in the player on duty the sincere desire to find out what could have happened in those lands once so full of life and now reduced to desolate lands. As is now the practice for the genre, relevant in the narrative plot will be the lore that we can discover by exploring the game world and interacting with the various characters we meet, all beautifully made and full of charm. Once again at the center of the events told we will find light and darkness intent on facing each other in a no holds barred battle, but do not be fooled, there will certainly be surprises.
A world to be explored
From a distinctly playful point of view, Ori and the Will of the Wisps presents itself in a way not unlike what we saw with the 2015 chapter. Once again we will move in a rich 2D game world within a structure from pure platform, however, contaminated by various elements taken directly from the world of metroidvania, a perfect combination that will give shape to a rich gameplay that, pad in hand, will give you a priceless feeling. As easily imaginable, the real beating heart of the production is summed up in the huge game world that we will be able to visit far and wide, an intricate labyrinth of well-diversified settings that will hide traps, secondary passages, tunnels and secrets in industrial quantities at every corner. The first moments in-game give a sense of priceless abandon, with the player who will not have a clear idea of where it is best to go. Various roads will open on all sides and it will be up to us to decide which one to take, only to find inaccessible areas that will force us to attempt unexplored routes. As the hours accumulate, however, we will realize that everything is interconnected, that that infinite sequence of corridors and arenas are actually a masterful map that we will learn to know like the back of our hand, all while we are getting new skills essential to reach places still unexplored.
Here is where that touch of metroidvania that we talked about above is taking shape. When you start playing it feels heavy, slow and limited, but as you progress through the adventure - unlocking more and more unique abilities at the same time - the possibilities offered to us will also increase; gliding with a feather, making a double jump, using one's energy (represented by a blue bar rechargeable through specific minerals) to illuminate our surroundings, these are just some of the many possibilities that will be presented to us, a rich range of options through which the play structure of the production will continuously vary, effectively avoiding any risk of monotony. Each new setting can offer new ideas, each open area will lead us to have to change our approach, every opportunity is good to show off some new power, and get ready as there will be quite a few. In fact, not only will we come into contact with skills necessary to advance in the game, but various accessory and upgradeable abilities will be hidden around the map which, once activated, can give us useful advantages, such as an additional mid-air jump or a greater amount of life. There will also be collectibles with which to increase our energy and vitality bars, challenges of various kinds through which to test ourselves or, again, secondary missions useful for obtaining the precious "Spheres" necessary to strengthen oneself.
Fight for survival
One of the biggest critical issues that were moved to Ori and the Blind Forest was being summarized in a rather poor and repetitive combat system that in the long term ended up irretrievably boring. Well, the guys from Moon Studios took advantage of the criticisms received and with this sequel they have given shape to a much more complex and articulated combat system. This time, in fact, we will have many more possibilities, including light, heavy and long-range weapons with which to take down enemies, and among the many skills that we can unlock, there will be many that will help make the clashes even more fun and adrenaline-pumping. As if this were not enough, Ori and the Will of the Wisps is characterized by a rather high difficulty and that, in some specific phases, will be able to put a strain on even the most determined players, between particularly difficult platform phases and clashes at the last blood.
In this sense, the boss-fights are a real feast for the eyes, all well diversified, extremely fun to play and particularly rewarding once the desired victory is achieved; without mincing words, get ready because in these phases you will run into countless Game Over. Don't worry, though, as the clever placement of checkpoints - coupled with immediate key responsiveness - helps to avoid the danger of having to deal with overly frustrating phases and potentially capable of discouraging less accustomed players. If we really wanted to find a problem within such splendor, we cannot hide that in some cases we had difficulty reading the encounter, with a general chaos that made it very difficult to understand even just where our digital alter-ego was between one attack and another.
In more technical terms, Ori and the Will of the Wisps is a splendor capable of satisfying all the senses. The Moon Studios team has not only been able to present a work that is easily placed on the same level as the original work, but has even managed to surpass itself. The game world is an unexpectedly varied visual spectacle in its biomes that is characterized by unforgettable views, with careful details that enrich every single shot. The production boasts a dizzying artistic direction which contributes to giving the sensation of moving inside a magical painting. Each monster, boss and character that we will meet during the adventure manages to emanate its own charisma and a specific personality also thanks to the meticulous work placed in the character design, all while wonderful plays of light and shadow contribute to making the ecosystem natural scattered all around us even more sparkling with energy.
At the end, the game features a stable frame-rate of 60 frames per second that even in the most complex phases never loses its enamel. Finally, to close what could be defined an idyllic picture, there is a high-level soundtrack that worthily accompanies the player with melodies capable of warming the heart. Our review was written after testing the game both in its Xbox One version and on PC via a Steam copy. The latter also allowed us to try the final version of the production, while to get the definitive Day One patch of the Xbox One counterpart, it will be necessary to wait for the day of the official launch of the game.
