It must have been the will of the gaming gods above to give us a sequel to 2015’s hidden gem Ori and the Blind Forest. Released initially on the PC and Xbox, this beautiful and immersive 2D Metroidvania-style adventure immediately captured my heart so much, I got a tattoo of Ori on my shoulder. So to finally get a look at the upcoming Ori and the Will of the Wisps, I can feel my gaming fingers twitch with excitement.
But what makes Ori’s adventures so mystical and amazing. Developer Moon Studios, who has acquired by Microsoft, used the Unity engine to recreate illustrious backdrops for every area of the game that were meant to look hand-drawn. Additionally, no two items in the backdrop are recycled or reused. When you see an art asset like a tree or vine in the background, that is the only time it appears in the whole game.
Ori’s tale is just as intriguing as the development process of the game. The main character is a spirit fallen from the ever-lingering Spirit Tree who is whisked away in a storm and left to survive all alone. Through this journey, additional spirits are awoken to help Ori reclaim elemental orbs and restore life to the Spirit Tree.
The aspect of the game that caught my attention the most when I first played Ori and the Blind Forest was that you got to expend your energy to create your own save points. The player got to decide when and where they wanted to save their progress in anticipation of a tough platforming section or boss battle.
So if you missed out on Ori’s adventure and you’re just hearing about this superbly-crafted indie game gone mega, I highly recommend picking it up before Ori and the Will of the Wisps is released in 2019.
