Ori and the Will of the Wisps is a platform-adventure Metroidvania video game created by Moon Studios and published by Xbox Game Studios. The game was announced at E3 2017 and is a direct sequel to Ori and the Blind Forest, which was released in 2015. It was launched in March 2020 for Windows and Xbox One. A version for Nintendo Switch was released in September 2020 by Iam8bit, and a version optimized for Xbox Series X/S was released as a launch title in November 2020. The game continues the story from Blind Forest and follows Ori, the main character, as he explores a new area called Niwen.
Moon Studios, based in Vienna with contributors from around the world, developed the game. It introduces new melee combat features and updates the visuals from the two-dimensional artwork in Blind Forest to three-dimensional models displayed in layered backgrounds.
Upon release, Ori and the Will of the Wisps received high praise from critics. Reviewers highlighted the story, characters, visuals, combat, exploration, environments, chase sequences, and soundtrack. The game is seen as an example of artistic expression in video games. Some technical issues, such as frame rate problems and visual errors, were reported but were mostly fixed with a day-one patch.
Gameplay
Ori and the Will of the Wisps is a 2D Metroidvania game, a type of platform game that focuses on exploration, collecting items and upgrades, and returning to areas that were previously unreachable. Players control Ori, a white guardian spirit. As Ori, players must jump, climb, glide, and swim across platforms to solve complex puzzles. The game uses a Metroidvania style, where players gain new abilities and upgrades that allow them to access new parts of the map. Some of the game’s core ideas were inspired by the Rayman and Metroid series.
Unlike its earlier game, Ori and the Blind Forest, Will of the Wisps uses automatic saving instead of manually placed "soul links." The upgrade system from the first game, which followed a specific order, has been replaced with a system of "shards" (similar to the "materia" system in Final Fantasy games). These shards can be found or purchased throughout the game to improve Ori’s abilities and attacks. Ori’s attacks are managed through a circular menu, and players can find orbs that increase Ori’s health and energy across the map. Unlike Ori and the Blind Forest, Ori does not travel with Sein.
A new mode called Spirit Trials was introduced at Gamescom 2018. This mode challenges players to reach a goal as quickly as possible. To help players compete and plan strategies, the mode shows the best times and routes used by other players. Will of the Wisps also adds side quests from non-player characters (NPCs) that reward players with collectible items like Gorlek Ores. These items are used to expand the game’s main hub area.
Plot
The story happens right after the events of Ori and the Blind Forest and is told by the Spirit Tree. Kuro's final egg hatches, creating a baby owl that Ori, Naru, and Gumo name Ku. They raise Ku as part of their family. Ku is born with a broken wing and cannot fly until Gumo attaches a feather from Kuro to it. Ku and Ori go on a flight that takes them from Nibel to Niwen, where a storm separates them.
Ori searches for Ku and finds Kwolok, a toad who oversees the Inkwater Marsh and the Moki, the people of Niwen. Kwolok tells Ori that Ku is in the Silent Woods, once the Moki's home but now a ruined graveyard of owls. Because Niwen's waters are polluted, Ori must restart the wheels of The Wellspring to enter the area. Kwolok gives Ori a wisp called the Voice of the Forest to help guide them. Meanwhile, Naru and Gumo travel to Niwen by raft to find Ori and Ku.
After Ori fixes The Wellspring's wheels and cleans Niwen's water, they enter the Silent Woods and reunite with Ku. However, they meet Shriek, a twisted owl who was abandoned at birth and rules the woods. Shriek attacks Ori and puts Ku into a coma.
Kwolok explains that the Voice of the Forest is not strong enough to save Ku. He says the Spirit Willow, a tree that once protected Niwen, has died, and its light has broken into five wisps scattered across Niwen. This caused the forest to decay and led to Shriek's birth. Kwolok asks Ori to find the other four wisps—the Memory, Eyes, Strength, and Heart of the Forest—and combine them with the Voice to restore the light.
Kwolok helps Ori find one wisp but is taken over by the Stink Spirit, a creature from the forest's decay that blocked The Wellspring's wheels. Ori frees Kwolok, who kills the Stink Spirit but dies from his injuries. Before dying, Kwolok asks Ori to restore and protect Niwen.
Ori finds all five wisps and merges them to recreate Seir, the Golden Light. Ori and Seir go to the Spirit Willow, which revives and tells Ori it can no longer carry Seir. The tree asks Ori to merge with the light to restore Niwen, but Ori would have to leave their old life behind. The Spirit Willow dies, and Seir returns to Ori. Before Ori can merge with it, Shriek steals Seir. Ori defeats Shriek, who returns to the Silent Woods and dies near her parents' remains.
Ori merges with Seir, healing Niwen and restoring Ku's wing. Naru and Gumo arrive in time to see this. Ku, Naru, and Gumo find a new Spirit Tree growing where Ori and Seir merged. They help the tree grow and continue living as a family. The Spirit Tree, which was actually Ori, tells the story, revealing that it was the new guardian of Niwen. Eventually, the tree fully grows, and a new spirit guardian appears from it, beginning a new era.
Development and release
Many players finished Ori and the Blind Forest in about eight hours and found it to be a positive experience. However, the game’s community shared that after completing the game, they did not feel a strong desire to return for more content. They wanted more of the story and gameplay. This feedback was taken seriously, and the team created a new game that is three times bigger, more detailed, and more expansive than Blind Forest.
Ori and the Blind Forest, Moon Studios’ first game, was both critically and commercially successful. However, Daniel Smith noted that players wanted more Ori experiences, as the original game could be completed in about eight hours. The team aimed to expand the game’s size and scope while keeping the story connected. Lead developer Thomas Mahler explained that Will of the Wisps should be to Blind Forest what Super Mario Bros. 3 was to the original Super Mario Bros.
At the end of Blind Forest, Ori returns Sein, an entity from the Spirit Tree that gave Ori combat abilities, back to Nibel’s Spirit Tree. This inspired the team to create a new type of combat for Ori that includes both close-range fighting and projectile-aiming elements. The original Ori used only two-dimensional artwork. Jeremy Gritton, an artist from Blizzard Entertainment, was impressed by Blind Forest and joined Moon Studios to help develop Will of the Wisps. He led efforts to create three-dimensional models for major characters, which were placed in layered backgrounds to look seamless. This approach also helped improve the game’s cinematic scenes. AM2R developer Milton Guasti joined the team to assist with level design, including recreating the original Blind Forest map within Will of the Wisps and adding new levels around it. Gareth Coker, who composed the music for the first game, continued to create the soundtrack for the sequel, adding unique themes for each character Ori meets.
Because of the game’s expanded size and scope, Mahler and lead developer Gennadiy Korol said the team worked “crazy iteratively” throughout development. For example, the E3 2017 trailer went through 2,000 iterations during polishing. The Moon Studios team grew from about 20 members when Blind Forest was released to 80 members by the time Will of the Wisps was completed. However, most team members worked remotely from different locations around the world.
Due to the game’s increased size—estimated to be three times larger than Blind Forest—development took longer than expected, causing delays. Smith explained that Metroidvania-style games are complex because everything is connected, so changes to one part of the game affect many others. This made it take more time to reach the desired level of polish. The sequel was first announced at E3 2017 without a specific release date. A second trailer was shown at E3 2018 with a planned 2019 release date. By E3 2019, a new trailer confirmed delays but set a February 11, 2020, release date. A final delay was announced at The Game Awards 2019, moving the release date to March 11, 2020. On the same day, Xbox Game Studios announced a Collector’s Edition, which includes a piano music CD, a steelbook, premium packaging, an art book, and an original soundtrack MP3 download.
Ori and the Will of the Wisps was released for Xbox One and Windows 10 on March 11, 2020. It supports 4K UHD, Xbox One X Enhanced, and Xbox Play Anywhere features. Both versions were added to Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass program at launch. Smith said being on Game Pass helped more players discover the game: “I think Game Pass is a great way to share our game with more people, which is good for the Ori series, Moon Studios, and Xbox.”
A Nintendo Switch version was announced during a Nintendo Direct Mini: Partner Showcase and released digitally on September 17, 2020. A physical version of Will of the Wisps and its predecessor was released on December 8, 2020. During Microsoft’s Xbox Games Showcase in July 2020, it was announced that the game would get an optimized version for the Xbox Series X, running at 4K resolution and 120 frames per second. This version was released on November 10, 2020, and later confirmed for the Xbox Series S.
Reception
Ori and the Will of the Wisps received "universal acclaim" on all platforms, according to Metacritic, except for the PC version, which received "generally favorable reviews." By June 2020, more than 2 million people had played the game. In mid-November 2020, the number of players surpassed 2.8 million.
Chris Carter of Destructoid praised the game, calling it a masterpiece. He said the game is an example of high quality, noting that any flaws are small and do not greatly affect the experience. Carter especially liked the game’s visuals, improvements in combat from the previous game, and the "dramatic chase sequences." He also mentioned that the Xbox One version had some frame rate issues.
Michael Goroff of Electronic Gaming Monthly gave positive feedback about the game but noted performance problems with the Xbox One edition before a day-one patch was released. Goroff said the game improved on the mechanics of the previous game, expanded the world, and added new moves and ideas. However, he noted that in a time with many emotional platformers, the game did not stand out and was a good but forgettable experience.
Andrew Reiner of Game Informer praised the game’s graphics, story, and combat, saying it was better than the previous game. He described the story as fantastic, the world as breathtaking, and the gameplay as excellent. He said the game had no dull moments and made players feel clever.
Steve Watts of GameSpot gave the game a positive review, praising the combat, exploration, story, and "gorgeous animation and environments." He also mentioned occasional visual bugs as a drawback. Eight months after the Xbox One release, Mike Epstein of GameSpot gave the Xbox Series X version a higher score, noting improvements and the fixing of technical issues that affected the launch version.
Austin Wood of GamesRadar+ praised the game’s "breathtaking music," world, and platforming. He said the game had a few small issues but called it one of the best platformers ever made and a top contender for game of the year. He encouraged players who liked the first game to try this one and highlighted its availability on Xbox Game Pass. Wood also noted some minor weaknesses in the game’s abilities and said the final level was slightly underwhelming.
Brandin Tyrrell of IGN praised the game, calling it an excellent return to the open-world platformer style with an emotional story. He said the game stayed true to the original while adding more content. Tyler Wilde of PC Gamer gave a favorable review, praising the platforming, boss fights, and visuals, but noted that the fighting was not always fun.
Josh Wise of VideoGamer praised the game’s graphics, music, and platforming, saying few games can match its beauty. He mentioned the story was "thin" and some enemies became repetitive. Tola Onanuga of The Guardian called the game a "feast for the senses" with beautiful visuals and music. She said the story was sometimes sad and fighting common enemies could feel tedious, but she praised the game’s puzzles and attention to detail.
Ori and the Will of the Wisps was listed among the 10 best video games of 2020 by Time and among the best games of the eighth video game generation by Game Informer. The Washington Post, Paste, Polygon, WhatCulture, Ars Technica, and The Guardian all included the game in their top games of 2020 lists. It ranked in the top 3 of Digital Foundry’s Best Games of 2020 and in the top 10 of Best Game Graphics of 2020. The game also appeared at #5 in Game Informer’s Game of the Year Countdown.
The game was nominated for "Best Visual Design," "Xbox Game of the Year," and "Ultimate Game of the Year" at the Golden Joystick Awards 2020 and won "Xbox Game of the Year." It received three nominations at The Game Awards 2020 for "Best Art Direction," "Best Score and Music," and "Best Action/Adventure" but did not win.
At the 2020 NAVGTR Awards, the game was nominated for four categories and won all except "Outstanding Gameplay Design, Franchise." It received five nominations at the 24th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards for "Adventure Game of the Year" and for achievements in animation, art direction, audio design, and original music. At the 2021 SXSW Gaming Awards, the game was nominated for "Video Game of the Year," "Excellence in Animation, Art, and Visual Achievement," "Excellence in Game Design," and "Excellence in Score."