Ori and the Will of the Wisps

If you go to the woods today your in for a big surprise...

'Ori and the Blind Forest' if one of those titles that you really have to play for yourself to believe. Back in 2015 there were not a great many of high quality, studio-endorsed platformers coming out in the industry. Oh don't get me wrong there were platformers, dozens of them every other day, but most of them were very personal creations that sought to emulate the magic of the old days of platforming rather than create something fresh and new. Of course, there were exceptions to that pile of games; and 'Ori and the Blind Forest' was one of them.

Borne out in a luscious display of gorgeous soft colours and dazzling effects, Ori managed to win over the hearts of everyone who played it; quickly earning this title's place as a review darling. Playing it today, it isn't hard to see why this game proved so enduring to so many folk. The story is ethereal, but simple in a manner that doesn't so easily fall into pretentious. (A trap that so many titles like this fall into.) The platforming was challenging enough and forgiving enough to keep you playing (keeping the title accessible) and the whole thing was just an absolute treat to behold. (Which is something that any and everybody can enjoy.) The title won a huge amount of awards and was so popular that it's publisher, Microsoft, soon promised the world a sequel in 'Ori and the Will of the Wisps'. (Personally I always preferred 'Will-o-the-wisp', but what do I know?)

 Since that time, fans of Metroidvania action have been waiting with baited breath whilst this game gets breathtaking trailer after breathtaking trailer, all the while growing no closer to actually being released. Honestly, for me this has started to become like my very own 'The Last Guardian', only this time I hope there's not some inexplicably delay before a release that turns out to be 'meh'. Perhaps 'Cuphead' is a more enthusiastic comparison; a heap of waiting for an end product that was worth every delay. But joking and speculation aside, I do have the utmost faith in Moon Studios and I know they wouldn't be ones to rush this out before it's done. It was with such unwavering faith that I approached their brand new trailer this Video Game Awards; and I'm glad to relAy that my feelings seem warranted thus far.

Something that 'Ori and the Will of the Wisps' has that transcends this particular title above it's predecessor, and all the competition, is an incredible fluidity of movement that is mesmerizing to watch. Even though the segment of gameplay that was shown off at VGA was mostly just a supercut of scenes, watch it for yourself and you'll understand how stunning the animation in this title really is. Seeing Ori dart across the screen and out from the paws of a deathly wolf, as the forest around him snaps and cracks, never ceases to excite me. I think it comes from the thematic energy behind the movement of every object on the screen, that adrenaline practically oozes out of every buttery smooth frame within this trailer and I just cannot get enough of it.

Speaking of animation, I've said it before but this game looks positively stunning. Moon Studios have a real talent for making use of the canvas at their finger tips and filling it up with all manner of creative creatures and bountiful palettes. Because the title character, Ori, is realized with a neon blue that stands out against practically anything, the team are capable of going nuts with their background scenery without fearing obscuring Ori, and that's a permission that they use to their fullest. Despite this game taking place probably entirely within a forest environment, Moon leans on their fantastical elements to craft biomes that shift from harsh reds, to barren browns and icy blues, providing the appropriate level of variety to keep things fresh throughout all of the impending journey.

The characters themselves are quite endearing too, although I'm imagine an animal lover would appreciate it all a lot more than I do. Ori is depicted as a hare-like animal constructed of pure light, allowing for the crafters to imbue the innocence of cute animals into it and use it's body-language to poke at emotions where need be. He makes for a fitting contrast to all the jagged, large and snapping beasts that we see him come up against in this trailer. From the pouncing wolf to the worm-like tendril beast and even the raging flood that was teased in an earlier trailer years ago. From an animation standpoint I adore all of these unique designs and the way that convey so much personality in their very being. (That being the absolute ideal of character deign in animation.)

These are the titles that I want to see more of coming out of the industry and, more importantly, getting screen time at important trade shows. Too much of the attention gets soaked up by the big announcements even when they don't really amount to anything at all. (Like those 'ambitous' next-gen launch titles that are sure to be nothing more than passionless tech demos.) I'd love to see great games that have heart, ambition and love behind them over the next shiny cash-grab and I feel like 'Will-of-the-wisps' is a perfect example of that. Now if only we could secure the same sort of attention for indie titles, then I feel like the entire industry will start to benefit.

'Ori and the Will of Wisps' is the kind of game that speaks to a very specific part of my gaming fandom, the part which hasn't really been active since I first played 'Gucamelee' or 'Dust: An Elysian Tale'. These smaller little gems that take up treasured places our gaming libraries are the stuff that makes this hobby so fun. Just as I'm always making room in my life for the big titles like Resident Evil 3 and Cyberpunk 2077, I'm always saving some space for titles like this too. Another adventure with the child of light is completely fine by me.