Platform(s): PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series S|X, Nintendo Switch, Android (Game Streaming)
PC, Xbox One: March 11th, 2020
Android (Game Streaming): September 15th, 2020
Nintendo Switch: September 17th, 2020
Xbox Series S|X: November 10th, 2020
Genre: Exploratory Platformer (Metroidvania)Price:
Standard Edition: 29.99 USD
Original Collector's Edition: 49.99 USD (Xbox One Only)
iam8bit Collector's Edition: 149.99 USD
Game Pass: Included in the PC/Xbox subscription
Player(s): 1Format: Digital/Physical
Developer: Moon Studios
Publisher: Xbox Game Studios
Size: ~5 to ~15GB (Depending on platform)
*Reminder to mark any spoilers!*
A sequel to one of 2015's most acclaimed titles, Ori and the Will of the Wisps continues the story of Ori and their adopted family while making a series of significant changes and additions to the framework of the original game in a bid to create one of the best Exploratory Platformers (or Metroidvanias) of the generation.
Ori and the Blind Forest told the tale of Ori, child of the Spirit Tree of Nibel, who was separated from their home in a storm and taken in by the bighearted Naru. As the two bonded over time, an unknown event caused the forest to start to wither and expire—causing the death of Naru as the resources of the forest diminished. Ori had to strike out on their own and succumbed to the elements, but was revived by the Spirit Tree itself and was granted the light of Nibel.
As Ori continued to explore they met a spirit named Sein who explained that, during the years spent Ori with Naru, an Owl named Kuro had ripped Sein—who acted the eyes of the Spirit Tree—from their perch, causing the elements of the forest to spiral out of control and leading to Nibel's dire state.
The two set off to bring the three elements to order and draw powers from deceased ancestral spirits, found throughout the world growing as trees, to do so. The first element brought under control was water which resided in the Ginso Tree. During this, the party befriended Gumo, last of the Gumon, and first came into confrontation with Kuro herself after restoring the water element, narrowly escaping her wrath.
Kuro's motivation for attacking the Spirit Tree came to light after Ori and Sein restored the second element, wind, (assisted by a discarded feather from the large owl) and reached her nest. It was revealed that Kuro had been away from her nested young when the Spirit Tree flooded the night with light to try and reach out to Ori, inadvertently killing those young owls. It was the rage at this discovery and desire to stop a similar fate for her sole unborn egg that propelled Kuro to attack not only the Spirit Tree, but to also hound Ori and Sein as they attempted to undo her work.
As Ori and Sein journeyed through the final gauntlet to restore the element of warmth and stop Mount Horu from erupting, Gumo was able to use an energy source from his people to revive Naru (having watched her and Ori from afar in the past). Despite restoring the 3rd element, fires erupted from Kuro's pursuit of Ori and Sein and they were unable to get to the Spirit Tree to stop the flames from spreading before Kuro caught them, gravely wounding the duo.
Naru (having followed Gumo's lead) caught up to Ori, and in watching the two reunite Kuro was given a moment of clarity—enough to see that the out of control fires were approaching her nest and her remaining egg. In a bid to stop the inferno Kuro reunites Sein with the Spirit Tree but was disintegrated by the energy released as the Spirit Tree was resurrected and stopped the fires.
The story cuts to some point in the future where the Ori and the forest of Nibel have both fully recovered. Naru, Ori and Gumo all live together and have taken in Kuro's last egg as they anxiously await what is to come...
Ori and the Blind Forest had a static order you could tackle objectives in; you could explore off the beaten path for stat-modifying collectables but it was a linear campaign aside from the additional two zones added in the Definitive Edition. Will of the Wisps opens things up to allow for significantly more player freedom in how they explore the world and the order they choose to complete events once they game opens up in the early hours.
With that newform freedom comes a much larger world, one with an estimated size 3 times as large as the one featured in The Blind Forest. In this new map you'll find NPCs offering quests, conversation or their wares (from weapons to skills and maps) for you to purchase as well as more hidden collectables and challenges that reward a keen eye.
The ability for player choice in exploration also is reflected in character growth. No longer limited to a set skill tree Ori now has the ability to equip and upgrade Spirit Shards that represent different abilities and can be swapped out at any time to meet your respective need. Some will enhance your traversal abilities (such as a third jump or the ability to stick to a wall) and other will offer more standard modifications such as increased damage or defense.
You'll find these shards throughout the world and also be able to purchase a selection of them from the NPC Twillen.
A complaint for The Blind Forest was how the focus on traversal mechanics lead to weaker combat. Will of the Wisps aims to rectify that by providing the player with a suite of combat options ranging from energy swords, whips and bows that you can equip and use—provided you have enough spirit energy. The aim is for combat to be just as important as platforming this time around.
You also will have access to that classic "bash" ability so the game won't be locking yourself out of a more traversal-focused playstyle if you enjoyed that approach in the original game. You can upgrade your weapons to add additional effects such as more arrows for your bow ability to help you face off against Will of the Wisps new boss enemies in combat.
Ori and the Will of the Wisps is a more technically proficient title than its predecessor. Instead of using pre-rendered sprites for the characters and creatures of the world, the game has switched to a 3D pipeline and now uses real-time 3D models. Because of that objects in Will of the Wisps are able to show significantly smoother movement and now animate at 60fps (and beyond) rather than the 30fps limit in the original game.
The game also supports HDR on all compatible Xbox hardware (PC is coming later), 4k rendering on the Xbox One X (TBA on reconstruction or not) and aims to maintain 60fps. PC users can also expect 21:9 support at launch and the ability to run the game at higher refresh rates than 60hz without encountering the audio desynchronization issues like in The Blind Forest.
Gareth Coker returns to follow up his acclaimed score for Ori and the Blind Forest with a 186 minutes of brand-new music written for Will of the Wisps (timing from the OST release, not the game itself). Buying the physical Collector's Edition of the game will get you a digital version of this soundtrack which will also be sold separately.
The soundtrack will be released a day before Will of the Wisps on March 10th, 2020.
Multiplayer, of a sort, comes to Ori with this asynchronous race mode. You'll be able to find stones throughout the game world which will let you challenge the ghosts of multiple players as you race to another stone in an effort to win a prize for achieving a fast time..
How long is the game?
We don't have a ballpark hour count but, with the larger world and additional side content, the game length should be longer than the 8 or so hours it took for a first-time playthrough of the Blind Forest.
Should I complete the original game before playing Will of the Wisps?
It's not required for the narrative, but having that additional context will be helpful.
How does saving work?
The need to create your own save points has been removed and replaced with a more standard checkpoint setup.
Switch port?
Yes! As announced on September 17th 2020 as a part of the Nintendo Direct Mini Partner Showcase, Ori and the Will of the Wisps is now available on Nintendo's hybrid console.
Xbox achievements on Switch?
There are not any currently and there is no news if they will be patched in at a later date or not.
Physical release on PC/Switch?
Not initially but it will get one in December via iam8bit.
How does the game look and perform on the different consoles?
Xbox One: Dynamic 720p-900p with a 40-60 fps range
Xbox One X: Dynamic resolutions that range from 1368p to 1728p with a 50-60 fps range
*Switch Docked: Dynamic 640-900p with a 50-60 fps range
*Switch Handheld: Dynamic 540-720p with a 50-60 fps range
*Image quality for backgrounds can present at a worse image quality depending on rendering load.
Difficulty options?
Yes, you will have the choice between an Easy, Normal and Hard option with Hard being recommended for subsequent playthroughs. In that final difficulty you'll take twice the amount of damage, upgrade costs are 50% higher and escape sequences are 25% more difficult.
Can I change my difficulty midway through the game?
No. What you pick at the start is what you're locked in at.
21:9 support?
Yes. Ori and the Will of the Wisps will support a native 21:9 aspect ratio from day 1 on PC.
I ran the original game on my PC. Am I OK to run the sequel on the same machine?
It depends on your hardware. Will of the Wisps is a more demanding game than its predecessor so give the specs a look if you think your machine is getting a little long in the tooth.
Play Anywhere?
Yes. The game is part of that program so buying the game on the Xbox Store gets you the title (with crossave support) on both PC and Xbox One.
Is there a day 1 patch?
Yes, notably coming with some optimization fixes for the base Xbox One.
Can I fast travel in the game?
Yes.
Game Pass?
Yes. Ori and the Will of the Wisps is available as part of Game Pass on both Xbox One and PC. If you are an active member of that service you can play it without any additional cost.
Will there be a GOG release at some point?
Unknown.
Does the PC version have HDR support?
Yes, it was added in a post-release update.
120hz support on PC?
Yes.
Xbox Series X enhancements?
Yes, Ori and the Will of the Wisps will get a free update on the Series X via Smart Delivery. The game will feature 4k/120hz and 6k/60fps modes as well as improved audio processing.
60fps vs 120fps (slowed for comparison):
Xbox Series S enhancements?
Yes, you can choose between 1080p/120fps and 4k/60fps modes.
Digital
Like Ori and the Blind Forest you will be able to buy the game via Steam and Xbox One/Windows 10, if you are an active Game Pass member on PC or Xbox you can play this version as part of that service. As a fun little aside folks who happen to live in Germany can also pick up a special pop-up card at Saturn and Media Markt that includes a code for the game on Windows 10/Xbox One.
Physical
Featuring a day-and-date release with the digital version of the game.Folk who want to get the game on physical media can do so without having to wait like with The Blind Forest.
Collectors Edition
The first in-house Collector's Edition for Ori. This set includes a steelbook case with physical game, CD with a new piano arrangement of the soundtrack, a digital OST, and an artbook all contained in "premium packaging".
iam8bit Collectors Edition
Premium "Transforming" Display Box with Glow-in-the-Dark Finish
Majestic Stained Glass style Art Piece
"The Flora & Fauna of Ori" Field Guide
Sketchbook Zine, featuring rarely seen production art
Collectible Art Card Set
Hard Enamel, Glow-in-the-Dark Pin
Digital Download Cards for Ori and the Blind Forest and Ori and the Will of the Wisps soundtracks by composer Gareth Coker
Physical Editions of Ori and the Will of the Wisps and Ori and the Blind Forest, featuring Exclusive, Reversible Cover Art (Region Free - Worldwide Compatibility)
Standard Switch Release
Releasing later this year.
Metacritic
Xbox One | PC | Switch
Opencritic
GamingBolt 10/10
Destructoid 9.5/10
wccftech 8.7/10
Review Thread
A sequel to one of 2015's most acclaimed titles, Ori and the Will of the Wisps continues the story of Ori and their adopted family while making a series of significant changes and additions to the framework of the original game in a bid to create one of the best Exploratory Platformers (or Metroidvanias) of the generation.
Ori and the Blind Forest told the tale of Ori, child of the Spirit Tree of Nibel, who was separated from their home in a storm and taken in by the bighearted Naru. As the two bonded over time, an unknown event caused the forest to start to wither and expire—causing the death of Naru as the resources of the forest diminished. Ori had to strike out on their own and succumbed to the elements, but was revived by the Spirit Tree itself and was granted the light of Nibel.
As Ori continued to explore they met a spirit named Sein who explained that, during the years spent Ori with Naru, an Owl named Kuro had ripped Sein—who acted the eyes of the Spirit Tree—from their perch, causing the elements of the forest to spiral out of control and leading to Nibel's dire state.
The two set off to bring the three elements to order and draw powers from deceased ancestral spirits, found throughout the world growing as trees, to do so. The first element brought under control was water which resided in the Ginso Tree. During this, the party befriended Gumo, last of the Gumon, and first came into confrontation with Kuro herself after restoring the water element, narrowly escaping her wrath.
Kuro's motivation for attacking the Spirit Tree came to light after Ori and Sein restored the second element, wind, (assisted by a discarded feather from the large owl) and reached her nest. It was revealed that Kuro had been away from her nested young when the Spirit Tree flooded the night with light to try and reach out to Ori, inadvertently killing those young owls. It was the rage at this discovery and desire to stop a similar fate for her sole unborn egg that propelled Kuro to attack not only the Spirit Tree, but to also hound Ori and Sein as they attempted to undo her work.
As Ori and Sein journeyed through the final gauntlet to restore the element of warmth and stop Mount Horu from erupting, Gumo was able to use an energy source from his people to revive Naru (having watched her and Ori from afar in the past). Despite restoring the 3rd element, fires erupted from Kuro's pursuit of Ori and Sein and they were unable to get to the Spirit Tree to stop the flames from spreading before Kuro caught them, gravely wounding the duo.
Naru (having followed Gumo's lead) caught up to Ori, and in watching the two reunite Kuro was given a moment of clarity—enough to see that the out of control fires were approaching her nest and her remaining egg. In a bid to stop the inferno Kuro reunites Sein with the Spirit Tree but was disintegrated by the energy released as the Spirit Tree was resurrected and stopped the fires.
The story cuts to some point in the future where the Ori and the forest of Nibel have both fully recovered. Naru, Ori and Gumo all live together and have taken in Kuro's last egg as they anxiously await what is to come...
Ori and the Blind Forest had a static order you could tackle objectives in; you could explore off the beaten path for stat-modifying collectables but it was a linear campaign aside from the additional two zones added in the Definitive Edition. Will of the Wisps opens things up to allow for significantly more player freedom in how they explore the world and the order they choose to complete events once they game opens up in the early hours.
With that newform freedom comes a much larger world, one with an estimated size 3 times as large as the one featured in The Blind Forest. In this new map you'll find NPCs offering quests, conversation or their wares (from weapons to skills and maps) for you to purchase as well as more hidden collectables and challenges that reward a keen eye.
The ability for player choice in exploration also is reflected in character growth. No longer limited to a set skill tree Ori now has the ability to equip and upgrade Spirit Shards that represent different abilities and can be swapped out at any time to meet your respective need. Some will enhance your traversal abilities (such as a third jump or the ability to stick to a wall) and other will offer more standard modifications such as increased damage or defense.
You'll find these shards throughout the world and also be able to purchase a selection of them from the NPC Twillen.
A complaint for The Blind Forest was how the focus on traversal mechanics lead to weaker combat. Will of the Wisps aims to rectify that by providing the player with a suite of combat options ranging from energy swords, whips and bows that you can equip and use—provided you have enough spirit energy. The aim is for combat to be just as important as platforming this time around.
You also will have access to that classic "bash" ability so the game won't be locking yourself out of a more traversal-focused playstyle if you enjoyed that approach in the original game. You can upgrade your weapons to add additional effects such as more arrows for your bow ability to help you face off against Will of the Wisps new boss enemies in combat.
Ori and the Will of the Wisps is a more technically proficient title than its predecessor. Instead of using pre-rendered sprites for the characters and creatures of the world, the game has switched to a 3D pipeline and now uses real-time 3D models. Because of that objects in Will of the Wisps are able to show significantly smoother movement and now animate at 60fps (and beyond) rather than the 30fps limit in the original game.
The game also supports HDR on all compatible Xbox hardware (PC is coming later), 4k rendering on the Xbox One X (TBA on reconstruction or not) and aims to maintain 60fps. PC users can also expect 21:9 support at launch and the ability to run the game at higher refresh rates than 60hz without encountering the audio desynchronization issues like in The Blind Forest.
Gareth Coker returns to follow up his acclaimed score for Ori and the Blind Forest with a 186 minutes of brand-new music written for Will of the Wisps (timing from the OST release, not the game itself). Buying the physical Collector's Edition of the game will get you a digital version of this soundtrack which will also be sold separately.
The soundtrack will be released a day before Will of the Wisps on March 10th, 2020.
Multiplayer, of a sort, comes to Ori with this asynchronous race mode. You'll be able to find stones throughout the game world which will let you challenge the ghosts of multiple players as you race to another stone in an effort to win a prize for achieving a fast time..
How long is the game?
We don't have a ballpark hour count but, with the larger world and additional side content, the game length should be longer than the 8 or so hours it took for a first-time playthrough of the Blind Forest.
Should I complete the original game before playing Will of the Wisps?
It's not required for the narrative, but having that additional context will be helpful.
How does saving work?
The need to create your own save points has been removed and replaced with a more standard checkpoint setup.
Switch port?
Yes! As announced on September 17th 2020 as a part of the Nintendo Direct Mini Partner Showcase, Ori and the Will of the Wisps is now available on Nintendo's hybrid console.
Xbox achievements on Switch?
There are not any currently and there is no news if they will be patched in at a later date or not.
Physical release on PC/Switch?
Not initially but it will get one in December via iam8bit.
How does the game look and perform on the different consoles?
Xbox One: Dynamic 720p-900p with a 40-60 fps range
Xbox One X: Dynamic resolutions that range from 1368p to 1728p with a 50-60 fps range
*Switch Docked: Dynamic 640-900p with a 50-60 fps range
*Switch Handheld: Dynamic 540-720p with a 50-60 fps range
*Image quality for backgrounds can present at a worse image quality depending on rendering load.
Difficulty options?
Yes, you will have the choice between an Easy, Normal and Hard option with Hard being recommended for subsequent playthroughs. In that final difficulty you'll take twice the amount of damage, upgrade costs are 50% higher and escape sequences are 25% more difficult.
Can I change my difficulty midway through the game?
No. What you pick at the start is what you're locked in at.
21:9 support?
Yes. Ori and the Will of the Wisps will support a native 21:9 aspect ratio from day 1 on PC.
I ran the original game on my PC. Am I OK to run the sequel on the same machine?
It depends on your hardware. Will of the Wisps is a more demanding game than its predecessor so give the specs a look if you think your machine is getting a little long in the tooth.
Play Anywhere?
Yes. The game is part of that program so buying the game on the Xbox Store gets you the title (with crossave support) on both PC and Xbox One.
Is there a day 1 patch?
Yes, notably coming with some optimization fixes for the base Xbox One.
Can I fast travel in the game?
Yes.
Game Pass?
Yes. Ori and the Will of the Wisps is available as part of Game Pass on both Xbox One and PC. If you are an active member of that service you can play it without any additional cost.
Will there be a GOG release at some point?
Unknown.
Does the PC version have HDR support?
Yes, it was added in a post-release update.
120hz support on PC?
Yes.
Xbox Series X enhancements?
Yes, Ori and the Will of the Wisps will get a free update on the Series X via Smart Delivery. The game will feature 4k/120hz and 6k/60fps modes as well as improved audio processing.
60fps vs 120fps (slowed for comparison):
Xbox Series S enhancements?
Yes, you can choose between 1080p/120fps and 4k/60fps modes.
Digital
Like Ori and the Blind Forest you will be able to buy the game via Steam and Xbox One/Windows 10, if you are an active Game Pass member on PC or Xbox you can play this version as part of that service. As a fun little aside folks who happen to live in Germany can also pick up a special pop-up card at Saturn and Media Markt that includes a code for the game on Windows 10/Xbox One.
Physical
Featuring a day-and-date release with the digital version of the game.Folk who want to get the game on physical media can do so without having to wait like with The Blind Forest.
Collectors Edition
The first in-house Collector's Edition for Ori. This set includes a steelbook case with physical game, CD with a new piano arrangement of the soundtrack, a digital OST, and an artbook all contained in "premium packaging".
iam8bit Collectors Edition
Premium "Transforming" Display Box with Glow-in-the-Dark Finish
Majestic Stained Glass style Art Piece
"The Flora & Fauna of Ori" Field Guide
Sketchbook Zine, featuring rarely seen production art
Collectible Art Card Set
Hard Enamel, Glow-in-the-Dark Pin
Digital Download Cards for Ori and the Blind Forest and Ori and the Will of the Wisps soundtracks by composer Gareth Coker
Physical Editions of Ori and the Will of the Wisps and Ori and the Blind Forest, featuring Exclusive, Reversible Cover Art (Region Free - Worldwide Compatibility)
Standard Switch Release
Releasing later this year.
Metacritic
Xbox One | PC | Switch
Opencritic
GamingBolt 10/10
Destructoid 9.5/10
wccftech 8.7/10
Review Thread
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