Meet cute and cuddle-worthy characters in Ori and the Will of the Wisps, including our intrepid protagonist! SCREENSHOT: Yap Hui Bin Of course, the cuddle-worthy protagonist in the form of Ori also adds to the appeal. The characters that Ori encounters in the world of the Will of the Wisps resemble creatures in Hayao Miyazaki’s animations – very unique, adorable and tend to articulate cute sounds instead of speaking. There is also a constant sense of foreboding in the game, with dark, shadowy creatures moving in the background which seem to be following Ori.Īs Ori continues to explore and interact with other characters, you hear of a decay spreading in the forest and habitats, of creatures being forced out of their homes and even creatures that have been petrified and became stone statues.Ĭan you help the brave and agile Ori help to bring light into the darkness and help all the creatures by restoring their homes? From left to right – Naru, Ku, Ori and Gumo.ĭespite its charming landscapes and adorable creatures, the game is actually quite challenging and often brutal. Ori’s happy little adopted family all together, but happiness does not last long. The game starts with Ori alone in an unfamiliar area and has to find Ku before the evil being in the form of a flying menace can harm her.
Happy times passed in the little family as they tried to train Ku to fly, but she was hindered by her broken wing.Īfter mending her wing with what looks like tape, Ku took Ori for a ride but ran into a storm and were separated. In the Will of the Wisps, the family welcomes a new member, a little blue owlet named Ku. In the Blind Forest, Ori was adopted by Naru, a plump, sloth-like creature, and Gumo, a four-legged spidery creature. Ori, which means “light” in Hebrew, is an adorable cat-like guardian spirit capable of acrobatic feats like jumping and climbing. I confess I am not a huge fan of 2D platformers since they can get me pretty frustrated and feel more like a punishment at times.īut having played Ori and the Blind Forest previously, and was impressed by the game’s atmosphere, music, beautiful landscapes and characters, I was looking forward to playing Ori and the Will of the Wisps.Īnd, just like before, after many hours of gameplay, hundreds of deaths (sorry, Ori!) and too many ill-timed jumps to count, my thumbs are now unusually smooth and rather sore. There are also the beautiful art, stirring soundtrack and adorable characters that made the original Ori such an endearing title.įor this review, I played a review copy provided by Microsoft on the Xbox One using its controller. Released five years after the highly acclaimed Ori and the Blind Forest, Ori and the Will of the Wisps is a sequel that has plenty of improvements over the original, yet keeping the essential gameplay elements and challenges.