I think I am still reeling from Ori and the Blind Forest getting a Switch release in September of 2019. I can’t quite get my head around Ori and the Will of the Wisps being on there too.
I mean, it shouldn’t be a surprise now. Microsoft are keen to sell their games in as many places as possible and the Switch gives them a large userbase to sell to. But part of me still can’t quite believe it.
That comes down to the port being absolutely on point. Along with the game being wonderful to play makes for an experience that feels as joyful to experience as the full console and PC releases.
I am not saying there are zero compromises, as there must be. Yet I cannot find them in an obvious way. Maybe a lower resolution in handheld? I don’t know, and I really do not care. Why? Because Ori and the Will of the Wisps is an improvement on the first game and the first game was wonderful in itself.
It is one of the reasons I don’t give scores, because Blind Forest would have been getting top marks and this takes it further. But for essentially a game that looks the same overall, where does it actually improve?
Well that comes from the way the game starts. I have a dislike for sequels that reset your main character to being completely useless yet again and finds a dumb reason for doing so. What I found with Ori and the Will of the Wisps was there was something a little different.
Sure, you lack the upgrades you got at the end of Blind Forest, but whereas in that game, you tentatively moved through as you discovered more about yourself and the world. Yet here the game starts you off feeling a lot more dominant from the outset. I honestly cannot explain how this works, because the trope is there, but it just doesn’t feel as dumb as other sequels.
Ori and the Will of the Wisps is wonderful to play, but it will likely be remembered for just how beautiful it looks. It is dripping in atmosphere and character from the first moment to the absolute last.
That all leads to an experience that had me overcome with emotion in many sections of the game. All without standard cut-scenes and storytelling. There are some, but they never really get in the way. One thing that is missing though and the only negative I can think of is the lack of a God Mode.
I had a section or two where I came close to giving up, so an option to God Mode through would allow me to experience the game to the fullest. I did push through, but many wouldn’t. This is a single-player game, and a little helping hand isn’t going to hurt anyone.
That is just nit-picking though, and there is no reason not to pick this up. The Switch port is just fantastic and the game itself… *Chef’s Kiss*
