Last Friday evening, the code for Ori and the Will of the Wisps suddenly landed in my mailbox. The long wait is finally over. Wonderful, I think, I have a whole weekend ahead of me with this wonderful adventure! But the game had other plans …
Everything starts off wonderfully. The download of Ori and the Will of the Wisps to my Xbox One S is done in no time thanks to the small size of only five gigabytes. My fingers tingle. I was already able to test the predecessor Ori and the Blind Forest at the time – and that was pure pleasure. Niwen spent a whole weekend in the enchanting world. I am looking forward to repeating that like a snow king.
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Of course it was a shame to have to wait five years for a successor. The sequel was always delayed, and no one really knew why exactly. The developers at Moon Studios apparently just needed the time. And if that ensures that we all get a similarly lovingly designed and playfully excellent action adventure, I should be fine with that.
Nice, nicer, Ori
At first everything looks exactly like this. The very beginning radiates charm and heart without end. Ori, Naru and Gumo lovingly take care of the owl child Ku, whom they had taken in at the end of the predecessor. When Ori manages to teach Ku to fly after several attempts, the joy knows no bounds. Without further ado, Ori swings onto Ku's back to literally take the first trip. But a sudden storm suddenly separates the team very gently. Ori lands in a dark forest, far from the scared owl child. But a family sticks together, and so Ori immediately sets off to find Ku again.
After just a few meters, I am convinced that there will be no better game this year. It is this unique graphic style that makes Ori and the Will of the Wisps a work of art. Everything is full of strong, literally brilliant colors and intense contrasts. Ori runs and jumps magically animated through an interactive painting. Although I expected exactly that, I am fascinated. I really want to explore this world, every corner of it!
At the same moment I turn up the sound, because it is an integral part of the gaming experience. It's not just some trivial background music. Ori's journey is carried by driving, relaxed or melancholic melodies, always tailored to the respective sequence. The elegant transitions between the themes match the graphic harmony perfectly. Every piece of music and every sound effect appears perfectly placed. I already loved this symbiosis of image and sound in the predecessor, and Ori and the Will of the Wisps is in no way inferior to it.
From abysses …
But after a few minutes, the world of Ori shows its dark side not only in terms of the story. The picture on the 65-inch TV appears washed out, coarse edges often appear on figures and level structures, and blurred backgrounds also disturb the actually wonderful graphics. Every time the map is opened, it takes a moment for everything to be displayed correctly – almost like a short loading time. Because I use the card in the face of the large and branched game world, the constant delays are a bit annoying. But that is not how it remains.
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During the first fast jump passage, the frame rate drops so much that I almost mess up the passage. After the short slow motion, it only continues to jerk tremendously moments later. Now the end is finally: Ori is motionless, neither game nor Xbox menu react to my inputs. I switch off the console and hope that it remains an isolated case. Everything is half as wild, something like that just happens. I restart and continue the game from the last save point. Unfortunately, I don't end up there, but at one of the automatically set checkpoints. As a result, I have to repeat some sections that have already been played.
The problems mentioned repeat themselves over the course of the weekend. Sometimes the console smears, elsewhere the picture freezes, sometimes I don't even get to the main menu. I put the pad aside annoyed more than once because the game takes a break too.
… and highlights
But as soon as possible, I will continue. Because the jumping, racing and climbing passages are just so much fun! With new skills that Ori learns throughout history, the game flow and pace also increase. I will soon be rushing through swamps, forests and caves with lightning speed and precision. Each area is different, but all are connected in one way or another.
The battles in which Ori performs combos with a magic sword, shoots arrows or wields a ghostly hammer are also rapid. Attacks and weapon changes are so smooth that I don't have to think about them for a moment. Collecting and researching is not neglected either: extensions for magic and life energy are hidden as well as optional abilities, the so-called splinters – here the offer ranges from more attack strength to a triple jump. Racing against time and battle challenges provide further variety. I would like to increase the level of difficulty I chose at the beginning, because compared to the previous version Ori and the Will of the Wisps seems easier to me overall. However, this is not possible afterwards, but only when creating a new game.
Shortly before the release of Ori and the Will of the Wisps in March, we were able to spend several hours playing the game. Here are our impressions.
Another highlight are the many side missions Ori receives from beings across the game world. They're not just worth it because of the spirit light that can be used to buy or upgrade skills from the merchant. Rather, it is the sometimes funny and sometimes sad stories that give the world and its characters even more charm. Here, too, it can be seen that Ori and the Will of the Wisps is a one-stop shop.
The technology alone is always out of line until the end, not only on my Xbox One S. When I play in the editorial office on both the PC and the Xbox One X, Ori shows itself with clearly better resolution and fine HDR Effect, but also jerky and with an occasionally freezing picture. Even the Day One Patch on March 11th failed to remove all of the disruptive factors.
