Ori and the Will of the Wisps

Ori and the Will of the Wisps is an unmitigated triumph. Every element is executed to perfection; the pinpoint platforming, kinetic combat, and heartfelt storytelling are second to none. Visually stunning and accompanied by an evocative soundscape you will feel like you’re stepping into another world, and it’s one you’ll likely never want to leave.

Ori and the Will of the Wisps is a terrific and affecting bout of escapism. Its ‘Metroidvania’ roots reach deep - those that remain unmoved by this style of 2D action aren’t likely to find anything revelatory. But its aura and execution is a thing of beauty.

Peppered with devious puzzles, Ori and the Will of the Wisp is an irresistible challenge. There is extraordinary attention to detail – the entire world feels alive with excitement and danger. I struggled to put down the controller as I progressed deeper into the game, unable and unwilling to let anything stand in the way of Ori realising his true destiny. A bold and ambitious sequel.

Ori and the Will of the Wisps is an essential Xbox game. Building on every aspect of Blind Forest – from art to music right the way through to level design and combat – this is a sequel worthy of celebration.

Ori and the Will of the Wisps on Xbox One is an amazing work of art that happens to double as a truly fantastic game. Moon Studios have outdone themselves here with an emotional, engaging, difficult but above all enjoyable game that should delight gamers everywhere.

Ori and the Will of the Wisps builds on its predecessor’s near-perfect Metroidvania platforming and grows the concept to wonderful effect. A game that’s as much about rebirth, hope and wonder as it is death and decay, Will of the Wisps is a beautiful, enchanting piece of fantasy, and an instant classic.

Ori & The Will of the Wisps is a wonder to behold, a joy to play, and a must-have for anyone with the means to play it.

A gorgeous platformer that builds on the original without ruining what made it so special. If you have Game Pass, there’s no reason not to play this.

Will of the Wisps is easily one of the best Metroidvanias ever, and I know that includes company like Super Metroid and Symphony of the Night.

Ori and the Will of the Wisps succeeds where the original game faltered while maintaining everything that made it work. The spirit of the first game lives on with a touching tale of life, love, and loss that just so happens to have some of the tighest combat in a side-scrolling game on the market today. It’s a more exciting game than the original and an improvement on something that was already so well-crafted is quite an accomplishment. Ori and the Will of the Wisps is a must-play game for anyone who loves side-scrolling action-platformers and sends you on an emotional journey from beginning to end.

Ori and the Will of the Wisps had some lofty expectations coming into it, and it’s safe to say that it more than met them handsomely, Some difficulty spikes can frustrate, but overall it’s a charming, beautiful, brilliantly fun title. Gamepass subscriber or not, you absolutely need to experience this game.

Ori and The Will of Wisps is the best game I've been able to enjoy so far this year, thanks both to its incredible artistic level and its impressive soundtrack, as well as its frantic gameplay, which will keep you in front of the screen for hours and hours. This title from Moon Studios is a true masterpiece in terms of visuals, sound and gameplay. A new standard for the Metroidvania and an exclusive that will be hard to beat in this final stretch before the arrival of Xbox Series X.

A beautiful sequel that successfully manages to improve on almost every aspect of the original, Ori and the Will of the Wisps is one of the best Metroidvania experiences you can find.

Ori and the Will of the Wisps improves upon its predecessor in almost every way, from its drastically improved combat system to its use of NPCs and side quests. Like Ori and the Blind Forest before it, Will of the Wisps is held back by intermittent technical hitches that can result in some frustrating moments, but it hardly keeps this incredible sequel from shining through.

One of the main differences between Indie and AAA titles is that when it come to indie games, developers have more freedom to try new and ambitious ideas, as Ori and the Will of the Wisps did, and the result is not only a game that feels as good and fresh as its predecessor, but also improved in almost every aspect.

The visuals are mesmerizing and the music is enchanting, the combat and platforming sequences are smooth as ever and despite its technical issues, The Will of the Wisps is the sequel that The Blind Forest deserves.

The story is fantastic, the world is breathtaking, and all of that pales in comparison to the wonderfully made gameplay that soars both as a platforming and combat game. Moon Studios has outdone itself with Will of the Wisps, delivering an experience that doesn’t have any lulls, makes the player feel clever, and just keeps getting better as it goes.

This is an exceptional platformer, absolutely incredible on an audiovisual level, and it reminds you that, when they developers get it right, there’s something great and unique about jumping.

Ori and the Will of the Wisps is indeed a challenging game, but one not so hard as to be rage-inducing. It is beautiful in its aesthetic, gameplay, and narrative. Whether you are coming to this as a seasoned gamer who wants a challenge or someone who just loves the game's beauty, it is simply a joy to play and will captivate you for hours.

Ori and the Will of the Wisps is a metroidvania like no other. It is beautiful, emotional, fun, varied, intense… Moon Studios has taken the formula of the first game and has evolved it in the right way.

Ori and the Will of the Wisps is an amazing game, managing to further elevate its genre thanks to a masterful work in gameplay, level design, art design, music and storytelling. A compelling and touching adventure that everyone should experience.

Ori and the Will of the Wisps is not only a great platform game, now it is also an amazing action game. The beauty of its visuals and its soundtrack hide a very hard and challenging game where a mistake can cost you very expensive, but that rewards with moments of a beauty and madness difficult to overcome. Not only does it become one of the hits of the genre and one of the most important releases of the year, it also becomes one of the essential games in the entire Xbox One catalog.

More epic, wonderful and complex than the first chapter, Ori and the Will of the Wisps is one of the best adventures of the year. Essential.

It’s a stellar sequel to a game that I already loved, and well worth checking out whether you pick up a stand-alone copy or download it via Game Pass. If you have any affinity for platformers or action-adventure style games in the same vein, then you really owe it to yourself to check out Ori and the Will of the Wisps.

Ori and the Will of the Wisps is everything you could want from a sequel to Ori and the Blind Forest. It isn’t a revolutionary new step forward for the series by any means, but it does an excellent job of building upon all the core concepts that made Ori and the Blind Forest so fantastic, whilst also adding enough new features to justify its title as a sequel, rather than an additional DLC expansion. If you haven’t played through Ori and the Blind Forest (you should), Ori and the Will of the Wisps is worth jumping into regardless, as it polishes the Ori formula to a shine and is an incredible experience in its own right.

To no one's surprise, Ori and the Will of the Wisps is visually and audibly beautiful. Once you get the hang of Ori's abilities, the platforming is fluid and satisfying, the combat is cool, and the game rewards your exploration even when said exploration is a result of getting lost. Through it all lingers a feeling of accomplishment that makes it so easy to keep playing, even through the frustrating parts.

Ori and the Will of the Wisps is a bold and ambitious sequel and I really did not want to put it down when I was done. You owe to yourself to give it a try.

Will of the Wisps isn’t just a fantastic follow-up to an already great game, it’s a brilliant metroidvania in its own right, and arguably the year’s first major must-play release.

Ori and the Will of the Wisps is another excellent entry in the series that manages to build successfully on everything that made the original such a standout experience. With satisfying platforming, a handful of amazing boss encounters, expanded combat options and a story every bit as tear-inducing as its predecessor's, this is another outstanding effort from Moon Studios – as well as being one of the most beautiful games we've ever laid eyes on and easily one of the best platformers currently available on Xbox One.

It may not be able to claim much originality compared to its predecessor, or Metroidvania games in general, but this is still one of the best examples of its craft this generation.

The combination of the original game's narrative charm and solid platforming mechanics with a much longer story and more intricate skill trees and bonuses come together to make a must-play game.

Ori and the Will of the Wisps is a game I might not have felt we needed, but could not stop playing once I dove in. It retains what made the original special while also adding enough to warrant a sequel. Moon Studios truly has carved out a spot for themselves among the pantheon of indie developers. I cannot wait to see what they do next and as for this title, there is simply no reason not to dive in. It is included in Game Pass and even at its asking price, it is more than worth the price of admission.

Backed by an amazing art style, a great soundtrack and a selection of heartwarming characters to take you through the story, Ori and the Will of the Wisps is pure platforming perfection.

Ori and the Will of the Wisps is a great metroidvania and a worthy sequel. The developers have used proven solutions borrowed from other games, but were clever and creative about it. The game is coherent and will surprise you more than once. Is it as powerful and the first part? No. Is it as fun as the Blind Forest? Definitely yes.

In the beauty stakes and beyond, there are very few, in the rarefied realms of indie or AAA, who can challenge it.

Ori and the Will of the Wisps is game that’s hard to not love. It made me want to scream and shout a few times – a certain chase scene that was truly demanding and a final area that relies heavily on trial and error included – but for every moment that frustrated me, there were ten that amazed me. The platforming is crisp, combat is engaging, and the world just begs to be explored. Mix in drop-dead gorgeous visuals, a score to die for and a story that will break your heart, and Ori and the Will of the Wisps will make you glad to be alive.

In five years, the Metroidvania has changed, and Ori has also learned from its peers to stay in the race. A little less demanding but much more varied, Ori and the Will of the Wisps is indeed the great adventure we have been waiting for.

The wait for Ori and the Will of the Wisps will most definitely prove worthwhile: Moon Studios has created a masterpiece. The sequel manages to be more beautiful, heartfelt, and challenging than Ori and the Blind Forest. Some of the new changes feel a little superfluous to Ori's world, but only in comparison to everything which the game already offers. Will of the Wisps offers a real challenge and comes with its own share of frustration, but in doubling down on everything players loved in Blind Forest and going beyond it, Moon Studios has achieved a superb sequel.

As long as the performance issues are completely ironed out in the near future, this is one platformer that’ll long be remembered.

Ori and the Will of the Wisps comes close to being the perfect sequel. While the new combat focus admittedly doesn’t fit well with the story, it’s still a ton of fun, and coupled with the new autosave feature, ensures a more fast-paced and fluid style of play.

Ori and the Blind Forest was already a masterpiece, but Ori and the Will of the Wisps manages to be even better thanks to new gameplay ideas and new characters. Simply a must-play.

The result is a Metroidvania-style platformer to be experienced, able to take your breath away both with its spectacular audiovisual performance and with its commendable all-round gameplay - for the occasion strengthened by a convincing action grain. Too bad for some burrs in the performance and in the general cleanliness of the code that compromise a vote that otherwise would have deserved to be even more bombastic.

Minor niggles aside, I can wholeheartedly recommend Ori And The Will Of The Wisps to all of you. Whether or not you've played the original game, picking up this new adventure should be a no-brainer. Moon Studios has gone bigger and better in every conceivable way, crafting an epic, emotional adventure that borrows from some of the best games out there and smartly remixes various genres and ideas in thrilling, unexpected ways.

Ori and the Will of the Wisps is bigger and more polished than the original title. I can't recommend playing it before the original, if only because the plot relies on you having played the first game. Otherwise, this is an absolute must-play for fans of the genre. Some minor quibbles and a few annoying bugs hold it back, but hopefully, those will be addressed by the day-one patch. If you've been waiting for Will of the Wisps, you'll be extremely pleased.

Overall, Ori and the Will of the Wisps retains Blind Forest’s effortlessly satisfying platforming experience that defies a rage quit, while building on the central experience with a much larger map, richer combat experience, and more ways than ever to personalise your playstyle. Every grapple, slam, and triple jump builds on that unmatched flow of gently nudging you towards confidence, rewarding you when it’s there, and punishing the cocky. You’ll soon be flying through these gorgeous worlds with grace and style, and while it may look effortless on-screen, you’ll be concentrating damn hard on perfecting every move. That’s one of the best feelings in fluid platforming, and you can guarantee that Will of the Wisps oozes such sophistication.

Perhaps the biggest problem with a game that is simply this gorgeous to look at, is that even the slightest of frame-rate hitches feels like a betrayal. A betrayal to the expectation of perfection you get as soon as the adventure begins. Ori and the Will of the Wisps isn’t perfect, but its issues are mere momentary lapses in an otherwise stellar action-adventure. An experience that feels monumental in both scope and presentation.

Make no mistake, Ori and the Will of the Wisps is a true work of art, a hallmark of excellence for the medium, and an example to be followed. That said, a bit more polish would have gone a long way to put the icing on this very glorious cake.

Ori and the Will of the Wisps is an extraordinary Metroidvania game with impeccable artistic direction and incredibly galvanizing gameplay. It can possibly be one of the best exclusives in the entire Xbox One catalog.

Ori and the Will of the Wisps is a fantastic sequel. It builds on the original with a few new ideas to deliver a complete experience.

After the stunning Ori and the Blind Forest, I found it hard to imagine Moon Studios being able to one-up themselves with Will of the Wisps and yet it's another beautifully crafted chapter in a series that is held so dear and treasured. As a platforming exercise, it's slick and sublime, it has evolved in subtle ways and Ori's world has grown a little larger as a result. While Ori and the Will of the Wisps is a sequel that'll challenge your resolve and temper your spirit at times, its final act will fill your heart and have it bursting with joie de vivre.

Ori and the Will of the Wisps is a poignant story and its gameplay is richer than that of its predecessor; it offers plenty of new features with an interesting RPG dimension. The world of Moon Studios is always as magical for the eye and the mind, and enchanting music brings the perfect final touch to this dazzling adventure. Nevertheless, the game suffers from real technical problems: frequent framerate drops and freezes prevent you from fully enjoying this journey. Aside from that, Ori and the Will of the Wisps is almost perfect.

Ori and the Will of the Wisps is not only one of the best metroidvania in years, but also one of the finest Microsoft exclusives yet. It's by no means perfect, but it has a heart and a soul. Don't miss it.

Ori and the Will of the Wisps is a wonderful Metroidvania that manages to be both beautiful and challenging. If you enjoyed Ori and the Blind Forest then you're in for one impressive treat with this sequel.

Excellent, energetic, moving. Despite its small quirks, Ori 2 is one of the best Metroidvanias ever.

Ori and the Will of Wisps is a truly delightful and devastating game that blends new ideas into a solid foundation, all topped off with an incredible score and even more breathtaking levels to explore.

Moon Studios is back with a sequel that has managed to expand the well-established bases of its predecessor with great success and keeping the essence of the franchise intact. Ori and the Will of the Wisps is a larger, more ambitious and more complete game than the first one. Its gameplay, artistic design and soundtrack are intertwined in an enchanting mix that generates one of the best trips that can be made: the one that you have enjoyed even more than you expected.

Ori and the Will of the Wisps is an exceptional adventure that every Xbox One owner should play.

Ori and the Will of the Wisps is the worthy sequel the fans have been waiting for. Without revolutionising the formula of the first opus, it improves and adds to it in many ways. It's bigger, more complete, more challenging, while preserving the visual identity and narrative style of Ori and the Blind Forest. Although the difficulty is quite high, it's well balanced by the other game mechanisms. It's a good sequel for the fans of the first one, and the opportunity to discover the license for the others.

Ori and the Will of the Wisps may not feel as vital as the original did when it debuted, but fans of the genre would be foolish to overlook the sequel. Its visual style, themes, and engrossing score distinguish it from others in its space. Its fluid sense of movement and fast-paced combat make it a blast to play, with plenty of hidden challenges to uncover. Ori and the Will of the Wisps will please fans of the original and anyone looking for an engrossing adventure steeped in natural mystery and wonder.

I actually haven’t played the first Ori so I can’t compare the two nor do I have a bias based on how much I enjoyed the previous installment. I would wait for some patches before attempting this game. It’s excellent, there’s no doubt about it, but when things don’t work you become robbed of the experience. Still, it’s better than most platformers out there, even with the issues.

Ori and the Will of the Wisps serves up a balanced meal of combat and platforming that captured me immediately. I'm not a big fan of the first game, but Ori's weapon wheel and slick maneuverability turns Will of the Wisps into an irresistible ballet. Unfortunately, performance problems on the Xbox One S in particular bring down a game that is otherwise almost perfect.

The game improves upon its predecessor, and finds new ways to demonstrate their shared eco-friendly themes.

Ori and the Will of the Wisps comes with some outstanding quality of life improvements over the gameplay of the original. The inconsistent performance won't completely break your engagement, but it will affect it. That said, there's just no denying that the world of Ori is one that's easy to get lost in and fall in love with.

Ori and the Will of the Wisps is one of the most beautiful games you will play this year. Every stage is a visual and artistic masterpiece, and Gareth Coker's brillant soundtrack is the most delicious cherry on the cake. Unfortunately, the game still suffers from technical flaws, which have yet to be definitely fixed.

Ori and the Will of the Wisps is a remarkable synthesis of artful design and beautiful moments.

Moon Studios doesn't necessarily break new ground with Ori and the Will of the Wisps and that's OK. The additions that have been made improve on the experience, even though it's hard to be as impressed as we were the first time around.

Ori and the Will of the Wisps does everything that a good sequel is supposed to do. It refines The Blind Forest’s mechanics, expands on the world, and throws in a whole bunch of new moves and concepts. But in an era that’s rich with “emotional platformers,” Will of the Wisps doesn’t do anything to make itself stand out. It’s a fine, if not forgettable, experience.