Ori and the Will of the Wisps: XBox One Review

Ori and the Will of the Wisps: XBox One Review

Developed by Moon studios
Released by Microsoft
Platform: XBox One

The 2015 debut of Ori on the XBox was close to platforming perfection.

Leaping around a forest, performing tricky leaps and bounds, and failing had never been so much fun.

In the long-awaited sequel, it's back to the forest as Ori welcomes the baby of Kuru, the owl that terrorised him in the last game. When Ori and baby Ku become friends, they learn to play together, and as Ku grows and learns to fly, Ori tags along.

But caught up in a storm, the pair is separated - and it's up to Ori to get Ku back home.

Jumping, climbing, leaping and hurtling through the forest, Ori and The Will of The Wisps is a fun and challenging return to the world of Nibel.

Creating a side cast of characters and various missions for Ori, the game concerns itself with its side-quests and its atmospherics, which is where it excels. A gorgeously orchestrated soundtrack complements the action as it plays out and gives the game a warm comfortable feeling.

It also adds to the fairytale level of what's transpiring on screen as well as the world expands this time, leading to a feeling of exploration being worthwhile each time the game sends you off on various missions.

Sure, it does occasionally frustrate - like all great platformers should. And there are some technical bugs that cause headaches more than they should, but overall, Ori and The Will of the Wisps is a game that enchants as much as the Blind Forest did.

Here's to a third outing for Ori.