Ori and the Will of the Wisps

Ori and the Will of the Wisps continues the story of the light spirit Ori and sends him beyond the boundaries of the familiar forest into a vaster and more hostile land. The narrative is again carried mainly by imagery and music, but this time with greater emphasis on the fates of supporting characters and on a settlement that acts as the world's hub, gradually growing thanks to the tasks you complete for its inhabitants. The structure remains faithful to the metroidvania genre: an interconnected map, gradually unlocked abilities, and plenty of detours that reward curiosity.

Compared to the first game, combat has changed significantly. Ori no longer has just an automatic attack, but a full set of weapons and abilities that you freely assign to buttons, letting you build your own fighting style out of a sword, bow, hammer, and various traps. Full-fledged boss fights were also added, and the escape sequences the predecessor was famous for haven't disappeared either. Movement is even freer than before, and once you gain the advanced abilities, the game turns into an almost continuous flight across the landscape. The save system was changed to automatic checkpoints, which made the game more accessible to a wider audience.

Technically, it's once again top-tier 2D craftsmanship: hand-painted environments, rich lighting effects, and smooth animation, on PC at crisp resolution and with support for high refresh rates. After release, the game suffered performance issues on some setups, which the developers gradually addressed through updates. The orchestral music is once again among the best independent gaming has to offer, and at key moments it carries the full emotional weight of the story. Reception was very warm, and many players consider the sequel better than the original thanks to its richer combat system. Today, the two games form a pair worth playing back to back. Alongside the main story, it also offers optional challenges, races, and hunting quests, so anyone wanting to see absolutely everything will spend roughly twice as much time in the world as with a straight run through the story.