love at first sight

🍃 ORI AND THE WILL OF THE WISPS IS AN INDIE MASTERPIECE FINALE 🌳

REVIEWED ON: (GeForce GT 1030/i7-3770 )

-This review comes from a guy that has yet to re-play the first game and experience it to the end. Did try it back then, but never finished it. However I can vouch for the sequel being a completely different and more amazing experience compared to it's predecessor. This said let's break it all into parts to make it easier, and you can all experience the journey on my channel as well if you'd like: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CquTuw_CeIQ&list=PLU-KGNqzKRtc&index=8

✨ PLOT: This is the story and conclussion of our protagonist Ori, whom eventually finds his reason to be born. A seedling of light brought to the world with a purpose and a legacy for centuries to come. He shall bring hope to his land, the world possibly, and erradicate the roots of evil that have plagued his home for so long. The story has a message many would understand, but in order to do so you will need to beat it. Dramatic, sad, heart-breaking, and consequential moments await Ori, but all ends well when peace returns. Nothing shall be in vain, for the light is with him at all times.

✨ PERFORMANCE: The game worked surprisingly well for me, and there was no need to tune down the graphics much. I was able to experience the beauty of it's world, characters, music, and gameplay all in stable frames. This game is absolute cinema art in a canvas, playing with lag is not the way to go when we talk about how incredible it looks. This is one of the reasons I did not finish the first game back on my GTS450, and obviously the sequel would not launch for me until I got the GT1030. Some games are best taken seriously, not just to be played for fun.

✨ RE-PLAYABILITY: OATWOTW has a single story which concludes everything, but as you progress in order to complete it all you will need to explore a lot, meet characters, learn the ropes of your skills, and unlock various zones to proceed and or get stronger with time. The game is beautiful, but also frustrating at times, when you're near the end you come to terms with the fact that you were possibly raging for nothing, it all becomes easy once you get certain skills you REALLY need to bypass obstacles. I play my games on easy/normal difficulty because I'm here for the story, but the hard settings may even be more frustrating than expect to many. After you beat the game, you will be able to return to your last save, and complete everything you might have missed before the grand finale. As a Metroidvania and platformer, the map is quite intense/vast and it will take you a while to explore every nook and cranny, and get everything along with the achievements. I, of course am not a completionist but many out there would love taking their time more than usual. There is no new game+ because the end is quite realistic, but you will have the freedom to teleport elsewhere from your last save location and 100% the game.

✨ GAMEPLAY: The game has a lot to talk about, and is a perfect example of a great Metroidvania and GOTY in my opinion. As you start playing as Ori, he is but a fragile light with the basic knowledge from the first game, with time you will discover a lot of skills to aid you on your quest, some a need, while others you can try for fun. This game is quite original with HP and Mana buffs. Your life and Mana bars are quite huge, it just requires exploring a lot and finding fragments to unite and become stronger. The game also has bonus quests by characters, some short and some long, and also some tough "racing" missions in a way. I skipped those, too much for me. You will be free to adapt to your own playstyle by choosing the skills and weapons you really feel comfortable with, as I personally stuck up to the bow, flame, and sword up until reaching the end which requires a lot of precision and a special skill. Once you are overpowered, bosses will fall fast, but of course I did play it on low difficulty so that might differ for you all. Remember to explore, talk to characters, meet vendors, and get stronger for a better less-infuriating experience. I did get stuck at times, but as far as Metroidvania games go this is natural.

🌿 CONCLUSION: OATWOTW is an experience like no other any Metroidvania/platformer fan should have in their collection. Every step you take as Ori, feels like painting the world and leaving behind a mark nothing short of a masterpiece. It is sad to see it all end, but a well-polished story has no space for a continuation once all has been explained in great detail. The game will probably tug on your heart at times, but stay strong. This is one of those games that were created to keep you in the moment until the end, and a rewarding feeling for anyone expecting an emotional adventure that is not generic in any way.

amazing !