far more variety too. Ori’s new journey
takes him out of the forest and into
the wider world, where you’ll traverse
a sandy desert, crystal-studded
caverns, a sprawling spider’s nest and
more. Each area has its own twist – in
the desert you can burrow through
buried areas, while in the caverns
you’ll ride gravity-defying minecarts.Of course, each has its dangers,
too. Towering beasts stalk the land- a sinister spider queen, a tentacle-
waving lake creature, a shadowy,
ravenous wolf and more monstrous
beings besides. Your encounters with
these apex predators make for tense,
frantic chase sequences as you
scramble for safety before unleashing
your counterattack.
Luckily you’re better equipped for
combat than ever. Ori’s offensive
abilities have received an overhaul - he’s now able to switch between
weapons in battle, including a swift
sword, a ranged bow and a slow-but-
strong hammer, and there’s more
nuance to his strikes and dodges.
Moon Studios even consulted with the
developers of Killer Instinct for advice
on making the brawling more involved.
Blind ambition
Another addition is the new
competitive Spirit Trials mode.
Designed for speedrunning, it
enables players to record their times
completing a section, and challenge
others to beat it. Run it yourself and
their ‘ghost’ will run alongside you,
showing you their technique and
allowing you to race asynchronously.
Public leaderboards let the best of the
best show off their skills, and you can
even watch recordings of the top runs
to see what you can learn.
So it sounds like those two years
have been spent well. Perhaps six
months isn’t so much longer to wait
for a game that refuses to coast on
the success of its predecessor. In its
impressive expansion of the scope of
the concept, Ori And The Will Of The
Wisps looks set to be an even more
special experience. QTwo years on from its announcement,
we have to admit we’re disappointed
to find out, thanks to a recent
announcement, we’ve still got another
six months before this sequel reaches
our consoles. But good things come to
those who wait, they say, and here it’s
looking like the adage is true – Ori And
The Will Of The Wisps seems as worthy
a follow-up as we could’ve hoped for.
Everything you loved about the
original Ori And The Blind Forest
is present and correct, from
breathtakingly beautiful animation to
heartstring-tugging storytelling. But
it’s all been dialled up, creating an
adventure of grander ambitions and
more nuanced action.
Not only is its 2D world more
sumptuously realised, but it boastsYour movement abilities include a dash roll, a grappling hook and the ability to burrow through sand
BELOW The first
game was
excellent, so
we’re expecting
big things from
this sequel.
Ori And The
Will Of The
Wisps
Beyond the forest
Robin Valentine
PUBLISHER XBOX GAME STUDIOS DEVELOPER MOON STUDIOS
ETA 11 FEBRUARY 2020“Ori’s new
journey takes
him out of the
forest and into
the wider world”
032 THE OFFICIAL XBOX MAGAZINE
PREVIEW