given the acclaimed surrounding Ori and the blind forest developed by Moon Studio
it's not surprising to see the developer return to this enchanting world in a new sequel, Ori and the will of the Wisps
it is been five years since the release of this original, but it is clear that moon studio not only listened to the feedback, but also took a closer look at the competition in the time since
the lessons learned certainly benefit the second effort
this is immediately noticable when it comes to the game's combat system
the original opted for a more laid-back approach that never really demanded much thought
but that all changes now
will of the wisps has evolved into something more satisfying, and the combat is further elevated
by introducing more challenging types of enemies to put your new skills to the test
it's a drastic improvement that helps give the sequel a more complete and distinct feel
original didn't feature traditional boss encounters, instead favoring exhilarating chase sequences that required precise platforming skills.
while this time it retains these heart-pumping chases, it also works in numerous bosses that put up a decent fights with multiple phases, sometimes weaving in short chase sequences for good measure
the new combat mechanics and bosses are welcomed additions that leave you with a greater sense of gratification
Wisps does a great job of thoughtfully considering its diffculty, too
thw world is structured in a way that makes dealing with enemy encounters easier if you explore more rather than rushing to your next primary goa
it achieves that by hiding unique power-ups and abilities in easy-to-miss locations, which includes entire areas of the game. and side objectives that are completely optional
it's a near-perfect synergy between exploration and reward that enhance that game's balance
one element that factored into the original's difficulty that is no longer present, was the option to manually generate your own save points.
instead, the sequel automatically does this for you, this is a much better solution that allows you to focus on the best parts of the game.
rather than worrying about a bothersome mechanic that could potentially result in losing progress
it is to be expected that a game of this nature demands a lot of backtracking.
but Wisps mitigates the tedium typically associated with this design by providing the ability to fast travel between activated save shrines.
despite this, it never feels like progression skews more towards being linear.
the tried-and-true philosophy of teasing inaccessible paths that clearly require you to come back with a new ability is in full effect
many of these unique abilities are holdovers from the previous game
each of them contributing to the wide variety of ways you can traverse through each environment
lauching off enemies and preojectiles is just as fun as before, allowing you to do amazing aerial maneuvers athat add to the fluid nature of your movements
what's impressive is that will of the wisps takes things a step further with its new abilities like grappling, which mesh so well with the new combat system
will of the wisps provides plenty of secondary objectives that all come with satisfying payoffs
there is a trading sequence with a worthwhile reward waiting at the end
and an emotional side story tied to rebuilding a village that delivers a bounty of benefits for each stage of its completion
for thoses looking for something that's more of a test of brawn than brain, there are a handful of races through portions of each area as well as intense battle arenas that throw waves of enemies at you