Microsoft has just announced the sequel to Ori and the Blind Forest during its E3 2017 keynote, coming exclusively to Xbox One.
Titled Ori and the Will of the Wisps, the sequel to the gorgeous 2D platformer will undoubtedly look as every bit polished and stunning as its predecessor. The original Xbox One game hit shelves last year under a definitive edition, following the success of its beginnings as a digital-only title.
Ori And The Will Of The Wisps: What The Trailer Tells Us
The company failed to showcase any gameplay footage, though presumably, the sequel will feature the original's Metroidvania-style gameplay and once again star Ori, a catlike guardian spirit seen on the first game. For now, fans of the game have a cinematic trailer to gawk at in lieu of actual gameplay footage, and it highlights the title's awe-striking environments and crafty worldbuilding.
Compounded by eerie, otherworldly music, the trailer gives away a trove of details without giving too much. In the final moments, Ori consoles a lonely owl looking afar at the skeletons of two other owls hunched together hauntingly, as if bounded by the score of a tragic past. The camera pans up to reveal thick clouds shrouding a full moon, casting a blue glow.
Tense, dramatic, artistic, beautiful — besides "I want more," what else can one say about the trailer? Those of you who loved the first game, prepare some tissues before watching the trailer of Ori and the Will of the Wisps, as it might bring the waterworks.
To coincide with the release of Microsoft's newly minted console, Ori and the Will of the Wisps will include Xbox One X optimizations, in addition to the ability to play in 4K suppose players have the appropriate hardware for it. Microsoft hasn't given a release date for the visually dazzling sequel, but as always, expect due coverage when we learn more.
Ori And The Blind Forest
In Ori and the Blind Forest, players controlled the titular guardian across platforms and completed puzzles to advance through the game. In making it, the developers sought inspiration from popular films such as The Lion King and The Iron Giant.
Upon release, critics expressed overwhelming adoration for the game, with IGN calling it "a beautifully realized, brilliantly designed, and at times brutally difficult sylvan Metroidvania-style platformer with enough charm to leave a lasting impression."
Polygon expressed similar sentiments in her glowing review, saying Ori and the Blind Forest "feels in many ways like the apotheosis of decades of action-adventure game design, wrapped in some of the most beautiful, cohesive presentations I've ever seen in a game."
In our review, we called the game "so charming, so visually striking and so blissfully hard that you can't help but fall in love with it, even as it grinds you into the dirt," noting the game's steep difficulty level.
Ori and the Will of the Wisps launches for the Xbox One and Windows 10 Store soon.
For now, you may check out the trailer for Ori and the Will of the Wisps below.
Thoughts about Ori and the Will of the Wisps? For those who have already played the first title, what elements made you love the game? More importantly, are you interested in checking out its sequel? Feel free to sound off in the comments section below!
