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Since there were a couple of people who became Ko-Fi Monthly Supporters after I pre-uploaded this, just wanted to say a huge thank you to CrazyTindell and TheNapTaker for their support! I really appreciate y'all!
I want to lean super hard into one of your last statements: "I love being proven wrong." The Internet age has given rise to flame debates, arguments designed to win points with the people who agree with you rather than to be convincing to someone else... But there's beauty in being forced to acknowledge that the world is bigger than your perspective on it. There's wonder in the bugs hiding under rocks that you were certain couldn't be there, or a delightful bounce of a mushroom hiding under some leaf litter. Being wrong is an opportunity to exercise curiosity, and I think your curiosity is what keeps pulling me back to your videos time and again. Excellent work as always!
Impeccable writing. You hit the nail right on the head with everything. It’s so strange that this game never seems to come up in discussions about metroidvanias, platformers, or when talking about video game sequels - even though it’s a prime exemplar of how to do just one, or all of those things extremely well. As you mentioned near the end of the video, the amount of factors this game has to balance at once not only to please fans of the previous game and retain the soul of the original, but also to make tons of adjustments and additions in order for the game to establish itself as an excellent sequel - it’s darn remarkable! I find it hard to put into words how many incredible feats this game accomplishes in its platforming, combat, story, visuals, presentation, etc. I’m glad someone was able transcribe what I felt I could not. If there’s one thing I’m surprised to see not elaborated on though, it was the music. I suppose it’s sort of a given that Ori 2’s soundtrack is just as good as the first game’s, as they share the same composer, but man, the music is like 50% of the experience to me. Something about the overarching *feel* of the ost just hits me in a way the first game didn’t. Like the rest of the game, it retains the soul of the original while somehow also standing on its own. Note: On the topic of music, it was an interesting choice to have the music turned off for all of the gameplay you captured. I understand it’s for the sake of editing, but to me it placed a bit of a spotlight on the game’s absolutely stellar sound design. I never realized how much character it adds to the environments.
I'm glad you enjoyed my writing. I was a bit nervous if it would come out correctly since it's been a while since my last upload. And yeah when there's an option to turn music off in a game, I usually that for my third playthrough (the one I use for capturing footage). First I play normally (usually on Twitch), then a second playthrough while taking notes for writing. And a third to capture footage etc.
Your first Ori video introduced me to your channel. Even though I disagree with your take on the first game, I enjoyed the video due to its high quality and logical, respectful, civil arguments. I also enjoyed the many other videos on your channel. You do research, you're willing to hear out the other side, and your content is very entertaining. I was very happy to see the notification that this video is finally releasing, and even happier to know it left a better impression (at least that's what I assume). Keep up the great work :) Tldr: I disagree with the video that introduced me to the channel, but the content is good and the creator is cool, so I guess I'll stay awhile.
Found you because of your first Ori video and I'm glad the sequel has changed your mind. If I had to define what made Ori one of My favorite franchises it would be how the movement and music makes you feel. Keep up the good work you come a long way and still have much to go
Yo! Awesome vid, as always. Watched it live too. I do have one question though: have you tried pacing these videos slightly faster? I love them how they are right now, but that might be the reason why the views have been kinda lackluster despite these being really well-made and thought-out. Wish you the best :D!
Thanks for these videos! I couldn't agree more with your assessment of both Ori games. It was encouraging to see that you also had issues with the controls and it reassured me that it was worth continuing to play blind forest because the sequel would make it worth it. I possibly wouldn't have gotten the second one if I hadn't got them together in a bundle special edition for the Switch. I think playing blind forest on the switch made the controls even more fickle and infuriating. I got through it and beat the game but put it down IMMEDIATELY after beating it, never to return (which is a shame). I didn't bother doing anything optional. It's so frustrating when for each 10 times you watch this cute adorable Ori die, 9 times it was because of the controls. I craved to be the one "guilty" of my shortcomings in the game. Instead I found myself constantly challenged by the controls, when I wanted to feel challenged by puzzles, or by the action sequences themselves. For most of it, I didn't get the feeling that I'd done everything right and failed because the game had been carefully designed to require reflection and ability. The lack of real combat didn't bother me that much, it was only later, by playing the will of the wisps, that I realised that I wanted good combat (since it didn't bother me while playing blind forest, I don't feel like this is such a big problem). My biggest issue with blind forest is that I rarely got a sense of being challenged by design, but because of whatever technical issue that wasn't supposed to be there (maybe even problems caused by the switch port - that's the only version I played). It surprised me to see that blind forest had actually not that many actual puzzles and that most of the game was a matter of being persistent and lucky when it came to its controls (that made me constantly think of Douglas Adam's term "improbability generator"). Yes yes there were sequences that were supposed to be challenging, like escaping the tree, but even then the sheer amount of times I had to watch adorable Ori get crushed or drowned for bogus reasons was disproportionate and took the fun out of it. I wanted to fail and say "I get that, I'll improve it next time". When the game takes that from you, even your victories don't feel as earned as they should. Instead of getting that amazing feeling of accomplishment, I just thought "thank god that's dealt with". So I picked up will of the wisps desperately hoping they'd fixed the controls. I wanted to love these games. I loved Gris and ever since I played it several years ago I had been searching for something as beautiful as Gris. While I played some good games in this style since Gris, possibly none are in the same level as will of the wisps (though "Arise - a simple story" was more touching for me). I got a bit frustrated at the controls in the worm escape sequence but managed to beat it after a reasonable amount of attempts (I figured that I needed to put dry shampoo in my palms because the whole thing was so intense it made my hands sweat and it made it impossible to control Ori with the required precision to succeed the escape). I love the fact that the player can succeed in the boss fights with completely different tactics. Will of the wisps is great and its challenges feel rewarding. It made me want to continue playing after beating the game, so this time I got the completionist trophy. About the plot: I was way more touched by the story than I was in the first game (which was filled with "mother" tropes that are just getting old). However, the story didn't feel as poignant as Gris, Arise - a simple story or even Journey. Will of the wisps is a huge improvement in every single possible aspect. And that made me so happy, because I really want this series to succeed. If anyone read all this, thank you! OBS. I played in normal difficulty in the switch, with the original controllers attached to the screen.
While i'm glad you loved the sequel i'm still having a hard time understanding how you could not enjoy the first one. Lackluster combat, fine it's not really the focus of the game like the platforming is. However the platforming was anything but floaty, it was the smoothest and most enjoyable platformer untill WotW came along. It is indeed also relatively guided for a metroidvania but it is still relatively open. This makes it an ideal first metroidvania like it was for me. And finally story, well, you must know that the reason naru came back was because gumo used that light from his home, the last legacy of his people and his only heritage, to bring back a loved one of someone else. If you realize the weight of this descision, it adds a lot more gravity to it all. Also it allows naru to make kuro come full circle in terms of motherhood and unconditional love. While basic the story is quite beautiful imo, even if it can look cheap at first glance. I think blind forest definitive edition is to this date still the second best game ever made, only beat out by its sequel. if you don't feel this way that's fine, but i hope you had some enjoyment at least with it, and with wotw under your belt hope you can look back with a smile on your time spent with it. ps: ginso tree skill issue, + L, + ratio, ROFLMAO xdddddd
Ikr. The story is about parents and their kids. And the game let's you explore a ton. With the way he showed Ori's jump... like Ori isn't a verticle jumper? I'm also very used the Blind Forest controls, Ori moves great and isn't floaty. You just have to be careful and patient - you need to know what you're doing. Like I'm so used to them I barely used Climb in Will of the wisps, clinging to the walls just felt wrong. I just wish there was an option to fight like in the first game - like with Sein.
@@lorettabes4553, yeah, honestly. When he brought that up, all I heard was skill issue. And then the Ginso Tree bit, like just go to the other side. Theres literally an outcropping on the other side because the game wants you to go over there. Use your eyes, it's not that hard 😭
@@filmotter I guess so, but I still wish a few more games mixed platforming and fighting like this (yes I played hollow night but the fights never really have a focus on platforming)
Will of the Wisps is absolutely insane as a sequel. I love how it's one of those situations where one started small and continued growing as time went on. Glad you enjoyed your time with my favorite game ever! (P.S. I hope you try some of the glitches someday :D)
Ori and the blind forest story is difficult tonget even when it is simple. You said that Naru revives out of nowhere. Well i wouldnt say that. Gumo knew Ori and Naru since the very begginign when Ori return to the cave you can see a shadow moving it was gumo. He follows in the fore screen until you properly met him and then he helps you as the story progresses and he mever really stop following you. When you reach his home at the ruins he is convinced of the good intentions. And knowing that he wouldnt be able to revive all his people he deciced to took the light his civilization collected to provided energy for the place to work and give up his people and home in order to use the spirit tree light to revive Naru. Which also let to the final moment when Naru met with Kuro first and last time but enought to make Kuro realize that she is a mother too and stop hating light because the accident killed her babies. Most people.agree that first game story is better composed but both stories are bittersweet.
I don't understand why you hate bash I never had any issues with it Sure it took a bit of getting used to, but once I made it to the wellspring, I had pretty much mastered it at that point. Although I do understand the differences between keyboard and controller controls. Ori is impossible to play on a keyboard. Great video tho!
I enjoyed Ori 1 more than 2 Ori 1 felt more like a different experience. Maybe I prefer something that's different rather than perfect. I still enjoyed Ori 2 a lot though.
10:19 the mix between the Ori music and what you were saying almost made me cry. ( Today wasn't really a great day so I was already kinda emotional) Also love the Video
I enjoyed this video! Your first video on the first Ori was kinda stuck in the back of my head while I started to play Blind Forest and has been holding me back a bit, but knowing what awaits in Will of the Wisps in terms of improvements to the story, gameplay, and art, I'm willing to give it another go
Loved this mate, excellent video. The two Ori games are two of my all time favorites and I'm always glad to hear when someone also enjoys the franchise. Got yourself a subscriber :)
This is a beautiful video and I love how you make everything come even more alive with your detailed storytelling! 🥰 I didn't even know how much of the video had passed, until you suddenly said something that took me out of it all.. I'm currently 15:22 in and you did it again! 😄 What makes you "remember" that you could *hold a button* to attack in the first Ori ? 😝 To my knowledge, that has never been possible. I would personally love for it to be like that, compared to how it actually is in having to press a button for each attack.
First things first, the Ori duology makes me feel like a kid again, with its beautiful visuals, music, story and gameplay, as if it's saying "Yes, the world is a scary place, but with courage and determination, you'll make it." Second, i for one think that we all would like to deal with the concept of "being wrong" in a healthy way, but the spiral goes like this: starting from "I'm wrong about this, that's okay", to "oh... I'm/they're wrong about something else", then to "i'm/they're wrong about a lot of things...", to finally "if you're/i'm wrong about so many things/everything, what am i/are you right about? What am i/are you good at? AM i/ARE you good at anything? Am i/Are you good FOR anything?" So honestly, i completely understand the desire to not ever be wrong, because if we are, we become terrified at the risk that we might be wrong about EVERYTHING.
Your videos obviously have a lot of effort and love put into them man. Found you from your original Ori review. I am about 1/3 through the game, and have some similar thoughts, though I think I am enjoying it more than you. Your scripts are tight, and your editing keeps pace. Well made stuff dude. Keep it up! These are wonderful works of thoughtful critique.
Okay I'll give this game another shot; tried it with my xbox game pass trial over xmas and bounced off the wolf sequence partly because I wasn't in the headspace to get thrown into a bossfight that quickly. Oh, on the subject of 2023 sequels, I must name drop Talos Principle 2; knocked it out of the park in every sense for me.
That's totally valid! And tbh there's a chance the rest of the game may not vibe with you still. But I will say the wolf sequence isn't as stressful after a certain point. I believe in ya! 😊
I agree with just about everything you said, except for the writing. I felt like Ori and the Blind Forest had a significantly better story overall than Will of the Wisps, most notably with their respective villains. Shriek felt like a pure evil villain where the "tragic backstory" felt like an attempt at a cheap gut punch to make Shriek relatable, whereas Kuro was genuinely a sympathetic villain, yet both were written like their villain was supposed to be relatable and it didn't work for me in Will of the Wisps. That said, Will of the Wisps was truly a massive improvement on Blind Forest, to the point where the only reasons I would recommend Blind Forest to see how Moon Studios improved upon its formula and for the first game's story content.
yet another well thought out video, i love that you were willing to try it anyway despite your distaste for the first game! this video really made me want to check out the sequel! you were right about sequels - as someone who never preorders games, but preordered dragon's dogma 2 as soon as i heard about it, without even seeing a trailer, simply as a fan of the first game, i am not immune to the sequel propaganda train. i rly did go into it with lots and lots of expectations, for good or ill. and based on expectations, i would never have given will of the wisps a second glance, but this really made me think about how i view and consume sequels, especially video game sequels. thanks for an amazing video! i might give this game a try sometime. do i need to have played the first so i can get a sense for all these returning characters?
Thank youuuu! And I would say playing the first game definitely gives you a good understanding of the characters. And an appreciation of the difference between the two games. But tbh you could always just read the wiki synopsis of the first game too
I havent even watched the video yet 😅 (its going in my watch later) but I'm glad you changed your mind for the sequel. This is my favorite game of all time (until ori 3 hopefully) - the amazing soundtrack that perfectly fits the contrasting envirenments of Niwen, the awe-inspiringly fluid movements, and the amazing bash mechanic all make this a game I will never forget. And I also like how the developers did not try to do more than they could perfect, and it has no equivalent of the dreaded "animus fragments" from assassin's creed. I'll watch your video and respond later . . . Edit: WHY DO YOU HATE BASH?!??!??!!?! ONLY THE BEST VIDEO GAME ABILITY OF ALL TIME!!!!!!
While I disagree with everyhing you said about Blind Forest, I'm very happy WotW was a better match for you. Personally, I really missed Sein's combat. It was unique to Ori. Now he just became Hollow Knight 2.0 with that dumb light sword. But the new movement options made me happy. Even if the game as a whole didn't surpass Blind Forest for me. Idk the feeling is different and that is what made me gravitate to BF more.
Like I know Blind Forest like the back of my hand - the controls aren't floaty to me, they are intended and people just have to get used to them. Then again, I'm also a splatoon enjoyed- weird/awkward controls are kinda my wheelhouse as long as it feels amazing to play
Lovely video, but I am the only one who prefers Ginso Tree over The Wellspring? Not that I hate the Wellspring, is one of my favorite areas in the Ori games, but I think the Ginso Tree is a better dungeon, most likely because bash > grapple (and I love grapple, especially with the ultra grapple shard). I think grapple would be a better ability if you could use once in any surface but to refresh it you need to land on ground, bash or burrow. And I like more the escape sequence of Ginso Tree, the verticality is so cool, like escaping from the Sandworm before the Patches (it was very hard and fun 'cause the worm was FAST), I think the vertical ones are more fun, at least to me, because you fall if you do a mistake, adds to the pressure.
Pretty sure my exact comment on the first video was “Yeah Otter agreed, I didn’t like the first one either because platforming, but play the second because they actually made it a Metroidvania this time!” So needless to say I completely agree with everything you laid out in this one.
I completely agree about the difference between the first and second game. While I did enjoy otbf, I'm not going to replay it, because owotw feels like a better version. A much better version. For someone who discovered how good hollow knight was completely by accident, owotw was a very nice surprise after having player otbf
I find this game to be a great visual and audio journey not depression. From start to finish, everything in this game is an allegory for the struggle against depression and the coming back and rebirth of a person whos gone through hell and survived it.
Have to disagree about the first Ori game, I thought it was absolutely amazing. The scene with Naru was emotional in my opinion - I know we don't know much about Naru but she basically raised our little guy, she's his mum and seeing her die of hunger was well... sad! But I agree that the Will of the Wisps is even better, a masterpiece. I hope you've found a great job!
I really liked the first game, however the second is significantly better in most reguards. For instance, the first game had a truly beutiful piece of music, the issue being that it and its varients were pretty much the only memorable music in the game and it was used over and over, by contrast, the second has many really memorable and beutiful motifs. Shriek is also a really compelling villain, I liked Kuro, but Shriek is much more frightenning and her story makes a lot of sense. Kuro's motivation was understandable, but I'm still not sure why the spirit tree looking for Ori killed her children, so it was hard to be engaged. Shriek, by contrast is born amoungst death and decay and then rejected by the beutiful world beyond it, pushed back into the only thing she'd ever known, wrapping herself in silence and decay and perpetuating it out of spite, becomming a ruthless apex preditor so that nothing would ever be able to hurt her again. Even in the end, she returns to the dark to die because the idea of changing, of openning her heart to be crushed again is so frightenning that she'd rather just wither away in the silence of her own making. It honestly feels like the story of a tragic ammount of people who fall into depression and toxicity and refuse to leave it because it's too frightenning. On another note, if you want a great sequal that improved in every way upon the original that released in 2023, play Remnant 2, it's an underrated masterpiece. So, to conclude, Will of the Wisps is great, Shriek is great, play Remnant 2, and bash is brilliant.
Hey, man! I don't think you remember, but I asked you about a permission of a theme similar to yours that I wanted to make, and since then, I haven't talked to you about anything. Just wanna say that the video released yesterday! Gotta make sure you know cuz I think you deserves that. (u can translate the subtitles, if you wanna watch)
Apologies! I needed a way to visually differentiate the footage from the first and second game. Should have gone with something a lil less aggressive. My bad.
I had a similar experience to you (hated the first one and fell in love with the sequel) with one exception. I went back to play Blind Forest (I just finished it) and I realized it's not so bad as I tought it was. The sequel is still vastly better. But my opinion has changed on the original. It's not great but it's at least above average.
The sequel it's so good there's almost no point in playing the first game. But don't get me wrong, I love the first game and it has lots of merits, but I can't think on a single thing that makes me go "Mmm, I prefer this in the first game". Which it's not necessarily bad tho. The first game is still a very, very good game. Both are awesome quality games, but the sequel is just soooo much better.
It's the soundtrack from Ori and the Will of the Wisps, composed by Gareth Coker! Search up "Burrowing ori" or "approaching the ruins ori", better yet listen to the whole OST. It's awesome 👍
Loved the video! One bit of constructive criticism, though. Some of those loooooooong dramatic pauses were way too long. Completely ruins the flow and doesn't add any actual drama. Nexpo does the same thing and it drives me, and many others, insane. I subbed, though :)
i love your editing style and your script! this video is very well-made :) however, if i may offer one constructive criticism, i would avoid pausing as long and as frequently as you do. the visuals are wonderful, but they're still game clips. the music is great, but it's still just a game soundtrack. YOU'RE the main feature of the video, you and your words. every second we aren't hearing you is a second that feels wasted as we watch compiled clips of a game in the background. as you say, expectations are very important to the measure of a media's success. which is why when I don't hear anything from you for several seconds when I'm expecting the continuation of a sentence, it's kind of really jarring and immersion-breaking. dramatic pause is one thing. artificially bloating a video's runtime by pausing excessively between (and in the middle of) sentences is another. if the clips were more infrequent and used at more impactful moments, i think that would lend to the pauses much more. a pause in your voice needs to be compensated for by a rich, engaging display. simple clips of the gameplay don't really earn that. that's really it tho! there wasn't anything else about this video that irked me and, despite the weird and awkward pauses, i thoroughly enjoyed hearing your take on one of my favorite games of all time!! you are very well-spoken and concise :) definitely earned my subscribe! i agree with a lot of what you said about the first game, although I'm not sure i understand the problem with the floaty controls considering how they didn't change at all between the first and second games. Only the animations did. There probably isn't much i could say here that other people didn't already comment under your first video, so I won't bother repeating stuff! I'm so very glad you were able to enjoy this game and let ori earn a place in your heart as something good to enjoy!
Heya! If you enjoy the videos and want to support, become a monthly supporter on Ko-Fi ko-fi.com/filmotter
You'll get shout-outs at the end, sneak peeks at future video essays, and behind the scenes content. Or you can do a one-time donation!
Since there were a couple of people who became Ko-Fi Monthly Supporters after I pre-uploaded this, just wanted to say a huge thank you to CrazyTindell and TheNapTaker for their support! I really appreciate y'all!
I want to lean super hard into one of your last statements: "I love being proven wrong." The Internet age has given rise to flame debates, arguments designed to win points with the people who agree with you rather than to be convincing to someone else... But there's beauty in being forced to acknowledge that the world is bigger than your perspective on it. There's wonder in the bugs hiding under rocks that you were certain couldn't be there, or a delightful bounce of a mushroom hiding under some leaf litter. Being wrong is an opportunity to exercise curiosity, and I think your curiosity is what keeps pulling me back to your videos time and again. Excellent work as always!
Well said friend
The growth from 1 to 2 is so apparent. As a game studioyou can see the growth too.
This is so well written! Great job!
Thank you so much Heck! I'm really excited for their next game. Apparently that comes out next month!
@@filmotter the early access is what's coming out next month
Impeccable writing. You hit the nail right on the head with everything.
It’s so strange that this game never seems to come up in discussions about metroidvanias, platformers, or when talking about video game sequels - even though it’s a prime exemplar of how to do just one, or all of those things extremely well. As you mentioned near the end of the video, the amount of factors this game has to balance at once not only to please fans of the previous game and retain the soul of the original, but also to make tons of adjustments and additions in order for the game to establish itself as an excellent sequel - it’s darn remarkable! I find it hard to put into words how many incredible feats this game accomplishes in its platforming, combat, story, visuals, presentation, etc. I’m glad someone was able transcribe what I felt I could not.
If there’s one thing I’m surprised to see not elaborated on though, it was the music. I suppose it’s sort of a given that Ori 2’s soundtrack is just as good as the first game’s, as they share the same composer, but man, the music is like 50% of the experience to me. Something about the overarching *feel* of the ost just hits me in a way the first game didn’t. Like the rest of the game, it retains the soul of the original while somehow also standing on its own.
Note: On the topic of music, it was an interesting choice to have the music turned off for all of the gameplay you captured. I understand it’s for the sake of editing, but to me it placed a bit of a spotlight on the game’s absolutely stellar sound design. I never realized how much character it adds to the environments.
I'm glad you enjoyed my writing. I was a bit nervous if it would come out correctly since it's been a while since my last upload.
And yeah when there's an option to turn music off in a game, I usually that for my third playthrough (the one I use for capturing footage). First I play normally (usually on Twitch), then a second playthrough while taking notes for writing. And a third to capture footage etc.
I bought Will of the Wisps entirely because of the responses to your first Ori video XD
Basically same!
Your first Ori video introduced me to your channel. Even though I disagree with your take on the first game, I enjoyed the video due to its high quality and logical, respectful, civil arguments.
I also enjoyed the many other videos on your channel. You do research, you're willing to hear out the other side, and your content is very entertaining.
I was very happy to see the notification that this video is finally releasing, and even happier to know it left a better impression (at least that's what I assume).
Keep up the great work :)
Tldr:
I disagree with the video that introduced me to the channel, but the content is good and the creator is cool, so I guess I'll stay awhile.
That's really nice to hear! I'm excited for you to see this one. 😊
Found you because of your first Ori video and I'm glad the sequel has changed your mind. If I had to define what made Ori one of My favorite franchises it would be how the movement and music makes you feel.
Keep up the good work you come a long way and still have much to go
Thanks so much! Glad you enjoy what I'm doing 😊
Yo! Awesome vid, as always. Watched it live too. I do have one question though: have you tried pacing these videos slightly faster? I love them how they are right now, but that might be the reason why the views have been kinda lackluster despite these being really well-made and thought-out. Wish you the best :D!
Thanks for these videos! I couldn't agree more with your assessment of both Ori games. It was encouraging to see that you also had issues with the controls and it reassured me that it was worth continuing to play blind forest because the sequel would make it worth it.
I possibly wouldn't have gotten the second one if I hadn't got them together in a bundle special edition for the Switch.
I think playing blind forest on the switch made the controls even more fickle and infuriating. I got through it and beat the game but put it down IMMEDIATELY after beating it, never to return (which is a shame). I didn't bother doing anything optional. It's so frustrating when for each 10 times you watch this cute adorable Ori die, 9 times it was because of the controls. I craved to be the one "guilty" of my shortcomings in the game. Instead I found myself constantly challenged by the controls, when I wanted to feel challenged by puzzles, or by the action sequences themselves. For most of it, I didn't get the feeling that I'd done everything right and failed because the game had been carefully designed to require reflection and ability. The lack of real combat didn't bother me that much, it was only later, by playing the will of the wisps, that I realised that I wanted good combat (since it didn't bother me while playing blind forest, I don't feel like this is such a big problem). My biggest issue with blind forest is that I rarely got a sense of being challenged by design, but because of whatever technical issue that wasn't supposed to be there (maybe even problems caused by the switch port - that's the only version I played). It surprised me to see that blind forest had actually not that many actual puzzles and that most of the game was a matter of being persistent and lucky when it came to its controls (that made me constantly think of Douglas Adam's term "improbability generator"). Yes yes there were sequences that were supposed to be challenging, like escaping the tree, but even then the sheer amount of times I had to watch adorable Ori get crushed or drowned for bogus reasons was disproportionate and took the fun out of it. I wanted to fail and say "I get that, I'll improve it next time". When the game takes that from you, even your victories don't feel as earned as they should. Instead of getting that amazing feeling of accomplishment, I just thought "thank god that's dealt with".
So I picked up will of the wisps desperately hoping they'd fixed the controls. I wanted to love these games. I loved Gris and ever since I played it several years ago I had been searching for something as beautiful as Gris. While I played some good games in this style since Gris, possibly none are in the same level as will of the wisps (though "Arise - a simple story" was more touching for me). I got a bit frustrated at the controls in the worm escape sequence but managed to beat it after a reasonable amount of attempts (I figured that I needed to put dry shampoo in my palms because the whole thing was so intense it made my hands sweat and it made it impossible to control Ori with the required precision to succeed the escape). I love the fact that the player can succeed in the boss fights with completely different tactics.
Will of the wisps is great and its challenges feel rewarding. It made me want to continue playing after beating the game, so this time I got the completionist trophy. About the plot: I was way more touched by the story than I was in the first game (which was filled with "mother" tropes that are just getting old). However, the story didn't feel as poignant as Gris, Arise - a simple story or even Journey.
Will of the wisps is a huge improvement in every single possible aspect. And that made me so happy, because I really want this series to succeed.
If anyone read all this, thank you!
OBS. I played in normal difficulty in the switch, with the original controllers attached to the screen.
I'm so glad I could encourage you to keep going! The second game was such a delight. 😊
The two ori games are some of my favorites of all time. So happy you loved will of the wisps 😭
I was genuinely shocked how much I loved it! I even shed some tears on stream lol
@@filmotter are your streams available as vids anywhere? Would love to watch them!
@kirbeeez6131 they're all saved on my Twitch page. I haven't really ever posted them on TH-cam haha
@@filmotter I’ll for sure check them out! Love WotW so much lol
@@filmotterI don’t think I’ve ever been on your twitch, do you have a sub button over there?
While i'm glad you loved the sequel i'm still having a hard time understanding how you could not enjoy the first one. Lackluster combat, fine it's not really the focus of the game like the platforming is. However the platforming was anything but floaty, it was the smoothest and most enjoyable platformer untill WotW came along. It is indeed also relatively guided for a metroidvania but it is still relatively open. This makes it an ideal first metroidvania like it was for me. And finally story, well, you must know that the reason naru came back was because gumo used that light from his home, the last legacy of his people and his only heritage, to bring back a loved one of someone else. If you realize the weight of this descision, it adds a lot more gravity to it all. Also it allows naru to make kuro come full circle in terms of motherhood and unconditional love. While basic the story is quite beautiful imo, even if it can look cheap at first glance. I think blind forest definitive edition is to this date still the second best game ever made, only beat out by its sequel. if you don't feel this way that's fine, but i hope you had some enjoyment at least with it, and with wotw under your belt hope you can look back with a smile on your time spent with it.
ps: ginso tree skill issue, + L, + ratio, ROFLMAO xdddddd
Ikr. The story is about parents and their kids.
And the game let's you explore a ton. With the way he showed Ori's jump... like Ori isn't a verticle jumper?
I'm also very used the Blind Forest controls, Ori moves great and isn't floaty. You just have to be careful and patient - you need to know what you're doing.
Like I'm so used to them I barely used Climb in Will of the wisps, clinging to the walls just felt wrong. I just wish there was an option to fight like in the first game - like with Sein.
@@lorettabes4553, yeah, honestly. When he brought that up, all I heard was skill issue. And then the Ginso Tree bit, like just go to the other side. Theres literally an outcropping on the other side because the game wants you to go over there. Use your eyes, it's not that hard 😭
I wish more games had escape sequences like ori, they are so cool.
disagree
They're definitely fairly unique to the series. I think if more games had them, they'd feel a little less special to these games. At least for me.
@@filmotter I guess so, but I still wish a few more games mixed platforming and fighting like this (yes I played hollow night but the fights never really have a focus on platforming)
@@The-EJ-Factor Agreed! If silksong ever comes out, maybe they'll use Hornet's agility for some sequences like that!
the escape sequences are so good even the bosses have them
Will of the Wisps is absolutely insane as a sequel. I love how it's one of those situations where one started small and continued growing as time went on.
Glad you enjoyed your time with my favorite game ever!
(P.S. I hope you try some of the glitches someday :D)
It's such a great sequel! And Moon Studios is coming out with a new game really soon I believe. So I'm excited to see how that turns out as well!
love when I can have a change of heart on a game/movie/whatever and feel the same enjoyment others get from it tbh
Same here! It's one of my favorite feelings tbh
Ori and the blind forest story is difficult tonget even when it is simple. You said that Naru revives out of nowhere. Well i wouldnt say that. Gumo knew Ori and Naru since the very begginign when Ori return to the cave you can see a shadow moving it was gumo. He follows in the fore screen until you properly met him and then he helps you as the story progresses and he mever really stop following you. When you reach his home at the ruins he is convinced of the good intentions. And knowing that he wouldnt be able to revive all his people he deciced to took the light his civilization collected to provided energy for the place to work and give up his people and home in order to use the spirit tree light to revive Naru. Which also let to the final moment when Naru met with Kuro first and last time but enought to make Kuro realize that she is a mother too and stop hating light because the accident killed her babies.
Most people.agree that first game story is better composed but both stories are bittersweet.
Wow I completely missed Gumo's arc my first playthrough! Thanks for enlightening me!
Ikr
I don't understand why you hate bash
I never had any issues with it
Sure it took a bit of getting used to, but once I made it to the wellspring, I had pretty much mastered it at that point.
Although I do understand the differences between keyboard and controller controls. Ori is impossible to play on a keyboard.
Great video tho!
I enjoyed Ori 1 more than 2
Ori 1 felt more like a different experience.
Maybe I prefer something that's different rather than perfect.
I still enjoyed Ori 2 a lot though.
Loved the video! Ori is one of my favorite series of games.
I'm glad you enjoyed it! Here's hoping for a third.... somehow? 🤣
8:51 cool detail, it’s a snowman of Naruto’s deceased father
Would have loved to be able to catch the premiere! Theres a reason its not called Ori:2 and I think you captured it perfectly!
Also love bash
All good! There's always the next one haha
Naru didn't die in 5 minutes. "Through the passage of time" the land became barren, they ran out of food and died of starvation.
Great video as always!
Sorry, to hear about your job
Thank you so much! And it's OK. 2024 seems like that kinda year, ya know. But hey, now I have time to make more videos!
10:19 the mix between the Ori music and what you were saying almost made me cry. ( Today wasn't really a great day so I was already kinda emotional)
Also love the Video
I'm glad you enjoyed the video! But I'm sorry you're having a tough day.
Haven’t even watched the video but I’m SOOOOO glad you played this game - it’s insanely fun
Haha I'm glad I played it too! Would love to hear your thoughts after you finish the video as well.
Had to stop at minute 21 bc intense spoilers but will surely watch again after I playthrough it myself, great vid quality!
I enjoyed this video! Your first video on the first Ori was kinda stuck in the back of my head while I started to play Blind Forest and has been holding me back a bit, but knowing what awaits in Will of the Wisps in terms of improvements to the story, gameplay, and art, I'm willing to give it another go
Ooooh yes! Honestly, knowing your taste in games, I could see WotW being a new favorite for you.
Great video! Looking forward to go through older videos I've missed!
D'awww thank you! I'm glad you dug it!
Loved this mate, excellent video. The two Ori games are two of my all time favorites and I'm always glad to hear when someone also enjoys the franchise. Got yourself a subscriber :)
15:35 there used to be even more, thou all was cut sadly for many different reasons.
This is a beautiful video and I love how you make everything come even more alive with your detailed storytelling! 🥰
I didn't even know how much of the video had passed, until you suddenly said something that took me out of it all..
I'm currently 15:22 in and you did it again! 😄
What makes you "remember" that you could *hold a button* to attack in the first Ori ? 😝
To my knowledge, that has never been possible.
I would personally love for it to be like that, compared to how it actually is in having to press a button for each attack.
I haven’t had time to fully watch yet, but I’m gonna comment for the algorithm. Keep up the good work!
Haha thank you! The algorithm appreciates it!
First things first, the Ori duology makes me feel like a kid again, with its beautiful visuals, music, story and gameplay, as if it's saying "Yes, the world is a scary place, but with courage and determination, you'll make it."
Second, i for one think that we all would like to deal with the concept of "being wrong" in a healthy way, but the spiral goes like this: starting from "I'm wrong about this, that's okay", to "oh... I'm/they're wrong about something else", then to "i'm/they're wrong about a lot of things...", to finally "if you're/i'm wrong about so many things/everything, what am i/are you right about? What am i/are you good at? AM i/ARE you good at anything? Am i/Are you good FOR anything?"
So honestly, i completely understand the desire to not ever be wrong, because if we are, we become terrified at the risk that we might be wrong about EVERYTHING.
i saw this uploaded months ago and was hyped and i’m finally sitting down to enjoy it 🎉
Alan Wake 2 doesn't belong in this comparison but I get what you were going for :teehee:
but also amazing video Otter! 👏
Thank you Ian! You're very kind. Also I think I need to make an Alan Wake 2 video
I always admire the skill and artistry you put into making your videos. ❤
Awww thank you so much! You're too kind, Max :)
Beautiful video, loved it🫶
I just realized I say "Votta go" in the live chat somewhere around 18:36 smh
Lmao you're all good 🤣
@@filmotter this comment was 7 minutes aga, you responded so damn fast 🫨
Your videos obviously have a lot of effort and love put into them man. Found you from your original Ori review. I am about 1/3 through the game, and have some similar thoughts, though I think I am enjoying it more than you. Your scripts are tight, and your editing keeps pace. Well made stuff dude. Keep it up! These are wonderful works of thoughtful critique.
Okay I'll give this game another shot; tried it with my xbox game pass trial over xmas and bounced off the wolf sequence partly because I wasn't in the headspace to get thrown into a bossfight that quickly.
Oh, on the subject of 2023 sequels, I must name drop Talos Principle 2; knocked it out of the park in every sense for me.
That's totally valid! And tbh there's a chance the rest of the game may not vibe with you still. But I will say the wolf sequence isn't as stressful after a certain point. I believe in ya! 😊
Great video man
Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it!
I agree with just about everything you said, except for the writing.
I felt like Ori and the Blind Forest had a significantly better story overall than Will of the Wisps, most notably with their respective villains. Shriek felt like a pure evil villain where the "tragic backstory" felt like an attempt at a cheap gut punch to make Shriek relatable, whereas Kuro was genuinely a sympathetic villain, yet both were written like their villain was supposed to be relatable and it didn't work for me in Will of the Wisps.
That said, Will of the Wisps was truly a massive improvement on Blind Forest, to the point where the only reasons I would recommend Blind Forest to see how Moon Studios improved upon its formula and for the first game's story content.
Same - like Shriek felt a little confusing to me. I didn't understand if they wanted us to like her or not?
yet another well thought out video, i love that you were willing to try it anyway despite your distaste for the first game! this video really made me want to check out the sequel!
you were right about sequels - as someone who never preorders games, but preordered dragon's dogma 2 as soon as i heard about it, without even seeing a trailer, simply as a fan of the first game, i am not immune to the sequel propaganda train. i rly did go into it with lots and lots of expectations, for good or ill. and based on expectations, i would never have given will of the wisps a second glance, but this really made me think about how i view and consume sequels, especially video game sequels.
thanks for an amazing video! i might give this game a try sometime. do i need to have played the first so i can get a sense for all these returning characters?
Thank youuuu! And I would say playing the first game definitely gives you a good understanding of the characters. And an appreciation of the difference between the two games. But tbh you could always just read the wiki synopsis of the first game too
I havent even watched the video yet 😅 (its going in my watch later) but I'm glad you changed your mind for the sequel. This is my favorite game of all time (until ori 3 hopefully) - the amazing soundtrack that perfectly fits the contrasting envirenments of Niwen, the awe-inspiringly fluid movements, and the amazing bash mechanic all make this a game I will never forget. And I also like how the developers did not try to do more than they could perfect, and it has no equivalent of the dreaded "animus fragments" from assassin's creed. I'll watch your video and respond later . . .
Edit: WHY DO YOU HATE BASH?!??!??!!?! ONLY THE BEST VIDEO GAME ABILITY OF ALL TIME!!!!!!
While I disagree with everyhing you said about Blind Forest, I'm very happy WotW was a better match for you. Personally, I really missed Sein's combat. It was unique to Ori. Now he just became Hollow Knight 2.0 with that dumb light sword. But the new movement options made me happy. Even if the game as a whole didn't surpass Blind Forest for me. Idk the feeling is different and that is what made me gravitate to BF more.
Like I know Blind Forest like the back of my hand - the controls aren't floaty to me, they are intended and people just have to get used to them. Then again, I'm also a splatoon enjoyed- weird/awkward controls are kinda my wheelhouse as long as it feels amazing to play
Lovely video, but I am the only one who prefers Ginso Tree over The Wellspring? Not that I hate the Wellspring, is one of my favorite areas in the Ori games, but I think the Ginso Tree is a better dungeon, most likely because bash > grapple (and I love grapple, especially with the ultra grapple shard). I think grapple would be a better ability if you could use once in any surface but to refresh it you need to land on ground, bash or burrow.
And I like more the escape sequence of Ginso Tree, the verticality is so cool, like escaping from the Sandworm before the Patches (it was very hard and fun 'cause the worm was FAST), I think the vertical ones are more fun, at least to me, because you fall if you do a mistake, adds to the pressure.
Pretty sure my exact comment on the first video was “Yeah Otter agreed, I didn’t like the first one either because platforming, but play the second because they actually made it a Metroidvania this time!”
So needless to say I completely agree with everything you laid out in this one.
Yup! I remember your comment actually. And it's one of the reasons I was down to try the sequel! Thanks for convincing me. 😊
*also vibrates*
as you should, Faux!
I completely agree about the difference between the first and second game. While I did enjoy otbf, I'm not going to replay it, because owotw feels like a better version. A much better version. For someone who discovered how good hollow knight was completely by accident, owotw was a very nice surprise after having player otbf
I didn't even know this game existed. I'm gonna order it on eBay.
I find this game to be a great visual and audio journey not depression. From start to finish, everything in this game is an allegory for the struggle against depression and the coming back and rebirth of a person whos gone through hell and survived it.
Ori WOW and Jedi Survivor are the best sequels ever
I still need to play Survivor!
Have to disagree about the first Ori game, I thought it was absolutely amazing. The scene with Naru was emotional in my opinion - I know we don't know much about Naru but she basically raised our little guy, she's his mum and seeing her die of hunger was well... sad! But I agree that the Will of the Wisps is even better, a masterpiece.
I hope you've found a great job!
I really liked the first game, however the second is significantly better in most reguards. For instance, the first game had a truly beutiful piece of music, the issue being that it and its varients were pretty much the only memorable music in the game and it was used over and over, by contrast, the second has many really memorable and beutiful motifs. Shriek is also a really compelling villain, I liked Kuro, but Shriek is much more frightenning and her story makes a lot of sense. Kuro's motivation was understandable, but I'm still not sure why the spirit tree looking for Ori killed her children, so it was hard to be engaged. Shriek, by contrast is born amoungst death and decay and then rejected by the beutiful world beyond it, pushed back into the only thing she'd ever known, wrapping herself in silence and decay and perpetuating it out of spite, becomming a ruthless apex preditor so that nothing would ever be able to hurt her again. Even in the end, she returns to the dark to die because the idea of changing, of openning her heart to be crushed again is so frightenning that she'd rather just wither away in the silence of her own making. It honestly feels like the story of a tragic ammount of people who fall into depression and toxicity and refuse to leave it because it's too frightenning.
On another note, if you want a great sequal that improved in every way upon the original that released in 2023, play Remnant 2, it's an underrated masterpiece.
So, to conclude, Will of the Wisps is great, Shriek is great, play Remnant 2, and bash is brilliant.
23:58 Did you even play the dlc? Kumo is the last of his race because of the circumstances of the forest.
Hey, man!
I don't think you remember, but I asked you about a permission of a theme similar to yours that I wanted to make, and since then, I haven't talked to you about anything. Just wanna say that the video released yesterday! Gotta make sure you know cuz I think you deserves that.
(u can translate the subtitles, if you wanna watch)
Oh awesome! I'll definitely give it a look. ❤️
The border/background flicker thing that you do sometimes (example at 18:00) really hurts my eyes.
Apologies! I needed a way to visually differentiate the footage from the first and second game. Should have gone with something a lil less aggressive. My bad.
@@filmotter The static border was effective. It was only the white flashes that made it painful. Good video overall, though!
I had a similar experience to you (hated the first one and fell in love with the sequel) with one exception. I went back to play Blind Forest (I just finished it) and I realized it's not so bad as I tought it was. The sequel is still vastly better. But my opinion has changed on the original. It's not great but it's at least above average.
I'm happy to hear that
I hate the tree too!
wdym? That tree is the best level of the game
6:35 bro, das me. Lol
WotW is a masterpiece.
I totally agree!
The sequel it's so good there's almost no point in playing the first game.
But don't get me wrong, I love the first game and it has lots of merits, but I can't think on a single thing that makes me go "Mmm, I prefer this in the first game". Which it's not necessarily bad tho. The first game is still a very, very good game. Both are awesome quality games, but the sequel is just soooo much better.
So... what you're saying... is that I really actually *should* play the sequel after I felt the same way as you about the first one 😆
Mayyyyybe! Hee hee. I definitely recommend it!
Yeah, it's a sneakily totally different and FAR better game. One of the best ever.
Agreed! And it's fascinated that none of the marketing really went into detail as to how different it would be. Such a banger title!
Can anyone tell me what's the name of the music/OST in the background around 15:30 its kind of like Arabic and deserts type? I cant find it by Myself
It's the soundtrack from Ori and the Will of the Wisps, composed by Gareth Coker!
Search up "Burrowing ori" or "approaching the ruins ori", better yet listen to the whole OST. It's awesome 👍
@@sports-3011 Thanks For Telling
12:19 does this look like struggling to stand up to you?
Who are you?
Well, first one was the studio debut with limited budget and a deal with Microsoft
the second one , had a full backing from Microsoft
Please don’t make so many pauses so long in your speech. That rhythm kills me!
sorry to hear of your passing, get well soon!
❤❤
Do How the Last of Us 2 Turned me Gay next 😂
Loved the video! One bit of constructive criticism, though. Some of those loooooooong dramatic pauses were way too long. Completely ruins the flow and doesn't add any actual drama. Nexpo does the same thing and it drives me, and many others, insane. I subbed, though :)
i love your editing style and your script! this video is very well-made :) however, if i may offer one constructive criticism, i would avoid pausing as long and as frequently as you do. the visuals are wonderful, but they're still game clips. the music is great, but it's still just a game soundtrack. YOU'RE the main feature of the video, you and your words. every second we aren't hearing you is a second that feels wasted as we watch compiled clips of a game in the background. as you say, expectations are very important to the measure of a media's success. which is why when I don't hear anything from you for several seconds when I'm expecting the continuation of a sentence, it's kind of really jarring and immersion-breaking. dramatic pause is one thing. artificially bloating a video's runtime by pausing excessively between (and in the middle of) sentences is another. if the clips were more infrequent and used at more impactful moments, i think that would lend to the pauses much more. a pause in your voice needs to be compensated for by a rich, engaging display. simple clips of the gameplay don't really earn that.
that's really it tho! there wasn't anything else about this video that irked me and, despite the weird and awkward pauses, i thoroughly enjoyed hearing your take on one of my favorite games of all time!! you are very well-spoken and concise :)
definitely earned my subscribe! i agree with a lot of what you said about the first game, although I'm not sure i understand the problem with the floaty controls considering how they didn't change at all between the first and second games. Only the animations did. There probably isn't much i could say here that other people didn't already comment under your first video, so I won't bother repeating stuff! I'm so very glad you were able to enjoy this game and let ori earn a place in your heart as something good to enjoy!
Great Video, but please, so many pauses in speech, drived me crazy
Lmao I'll cut out all my pauses next time.
@@filmotter lmao! Otherwise, you are the goat!!! Keep cooking!
1.5x helps a lot