Ori & the Will of the Wisps: Moon Studios aims to 'perfect Metroidvania genre' - Preview & Interview

[Pepin]

Had the pleasure of playing Ori & the Will of the Wisps at E3 and talking to Thomas Mahler about how the game has evolved since Ori, living up to the original's success et al.

Some highlights quoted below, full interview/impressions at the link.

"A lot of what we're doing with Will of the Wisps is trying to perfect the genre, perfect Metroidvania. We looked at a lot of games that have come out since the first Ori - Hollow Knight, Axiom Verge - and studied them and researched them," explains Thomas Mahler, CEO of the Vienna-based Austrian Moon Studios.

"Now it's our turn to take it to the next level. That's how Ori evolves. We look at what's been done since the last game, and we push it further. We take it further. It's pretty bananas!"

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"An influence behind this is actually Diablo," Mahler reveals. "A lot of us grew up playing Diablo, and it's really cool to play as the Paladin or the Rogue and be able to go back and have different playstyles each time. Ori has replayability, we wanted to use that and let you think about your build every time you play."

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"We kind-of see Ori and the Will of the Wisps as multiple games in one" explains Mahler. "Each area of the game we want to feel like its own game - like we'd be happy shipping it as a package with its own mechanics as a single game.

"You know, you have games like VVVVVV where you have one thing that makes the game stand out… we want that for every level. We sort of did that in Blind Forest, but this time we went crazy every time [laughter]."

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"You know my favourite part of a Metroidvania game?" asks Mahler. "It's when the lightbulb goes off... when you get an ability or figure something out and you can say 'ah! Yes! I know exactly where to go!"

That's Ori's golden ingredient - it celebrates that lightbulb moment quite unlike any other game - and we can't wait to pick at the game's secrets when it launches in 2019.

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Full interview here.

 

[disgraciau]

Along with Metro Exodus, Ori is my most expected game of 2019. Blind Forest for me was a masterpiece.

 

[Deleted member 18951]

Will of the Wisps is going to be a masterpiece, fully confident on Thomas and the team at Moon delivering something truly special.

 

[ghostcrew]

After playing (and falling in love) with the first game - I believe this.

 

[Exentryk]

ORI is still my favourite Metroidvania, and I can't wait for this sequel. I love the focus on builds and different styles of play.

 

[Jobbs]

Super hyped for this. They seemed to have added the only thing I felt was missing from the first game -- real combat moves -- So I'll be there day one.

 

[Deleted member 2254]

Ori was already one of the best if not the best of the genre, so if there's a developer that can pull it off it's probably them.

 

[Techno]

Played the first game like three times already, so if this one has more replayability that's really great to hear.

 

[zedox]

Can't wait. Sequel to one of the best games this generation.

 

[Bedameister]

I believe them. Ori was almost flawless. So hyped for this.

 

[Hero]

They want to perfect the genre by injecting it with Diablo DNA? Call me skeptical.

 

[Bitterman]

Into my veins.

 

[SpoonyBob]

I enjoyed the first Ori quite a bit and I'm excited for the sequel, but I remember the first being very linear. Was that just me? It's been a while, but I just remember being funneled to every new area after getting a new ability.

 

[Pepin]

I enjoyed the first Ori quite a bit and I'm excited for the sequel, but I remember the first being very linear. Was that just me? It's been a while, but I just remember being funneled to every new area after getting a new ability.

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I only got to see about 30 minutes of Wisps in action at E3, but it already seems much more open thanks to the broader ability/builld pool opening up diff. areas at diff. times.

Feels more player-oriented this time.

 

[Theorry]

They said many times the want to make this game like Super Mario Bros 3 was compared to Super Mario Bros. Wich seems smart. Keeping the core and expanding it now they can.

 

[Wamb0wneD]

Super hyped for this. They seemed to have added the only thing I felt was missing from the first game -- real combat moves -- So I'll be there day one.

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This. Combat was one of the few things sorely lacking in the first game. I also hope it doesn't peak as early. Seems like they took care of that as well though.

 

[Dancrane212]

If Moon Studios can make the new combat mechanics feel just as good as the traversal was in the original Ori while expanding everything else then, yeah, it's easy to see WotW being the next title to beat in the genre.

 

[Deleted member 12635]

Hyped.

 

[Apenheul]

It's one of the games I'm looking forward to the most. I really enjoyed Ori and the Blind Forest.

 

[Wamb0wneD]

If Moon Studios can make the new combat mechanics feel just as good as the traversal was in the original Ori while expanding everything else then, yeah, it's easy to see WotW being the next title to beat in the genre.

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Going to be hard to beat Hollow Knight but yeah, sounds really, really promising.

 

[Z-Brownie]

Ori and Hollow Knight pushed the genre so hard that I can't even think in a world without them, can't wait for it!

 

[Mugman]

Can't wait for this. Like others have said, combat was the main thing lacking for me in the first game, and it looks like that's been taken care of here

 

[FloatOn]

I really enjoyed the first one up until one of the last areas where it went full super meat boy masochism on me.

If they tone down the super frustrating platforming I'm all in.

 

[TransEuropaExpress]

This game looks really fucking nice...jealous of all you Xbox folk over this one, that's for sure.

 

[Zelas]

They're taking out the backtracking bloat?

 

[Pitchfork]

I'm terrible at the hard-core platforming nowadays but Ori was still such a joy to play

Really can't wait for this to arrive!

 

[Gestault]

My fear with a sequel is always that it'll add too many new elements arbitrarily, but the original Ori is the single best experience I've had with that genre, among so many classics that I've loved. I can't wait to see what they do. This is a huge title for me. Thanks for the info, OP.

 

[Theorry]

 

[sir_crocodile]

Is there anything to take from Axiom Verge? After all the talk about how amazing it is, when I finally played it on the switch I wasn't impressed at all (although I will say character movement and immediacy of combat was better then most modern examples of the genre). I did only play it for a few hours before getting bored, so maybe there's something later on that makes it great?

Looking forward to playing Hollow Knight, waiting to see if there will be a physical switch version (they're trying to make it happen).

 

[Deleted member 12635]

thomasmahler

 

[Pitchfork]

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God, this is breathtakingly beautiful!

 

[AppleKid]

Hopefully the emphasis on making each area unique will improve my qualms with first game. It's rare that I find anyone else who holds this opinion, but while I loved the controls and art-style, the world and areas themselves felt almost generic and lacked sufficient personality to suck me in unlike games like Super Metroid and Hollow Knight by whose worlds I became completely enraptured.

It sounds more like they are talking about creating unique gameplay than environments, but that could still help soothe my gripes if said gameplay is unique to each area as they imply.

 

[Ge0force]

Looks amazing. Day 1 when/if the game is released on Steam or GoG.

 

[Mifec]

Beating hollow knight won't be easy.

 

[Unfriendly TimeTraveler]

As long as the controls are as good feeling as in the first one, we get a compelling story like in the first one, and the combat is a lot more fun then we get the perfection of the genre. They already had the abilities down so just expanding on that a little bit would be fine. Ori 1 was a masterpiece and my favorite game of this gem.

Few things felt better than beating the ginso tree for the first time or the ability to allow you to jump off enemies, projectiles, and certain hanging parts on the map.

 

[fiskyfisko]

It's funny to think that when Hollow knight was released one of the Moon studio's dev was quite negative about it on neogaf, calling the game a bad metroidvania (don't remember exactly what he said). Super excited for this.

 

[thistooshallpass]

I liked the original ori more than any metroidvania, even actual metroid and castlevania. Looking forward to it. Sucks that the studio's in bed with Microsoft though, I'd want this on Switch. But looks like I'll have to do PC. Same deal with cuphead. MS is funding alot of games that would be better on Switch.... I don't need a 4K console to play 2D games with simple graphics.

 

[Potterson]

I only really had problems with combat - it wasn't very good. Everything else? Amazing. Even though the map isn't as complicated (in the... good sense, you know :P) as in HK. Can't wait.

 

[Sho_Nuff82]

Just get rid of the one hit kill, trial and error escape sections. What a chore to get through an otherwise brilliant game.

 

[Deleted member 2226]

They're taking out the backtracking bloat?

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Having replayed the game recently to finish off the last speed run/no deaths achievements, I don't think it has any backtracking bloat. You open new, quicker paths to get to most areas and you rarely actually have to go back to previous areas if you don't care about stray ability cells and such that you don't necessarily need.

 

[HeisenbergWW62]

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might be the best looking game ive ever seen. holy shit, i want this now

 

[ZeroX]

I feel I've heard this a lot and nothing's come close to Metroid, but good luck.

 

[Shpeshal Nick]

Looking forward to this a lot.

But the fact that we still don't know if it'll launch on GamePass seems...strange.

 

[Gray]

I would try it, if it comes out on Steam/GOG, and is not a Windows 10 exclusive.

 

[FernandoRocker]

Good luck with that now that Hollow Knight exists.

I have played both Hollow Knight and the first Ori, and HK is infinitely better in every single sense than Ori: gameplay, graphics, story, artstyle, soundtrack, sound effects, length, bosses, secrets, DLC, game design... everything.

 

[Izanagi89]

Metroidvania genre is booming. With this, Hollow Knight and the upcoming Bloodstained, I'm truly spoiled and can't complain. Good times.

 

[Theorry]

Looking forward to this a lot.

But the fact that we still don't know if it'll launch on GamePass seems...strange.

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Thomas said on here when i asked about it. They the contract for this game was made offcourse before Gamepass was a thing. And that they just were to busy to have a talk with MS because of the hectic stuff the months before E3.

 

[SlipperyMoose]

I really like what they said about the "light bulb moment". That is indeed an little bit of an adrenaline rush when you gain something/ability and you realize where you have to go/do.

 

[reKon]

Ori about to be even more insane.

I really need to go back and finish after completing GoW and Hollow Knight.

Good luck with that now that Hollow Knight exists.

I have played both Hollow Knight and the first Ori, and HK is infinitely better in every single sense than Ori: gameplay, graphics, story, artstyle, soundtrack, sound effects, length, bosses, secrets, DLC, game design... everything.

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LOL. I haven't beaten either, but this seems like hyperbole all over the place. Like fuck no to HK "infinitely better graphics" compared to Ori. What the hell is wrong with you?

 

[Deleted member 2145]

good luck to them, hope it pans out