After a long wait, the sequel toOri and the Blind Forestis finally just a few days away. The new game,Ori and the Will of the Wisps, is set to arrive onXbox One and PC on March 11and will take gamers back to the adorable and heartbreaking world of Ori and the forest of Nibel… But this time the journey will venture even beyond Nibel’s borders. Before diving intoWill of the Wisps, gamers should take a few minutes to remind themselves what happened in the first game, since the sequel picks up shortly after those events.
Gamers only need to make it through the prologue toOri and the Blind Forestto pick up on the fact that there is going to be some serious heartbreak in the game. In true Disney or Pixar fashion,Ori and the Blind Forestkicks off with a tearjerker sequence that quickly turns from adorable to heartbreaking. The narrative trick may seem a little cheap, but it definitely leaves players fully emotionally invested in Ori’s well-being. Before players are even 20 minutes into the game, many will have shed a few tears and be prepared to go to war to protect the precious little Ori.
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Before diving into the specifics of what goes down inOri and the Blind Forest, consider this a final spoiler warning. The rest of this article will spoil everything that happens at the end ofOri and the Blind Forestin great detail. Gamers who want to play that game for the first time before starting the sequel should stop right here!
The Prologue
The Blind Forest kicks off with Ori being orphaned not once, but twice, all before the prologue has even concluded. At the beginning of the game, Ori falls from the Spirit Tree during a storm. The adorable infant white guardian spirit is quickly in by a big, Ghlibi-esque creature named Naru. Ori and Naru form a special bond and go on living together in peace until a massive devastating event sweeps through the forest and wipes out their food resources. As a result of this, Naru gives the remainder of the food to Ori and starves. Left alone, Ori sets out into the depths of the forest in an attempt to stay alive…
The young guardian spirit eventually loses energy and collapses near the Spirit Tree, but is revived by a small blue orb named Sein. This is where the prologue ends and the game truly begins. From here on, Ori and Sein set off to restore balance to the forest by recovering its three main elements: Waters, Winds, and Warmth.
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The Main Story
At this point, the game’s other two primary players - Gumo and Kuru quickly enter the picture. Gumo, a spider-like creature, seems like they might be a villain at first, but quickly becomes an ally when sweet little Ori helps them out of a bind. Kuru on the other hand, an ominous large owl, stays in the realm of antagonist much longer. Kuru’s aggression towards Ori is explained slowly over time and players eventually learn that the Spirit Tree unintentionally killed all of Kuru’s newly hatched babies when it emitted a massive light through the forest in its search for Ori. That caused Kuru to set out on a mission of revenge that will last until nearly the end of the game in an attempt to protect its last unhatched child.
The Ending
In a much less heartbreaking twist, Gumo uses some stored light from the Spirit Tree to resurrect Naru, so they can team up to protect Ori and Sein. The pair of adventurers are about to restore warmth to the forest and Gumo sees the dangers that lie ahead. In the game’s final act, Kuru catches Ori and Sein, but Naru arrives to protect them. Seeing Naru’s parental love for Ori, Kuru is reminded of its own children and changes course. To end the spread of fire throughout the forest, Karu takes Sein back to the top of the Spirit Tree and another giant light is emitted, which wipes out the fire. Unfortunately, the event also destroys Karu in the process.
The game closes with the forest beginning to return to life and Ori, Gumo, and Naru living happily together and caring for Kuru’s last remaining egg. Just before the credits roll, the egg begins to hatch and reveal a new character who will likely play a key role in the sequel…
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The trailers forOri and the Will of the Wispssuggest that the sequel will follow the same protagonist, but that this time around Ori will be exploring areas well beyond the borders of its home forest. It will be very exciting to see how the rest of the surviving cast is involved and how much of a role Kuru’s surviving owl hatchling will play.
Be sure to check back in the near future for moreOri and the Will of the Wispsnews, updates, and strategy guides.
Ori and the Will of the Wispsreleases on March 11 for PC and Xbox One.
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