Ever Forward is a adventure puzzle game developed and published by ‘Pathea‘. Ever Forward is said to be coming out the 29th of June 2021 on Xbox Series X, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PS5 and PS4. Ever Forward is already out on PC though. We saw this game and decided to check it out. Let’s take a look.
Ever Forward is all about Maya. Maya is a young girl who somehow is lost in a most unusual world. This world has been described as being “between reality and imagination.” She is off course all alone and must do this adventure by herself. Her mother did warn her not to go outside but hey that’s kids for ya. This journey is about discovery and as you progress, Maya will face her despair, face her fears and unlock memories. This will also unlock the secrets of this world. So get to it.
It is the story of Maya. Maya is lost in a strange world somewhere between reality and imagination. She is alone to confront her despair on her journey of discovery, where she must unlock her memories and confront her fears to unravel the secrets of the world. Players will need to use their observational skills and intelligence to solve multiple puzzles to piece together the mystery of Maya’s past and what dark secrets she has buried.
We automatically like games that has creativity. The whole world in Ever Forward is creative for the most part. Now this isn’t just a simple walk around and look game. There’s some mechanics. There’\s jumping and teleportation. There’s controlling of gravity. There’s also sneaking around. Stealth to put it simply. There is at some points what looks like a spotlight or vision displayed like a spotlight that looks in certain directions. You cannot let it see you. So it’s more than just a simple game.
We checked out some Ever Forward gameplay and it’s what we expected it to be. There’s lots to look at. The world is interesting and specifically designed. We like the colours, the trees, the sea etc. The puzzles have variety but the world design and visuals are easily the best thing so far about this game. Since it’s about a young girl called Maya who has a bit of a dark past and family is involved you know the developers are going for feelings and emotions too. So expect the story to get deep to some extent. Looks good though.
Overall Ever Forward looks very good. It does remind us of Manifold Garden in terms of the unique weird world with selected colours. The puzzles here aren’t serious level hard or anything but you do need to use your head and keep an eye out for what’s in the area and what’s going on. We liking the creativity in Ever Forward right now. Didn’t care about the PC version at all but now that it’s coming to consoles things will get better. The developers ‘Pathea’ have done a good job so far. We at X35 Earthwalker will have to see what happens with this game. Now Ever Forward might be between reality and imagination but it’s all fiction compared to the reality of… the ‘Earth Walk!’
Song of Iron is a new action adventure game developed and published by ‘Escape’. Song of Iron is an Xbox exclusive said to be coming out in the third quarter of 2021 on the Xbox Series X, Xbox One and PC. Song of Iron got our attention and is looking real serious. Make sure your beard is on point (sorry ladies). Let’s take a look.
Song of Iron is about this lone warrior. A viking who has seen battles and wars is on a journey. Behind him lies destroyed shields, numerous dead bodies and remains, crushed helms and more. This journey is for revenge and also to save your people. It’s a death wish. This man has nothing to lose. The destination is the temple of the great gods. Off course this won’t be easy. It’s a “dark nordic world.” Expect heavy resistance of all types.
This ain’t a simple journey in Song of Iron. You will climb mountains, venture into caves and off course there’s a forest to explore. You are wielding the axe of a fallen enemy. Monster, man and even nature are your enemies. There’s more than just your axe. There’s your shield and even a bow with lethal arrows. There’s also a cool mechanic concerning the weapons. You can run out of arrows, your shield can get broken and you can even lose your weapons. So players have to do some resource management and decide what to do wisely.
The graphics are fantastic for the most part. The walls, the background, the trees. the stones are fantastic. The enemies facial design looks bad from what we have sen though. The animations for the main character is excellent and look smooth. The lighting is fantastic as well. The torches light up the area real nice with clear a radius and how it casts lights on objects is so good. This game visuals looks fantastic and it’s clear loads of work went into this game. The electric effect on the axe lights up and again looks very good. It’s a cool light up effect in dark places like caves.
Song of Iron is clearly another awesome Xbox exclusive on the way. Song of Iron is serious for sure. We hope they improve the enemies though as they seem to simply designed and not threatening enough. Hopefully there are some serious league monsters and foes. We hope the combat in Song of Iron has some depth to it. We know your can throw your axe, swap quick to your bow and even like Thor, call your axe back to your hand. This game needs to be deep. Please work on your enemies design, faces and combat.
We checked out some Song of Iron gameplay and it’s more than what we expected. Song of Iron is impressive. It looks very good for sure. We like the interaction animations whether it’s dragging a large object or off course opening a chest. The glow and lighting of the contents on your characters face is real cool too. This game actually makes us want to play it. The lighting is in league with the damaging lighting found in Morkredd which is another Xbox exclusive. The lighting is just that good.
Overall, Song of Iron looks like an excellent game. The character can even drop kick an enemy. Think about it, does Marcus Fenix or Master Chief drop kick enemies? No! There’s a dragon flying in the background, there’s snowy mountains and even stealth elements. You have to decide whether to fight a certain enemy or sneak past. Or a certain fight might attract unwanted attention. The developers ‘Escape’ have done a fantastic job so far but there’s still work to be done. We at X35 Earthwalker are keep our eyes on Song of Iron. Now Song of Iron might have a serious brutal battle journey but it’s nothing compared to the adventures of… the ‘Earth Walk’
Balan Wonderworld is a new 3D action platformer game, more like adventure game, developed by ‘Balan Company’ and ‘Arzest‘ but published by ‘Square Enix‘. Balan Wonderworld is said to be coming out March 26th 2021 on the Xbox Series X, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PS5, PS4 and PC. It’s just going to be a big magical adventure for sure. Let’s take a look.
Balan Wonderworld has a wacky story for sure but does make sense concerning the rules in this world. There’s magic and that’s all you need to know. Wonderworld is a place where people’s happy and positive memories are mixed with their more negative and restless ones. You cannot leave until you “restore the lost balance in their hearts”. Time for a lesson and journey we assume. Wonder if it’s about accepting the past, getting over fears etc.
The main characters in Balan Wonderworld are Leo and Emma. These two youngsters are in for a truly huge magical adventure. The weird dude we see on the front of the game and guiding you around is Balan. This magical guy is always up to something and doing comical stuff for humour and entertainment. It’s like a giant carnival after all. That’s Balan Wonderworld for you.
Players will get to use costumes which grant powers. There’s a big number of costumes means a huge variety powers. We have seen some wacky stuff but this whole game is colourful, wacky, creative and friendly. We love and appreciate creativity and it’s what we see here. Nothing about this place is normal. We like animations and graphics of Balan Wonderworld. There’s clearly a lot of work gone into this game. It has a super friendly inviting atmosphere.
We checked out some Balan Wonderworld and it isn’t what we expected. Still looks magical though. Clearly an adventure but still not 100% clear what’s going on. We know that it’s co-op multiplayer. So get that one friend or family member and enter the Balan Wonderworld. There are twelve tales. Each one is of course different. Each one requires exploration as it’s kind of a labyrinth. Prepare to defend yourself from non threatening looking enemies, jump and parkour around, grab costumes to gain much needed powers and more. just a fun colourful adventure.
Overall Balan Wonderworld just looks like a very cool adventure game. Very family friendly game with colours and magical fun. The enemy called Lance looks like an annoying punk though. He’s the one who makes trouble and creates monsters. So don’t trust that thing. Check out some gameplay for yourself to find out if it’e your thing. The developers ‘Balan Company’ and ‘Arzest’ have done a very good job with this game. We at X35 Earthwalker will have to see what Balan Wonderworld brings to the table. Now Balan Wonderworld may have a big fantasy world but it’s not creative at all when compared too… the ‘Earth Walk!’
Thunderflash is a new action adventure arcade shooter game developed and published by ‘SEEP’. Thunderflash is said to be coming out the 26th of February 2021 on the Xbox Series X, Nintendo Switch, PS5 and PC. This game is coming with the old school style for sure. Ley’s take a look.
The story in Thunderflash is very simple. Here’s what it says, “The Kashmir is being occupied by a criminal organization known as Bloody Wolf, and your job is to make your country proud by taking them all down.” So you are dropped straight in the action with your gun. Firing at everything that moves. It doesn’t matter what it is. you see a squirrel… then shoot it. It shouldn’t have been there in the first place. Just one look at Thunderfash and you know it went for the old school 1980’s look. Pixels and everything.
There are two characters right now: Bad boy commandos Rock and Stan. That’s what they call them. You can either play Thunderflash solo or cop with a friend. Co-op makes a big difference for games. It’s a simple game. Just fight your way through numerous enemy soldiers, vehicles, explosions off course, drones and even bosses. Thunderflash does remind us of ‘Smash TV’ with the style and top down shooting but also reminds us of Contra due to the intensity of the combat. So if you did like either of those two games then there should be something for players here. Now off course an arcade shooter game needs lots of weapons or at least gun power ups. In Thunderflash you can get powerful weapons to use against the horde of enemies. There is also a boss rush too so when you beat the game you can face the bosses and show them who is boss (get it?).
We checked out some Thunderflash gameplay and it’s what we expected for sure. It’s top down, running around, shooting enemies coming at you in squads, power up, try to survive and take down the boss. Arcade style, lives remaining, pixel graphic style, scrolling screens and of course explosions. Thunderflash isn’t something big and new or anything special. Just something a number of players will enjoy, either for old time sake or because the style is their type.
Overall Thunderflash seems like. simple but alright game. You get what it says on the box. Just old school shooting action. You can’t get mad at it. We wish the game did look better graphically. We have not seen enough but we know what exactly it is. The developers ‘SEEP’ have done a alright job with this game. We at X35 Earthwalker will have to listen out what what gamers say about Thunderflash. Now Thunderflash may have old school action but that’s too old for… the ‘Earth Walk!’
Dustborn is a new action adventure game developed by ‘Red Thread Games‘ and published by ‘Quantic Dream‘. Dustborn is said to be coming out 2021 on the Xbox Series X, PS5 and PC. This game has a very cool concept in it but even so, it has to prove itself to us as we are getting a certain image from this game. Let’s take a look.
Dustborn is set in the year 2030. You are in the United States of America but you can’t call it united anymore. Things are very different. There was a specific and big broadcast that took place 30 years ago (so 2000) that changed everything but the sounds of it. You controlPax. She’s an outcast, a con artist and ex convict. So basically a very nice girl who you bring to meet your parents. She’s got a mission, to bring a certain package across America to Nova Scotia. She’s on a journey. A road trip you can call it. She can’t do this alone, especially being four months pregnant. Is there anything NOT going on in her life?! She will meet others who will join her on this journey.
Dustborn has been described as “third-person, single-player, story-driven, road-tripping action-adventure about hope, love, friendship, robots — and the power of words.” Dustborn is already making us quite concerned. From the description of the game to the design of the characters. It’s giving us that new marvel comics horrible forced agenda character designed feel. Now Dustborn isn’t in that league at all but it’s the feeling we are getting. Instead of writing this game off, we decided to look in and see what’s going on and the main things that made our ears open is their concept concerning words. The power of words. So don’t just write this game off. Just check it out first. It’s doing it’s own thing.
Now the power of words. They say that words have power… actual power. You can use your words to attack enemies, manipulate characters and change things. Another thing inspired by the Bible, as it teaches about he real power of words and it’s impact on people and the world but off course no one is giving credit to the Bible. In Dustborn you can use words to literally attack enemies and literally manipulate peoples thinking and ideas. We saw pax, with the large word “Move” forcefully shove a group of soldiers away, knocking them all down. There are NPCs in the Dustborn world that you can talk to but by using your words, you can completely change things. If it’s not clear, Pax has powers but they are fuelled by ‘disinformation’. Interesting.
Your crew is the interesting thing. Like just look at them. It took us just one look to understand what’s going on. There’s a robot for crying out loud and a very large woman with the typical nose ring. She’s bigger than everyone in the crew. Then you got Johnny slick hair with a mechanical hand. Looks like he ran away from a wealthy home or was part of a criminal group. The designs are saying something. Yes that’s right. Robots are moving about, talking and doing their thing. Even the robot has a story. Each character has their own story and what they are running away from. So make sure to listen to them, learn and keep the information in the files within your head. You must manage your crew too so what you say to them and how they interact each other does matter. Do your job as a leader.
This road trip is not a normal one in case you couldn’t tell. You will reach and explore a whole number of places. There’s a decommissioned school in Nevada for gifted children. There’s a former government re-education camp in Oregon. A weird great plains exclusion Zone and even robot factories in Detroit. There’s a whole lot of “pit-stops across America”. Exploration is important, especially to understand the history of America in Dustborn. The civil war that took place. The different factions and ideologies that are going on. Information maybe of the army that’s chasing you guys. Just remember, you are posing as a rock band.
We checked out some Dustborn gameplay and it’s mostly what we thought it would be. At first we thought their wouldn’t be any real combat but there is actual engagements with the enemy. The game is described as if you will have options when it comes to your crew and recruitment but there really isn’t any. It’s the set people. We like that this is quite the adventure. We like that the world is quite active but our favourite is the concept surrounding words and their effects. Hopefully gamers playing this will rethink their view on words and their impact on things and people.
Overall Dustborn looks like a good game. It’s big and clearly doing it’s own thing with different approaches, from the cast of characters to the unique concept concerning words. We’ve seen this graphic style before and it normally works just fine, like here. We do like the environments too. It’s sort of comical in a way too. This game looks like it has a big story to tell with twists, especially with Pax, the main character. The developers ‘Red Thread games’ have done a good so far. We at X35 Earthwalker will have to see what happens with Dustborn. Now Dustborn may have a road trip across America but that’s truly a small journey compared to… the ‘Earth walk!’
Mundaun is a new horror adventure game developed by ‘Hidden Fields‘ and published by ‘MWM Interactive‘. Madaun is said to be coming out March 16th 2021 on the Xbox Series X, Nintendo Switch, PS5 and PC. Mundaun is coming out gamers with a different style. It got our attention so we hope this is worth our time. Let’s take a look.
What the story? What we do know is that Mundaun is set in the valleys of the Alps (the mountain). The character we control learns that his grandfather died in a fire, so you travel to this placed called Mundaun. Last time he was here was when he was a child. Mundaun isn’t the same though. You discover that something diabolical is here and causing some trouble. So instead of… you know… leaving, running away for your life or calling the army instead you act like Freddy from Scooby doo and split and look for clues. You stick around to investigate while all the Jamaicans already ran.
The mission is to basically find out what’s going on and why. Seriously though does this make any sense. What kind of crappy life must our protagonist have to be down with this. Like seriously. He wasn’t knocked out and brought here, held at gun point or forced. He learns that his grandfather died in a mysterious fire, then willingly decides to come to Mundaun, then finds out that some diabolical stuff is going on and hostile beings are around BUT decides to stay and investigate. He asking to get killed.
Mundaun instantly stands out from the others visually. The whole game looks like the old vintage filter is on… 24/7. Not only that but you may have noticed the graphic style. It’s pencilled drawn textures. These hand drawn games take a lot of work and a lot of time so we almost always hope they do well. This old vintage look is not for us though but it does add to the atmosphere making things appear more serious but not documentary level serious.
This game is bigger than you think though. There are multiple places and open levels to explore and see what’s happening. Places buildings, snowy peaks and even meadows. There’s some variety here. There are some vehicles that you can control like hay loaders and sleighs. The strength of the fear has different effects. The stronger the fear, the slower you move. There are loads of puzzles that are there waiting for you as you progress up the mountain.
We checked out some Mundaun gameplay and it’s what we thought but weirder. It’s a bit too slow for us. We also didn’t see enough concerning the dangerous enemies in the Mundaun. We haven’t seen enough to get us excited or interested in the game. What about the monsters. Can you beat them or have to evade them. This game has the looks but more can be done to make this awesome. We are most interested in the monsters so do something bout that developers.
Overall Mundaun so far looks like an alright game. Nothing special yet. We do like that there is life in Mundaun though as there are inhabitants that you can speak to and they have their own spoken language. Some characters are more useful than others. The graphics are good for what it is, we won’t say more though. The developers ‘Hidden Fields’ need to do much more for this game to be a heavy hitter. Now Mundaun may have potential but it’s potential is nothing in the presence of… the ‘Earth Walk!’
White Shadows is a new adventure platformer game developed by ‘Monokel‘ and published by ‘Headsup Games‘. White Shadows is said to be coming out in the year 2021 on the Xbox Series X, PS5 and PC.
White Shadows is set in a weird, dark and apparently at times funny world. It’s the last city of earth and there’s nothing but half human, half animal inhabitants. Basically there was great war which caused a plague which destroyed almost all living things on the planet. Matter of fact, how the developers worded it is excellent. Here’s a direct quote: “the great war led to a plague which wiped almost all living things from the face of the earth. Or so they say. Nobody is safe outside the White City, and the birds are to blame for the plague. Or so they say. Only a shining coat of fresh white color will protect you from the plague, and you must earn your ration of color by staying obedient. Or so they say. But Ravengirl stopped listening.”
Did you get all that. This game White Shadows I supposed to be a “distorted” mirror of our world. A modern fable if you must. So you can imagine there’s going to be representations of character or events from real life in the game. This also means that White Shadows might contain some real life lessons for the gamers or giver the players something to think about. Beware of those as it’s the developers ideas and not always the best advice or lessons but it’s a game so you guys have to decide for yourself. In case you haven’t realised yet but White Shadows should straight away remind you of a certain game. Also black and white, with simple controls and messed up world. The answer is Limbo. We don’t need to say why.
Like with Limbo, the controls for White Shadows are simple and some times simple is very good, especially for games of this style. Players need to focus on what’s going on around them in the world in White Shadows. You will see other beings actions taking place and even possibly vehicles moving around. Everything is black and hits with a strangely huge emphasis on the colour white. You are being told by the wolf overlords, who are the leaders, that you must be obedient to earn your color. apparently though the colour white has a horrible truth about it. This makes sense historically as in ancient times the colour white had a very bad meaning and represented negative stuff. So maybe this is a historical thing but definitely symbolic.
This world has all sorts around here. There’s rats, wolves, birds, pigs and sheep. These are all beings like you. They are also buying into what the society and overlords say. This is an obedient you must obey brainwashed kind of world. Ravengirl (you) decides to not listen anymore and escape. The more you continue on the journey you learn more about your characters past and off course the world around you. You also gain the attention of the other half human, half animals around here. Who knows, they might follow you. Oh, we didn’t even mention the goal. Apparently there’s a resistance hidden in the belly of the city. Maybe that is also a lie made by the wolf overlords to lure in those who rebel for an easy capture and kill. Think about it. Look at the image above with a doorway saying ‘whites only’. If white was such a great thing then why aren’t those obeying citizens there trying to be white and get in. Why is the only one white our main character who’s trying to escape. We believe it’s a trap like being the chosen one in that weird movie about cat people. The chosen got sent away on a hot air balloon thing where they will eventually die. Getting rid of the doubter. If this is suppose to be a mirror of our world and the wolf overlords present the government leaders (maybe) then wouldn’t the real lose as they are going against a whole government who an army. We believe this is a trap.
We checked out some White Shadows gameplay and it’s exactly what we though it would be. It’s Limbo. Off course trying to do it’s own thing and it does stand out with a different type of atmosphere. It’s simple controls, obvious objectives s in it’s clear what you have to do. The main information and story is from what you see happening around you. There is going to be interactions though. What kind? We aren’t sure but that’s something for players to think about. It’s said that it’s the interactions that drive the story forwards. Well gamers, are you going to change the fate of this city or are you going to fall right into a trap? What about the world outside of the city? Questions are here.
Overall White Shadows looks like it’s going to be an alright game. Heavy symbolic and representative games tend to try too hard but maybe this one will be pulled off very well. You even wonder how is this little Ravengirl going to stand up to, be a threat or change anything in this city. Maybe she fails in the end and falls back in line with no hop.e We hope something big happens. The developers ‘Monokel’ have done a good job here. The game looks very good and heavily detailed. It has to be with this black and white design. Now White Shadows may have dark secrets but this darkness fades when it comes to… the ‘Earth Walk!’
Spirit of the North is an adventure game developed by ‘Infused Studio‘ and published by ‘Merge Games‘. Spirit of the North is said to be coming out in the year 2021 on the Xbox Series X. It’s already out on Nintendo Switch, PS5, PS4 and PC. The action is this game takes place in Iceland. Already you know this isn’t going to be a normal game.
Spirit of the North is set in a winter cold, mountainous land that they said was inspired by Iceland. Quite a lot of what you see are based on nordic folklore. So that’s interesting and brings something different to the action. Games that have stories or in game elements based on certain folklore and mythology bring something new and unusual. Very different from the norm. You basically control a red fox. Very normal. You then encounter a female spirit fox who’s called the guardian of the northern lights. These two foxes are working together. Their stories become one. So we just join them.
One of the things that has been said about Spirit of the North that’s unique is that there’s no narrative or dialogue. This was done on purpose. Its up to players to figure out what to do, explore around on this journey and be aware of your surroundings. This land is ruined and a civilisation is lost. So look around, explore your surroundings and solve puzzles. That’s right. Puzzles. Players need to use their heads solve some situations or what’s set before you.
The setting and style of Spirit of the North reminds us of another cold winter game that was also about a journey and based on folklore. That game is ‘Never Alone’. Obviously Spirit of the North is third person and you control a fox but Never alone also has a spirit fox partner but yeah. In Spirit of the North, players get to explore places with practically no variety. It’s a cold Iceland like area so we aren’t surprised. Expect mountains, tundras and glaciers.
We checked out some Spirit of the North gameplay and it’s good. You’re just a fox but it’s the spirit fox that helps you do the impossible stuff. Slide down ice trails, launch through rings, get empowered, follow the red trail in the sky, activate ancient mechanisms and off course solve puzzles. It’s exploration yes but there’s a clear direction and you can go at your pace. No enemies, no real danger and no rush. So be a fox and relax.
Overall Spirit of the North looks like a very good game. It’s definitely an adventure and a unique one. Two foxes out there making things happen and traversing their world. It’s not our type pot game but we can tell it’s a good adventure. It would also look it’s best on the Xbox Series X. The developers ‘Infused Studio’ have done a very good job. We at X35 Earthwalker haven’t got any problems with foxes so hopefully these two don’t change our mind. Now Spirit of the North may have nordic folklore and two foxes but those aren’t as interesting as… the ‘Earth Walk!’
Curse of the Sea Rats is a new action adventure game developed by ‘Petoons Studio‘ and published by ‘PQube Limited‘. Curse of the Sea Rats is said to be coming out in the year 2021 on the Xbox Series X, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PS5, PS4 and PC. Curse of the Sea Rats has got an interesting twist going on here. Let’s take a look.
In Curse of the Sea Rats some weird stuff happened. A group of heroes, through magic, got transformed into rats. Flora Burn is the evil witch that did this. So now Douglas, Buffalo, Akane, and Bussa, as rats, must continue their mission to rescue the admirals son… but also to break the curse and go back to their original form. That’s important because who wants to be a rat? If you said yes, then close this page and unsubscribe (just joking).
Now Curse of the Sea Rats has also been described as a metroidvania game which means expect to use a map frequently, search for abilities and power ups to Be able to access new areas you couldn’t go before. Exploration will be key so don’t get lazy. metroidvania games require time and good observation skills. There has to be secrets. What game like this doesn’t have secrets? Just think about the collectibles you’ll have to find. The developers need to make it worth collecting them and feel good getting them.
There are off course boss battles but this is a rat game, expect enemies that are around your size. We have seen a fat rat guy called fatso who uses barrels for his mobility and projectile attacks. There was even a Dracula rat dude who uses bats to hopefully not drink your blood. We even saw a large crab that definitely wants to crush you. There’s definitely more and games like this need many Boses of variety for epic battles. Hopefully they have the right music to go with it.
We checked out some Curse of the Sea Rats gameplay and it’s sort of what we expected. This game has hand drawn animations and they look good. There’s also what looks like 4 characters to choose from who are: David Douglas, buffalo calf, bussa and akane yamakawa. We say “looks like” because sometimes games like this have means to unlock hidden characters. This might be the case here in Curse of the Sea Rats. We saw that you can grab ledges, there’s combos for your attacks and there’s even a dash ability which can also be used in the air like with Ori and the Will of the Wisps. The characters have different weapons and combat styles with Bussa seeming to prefer his fists and physical strength over weapons. There is also special moves that can even clear a whole screen.
Overall Curse of the Sea Rats looks like it’s going to be a good game. Since it’s rats, we don’t have high expectations or expect the craziest things t show up or happen. Seeing their original human form would be cool though. Play the game to find out. The graphics are good for the times The developers ‘Petoons Studio’ have done a good job on this game and it’c clear hard work went into it. We at X35 Earthwalker don’t like rats so we might get biased with these characters. Now Curse of the Sea Rats may have rats but even they would be exterminated by… the ‘Earth Walk!’
Ori and the Will of the Wisps is an action, adventure platformer game developed by ‘Moon Studios‘ and published by ‘Xbox Game Studios‘. Ori and the Will of the Wisps came out in 2020 so it is new. It is an Xbox launch exclusive but later came unto the Nintendo Switch. By the way Ori and the Will of the Wisps is perfect for Nintendo Switch. We wanted to write about this game and give our views on it since we are the best after all. Let’s take a look.
Now straight away let’s just say that Ori and the Will of the Wisps is one of the best games ever made and we aren’t crazy for saying this. So many critics and reviewers have overwhelmingly rated Ori and the Will of the Wisps incredibly high. Here’s some examples: Games Beat – 98/100, The Games Machine – 9.8/10 and two gave perfect scores: Daily Star – 5/5 and Hardcore Gamer – 5/5. The lowest is 9/10 and the average is like 9.5/10. There was one reviewer which was clearly biased in favour of the PlayStation gave it a 8.5 so we don’t count or care about that reviewer. So overall everyone believes Ori and the Will is an excellent game with some saying it’s a perfect game.
Let’s keep this simple. The first thing about Ori and the Will of the Wisps is most likely the best looking game ever made. It’s graphics and visuals are completely fantastic. It really looks that darn good. No exaggeration. Everyone we know who has seen this game is instantly impressed and calls everything beautiful. Especially in the Luma Pools area where the true beauty really shines. We dare you to look at the Luma Pools and say you wouldn’t want to go there (except for the dangers in that area). There are very amazing looking games like Tetris Effect: Connected, Final Fantasy XV, Outland, indivisible etc but Ori and the Will of the Wisps beats them all. Just look at the particle effects. Ori and the Will of the Wisps has the best looking particle effects too. The Tower knight in the new demon’s souls remake has amazing particle effects on his magic blue projectile attack but Ori and the Will of the Wisps looks better than that easily. When it comes to graphics, visuals, particle effects, fanciness and even frame rates, Ori and the Will of the Wisps scores perfectly. Take into account that X35 Earthwalker played Ori and the Will of the Wisps on the Xbox One only. Ori and the Will of the Wisps has an improved next gen version for the Xbox Series X where frame rates and graphics and performance is even better.
The next things is the locations in the game. Ori and the Will of the Wisps has been described as an indie game as it isn’t large at all but there’s big areas in this game. There’s a good variety here. You have: Willow’s end, Windswept wastes (which contains Windtorn ruins), Silent woods (not to be confused with David Wood), Kwolok’s hollow, Inkwater marsh, Wellspring glades, Luma pools, The Wellspring, Baur’s reach and Midnight burrows and Mouldwood depths. That’s 12 areas. Each area is very different from each other and some have their own environmental themes that effect things. For example in mould wood depths there is darkness which will straight up kill you if you stay in it for at least 4 seconds. Baur’s reach being the far north and cold some enemies and objects are frozen solid and need to be thawed out. Luma pools obviously since it’s in the name has loads of water, so managing your air meter getting air is crucial.
Let’s talk about the controls and combat since they go hand in hand in Ori and the Will of the Wisps. The controls are very smooth. Not once have we had control issues. Everything is very responsive and works well. Every command comes out and works. The only time a jump doesn’t come out or a certain ability is because the player doesn’t understand the mechanics and how many times you can perform an action in a row. Now this matters because it makes a difference in combat. Ori and the Will of the Wisps has superb combat. Some enemies require footsies to beat and avoid damage. Not joking, footsies sort of like a fighting game as some bigger enemies like Gorleks will try to do a big hit against you even while you are hitting them and so you have to dodge in time. You will find the dash ability which is so strong as it’s excellent for mobility and travelling quickly and better for dodging attacks almost instantly. The dash is just that good. You will unlock the double jump and maybe get the triple jump. There’s a grapple ability which when upgraded can be used to grapple to enemies and not just grapple points, there’s also a bash ability where you can do a bash of an enemy to knock them away or just propel yourself. When you combine, double, triple jump, dash, grapple and bash, with your attacks you can end up doing many combinations and string moves together to keep attacking, dodging and wiping out enemies even without touching the floor. The responsive controls makes all the difference here.
Next let’s talk about the abilities and upgrades here in Ori and the Will of the Wisps. There’s so many of them and they are mostly useful and powerful. Some abilities are found through the story of the game and you have no choice but to find them like ‘Light burst’ while others like ‘Sentry’ can be learned from a specific character for a price. Let’s quickly go through the abilities: Spirit edge which is basically a light sword for melee damage. Regenerate which is where you can use your energy to recover health. Spirit arc is basically your bow for shooting light arrows. Blaze is an area of effect flame burst from the center of Ori’s body to set enemies on fire but when fully charged it’s full screen. Sentry is an automated 360 degrees turret. Spike is basically a big spear headed projectile that hits the hardest of all your weapons and when upgraded explodes. Spirit smash is basically a powerful spirit hammer attack with high knockback. Flash is basically an aura sphere of light that is damaging to enemies and ‘lightens’ things up. Light burst is an arc throwable fireball that sets enemies alight and can be used to melt stuff. Those are the offensive abilities.
Next is the shards. These are just things you can find or earn and they grant even more abilities, either passive, active or change the way Ori or an ability works. There’s a shard that allows you to rapid fire your spirit arc bow. There’s another that increases the amount of damage you do while also increasing the amount of damage you take. Risk reward thing. There’s shards that improve your bash and grapple. There’s a shard that increases your damage against flying enemies. As you can see in the image below, you can find lots of shards and they are worth finding. Combine the abilities you set with the shards you choose and you can change how your combat works, survivability and even energy acquiring and consumption. These things actually make a difference.
Finding these things aren’t that difficult. There’s an excellent map. The map is clear, there are keys for the map that clearly identify what is what. You can zoom in and navigate it easily. It also helps show you where certain things are if you got near them. If you’re smart enough you can use the map to figure out where secret areas are and where secret paths are. There’s a a certain character, for got his name but it’s the bug who loves making maps and you can purchase maps for him to add to your map allowing you to see everything except hidden items. There’s many collectibles and items to find; and so you will need the map.
There are many collectibles and items to find but there’s also side quests. These side quests aren’t boring, repetitive or lame rewards. For example you can help tuley (hope we got the right name) find and plant seeds which are around the world. There is 6 in total we believe. Finding and growing each one creates a plant that helps you access different parts of the Wellspring glades where all the friendly people are, to find spirit light or meet new characters or get new missions. The ‘hand to hand’ side mission is where you acquire an mission item but you must find who needs that item, give it to them, and they will give you a different item, which you then need to find who needs it. Keep it king until completion and you get a so worth it item. A map stone which when placed in a ancient tablet allows you to see EVERYTHING on the map. Every collectible: Gorlek stones, life cell and energy fragments, spirit light etc. So it’s well worth it if you want to get 100% completion or to just find the stuff to get stronger. Completing spirit trials grants you an additional shard slot so you can equip more. If you do all you can have a maximum of 8 shard slots which helps makes you so powerful. Simply put, doing the side quests rewards you well most the time and is fun.
The story is very good and does keep you paying attention and getting sucked into it. There’s others who said it made them cry or close to tears. There’s funny moments, shocking moments, sad moments and even parts that brought about possibly anger or hatred. You knew why the wisps were important, where they came from and what you need them. You learn about Shriek, her past and why she’s got a heart of stone and so murderous and hateful. You learn about the voice narrating the story but if you pay close attention to details you could figure out who the voice is from the beginning of the game. Seeing Shriek attack Ku and seeing the result be a funeral brought rage and made you want to destroy Shriek but you knew she was too powerful and would stomp you harder than how superman would stomp goku (get triggered). This works well with this Metroid style game where you start of trash but gain powers to get stronger and in the end you have numerous abilities, regeneration, powerful attacks with loads of health and energy AND only then you feel you can square up with Shriek… but not until then. We still wanted to help Shriek as we are merciful people but Shriek didn’t want it and it made us feel bad. You understand Shriek in the end. She reminds us of real people. What happened to Kwolok upset us and we respect that giant toad and glad to see the stink spirit die. There’s so much. In the end after a major league epic battle you feel hyped but then sad after seeing Ori make a life changing decision which saves everyone. You are proud, sad but also understand why Ori did it and why it made sense. The story was great from start to finish. We aren’t giving big details as Ori and the Will of the Wisps came out in the year 2020 so not everyone has played or knows how the story goes. Simply put, an excellent story that we cared about.
The music is excellent. It’s perfect in some cases to set the mood or match what it going on. The major boss battle music helps get you hyped and in the mood for an epic battle. The music for when you are getting chased by something big and powerful is also very good and gets you to focus. The music when Shriek shows up and there’s clear danger and you should run, it makes you understand the magnitude of the situation. We love the music and it adds to the game. Never got annoying. We wanted to quickly bring up something. We saw a review done by Angry Joe and they did another disappointing review. They claimed some stuff was bad or not polished about the game but it was due to them not being good at that those things in the game. Now the gap in skill between X35 Earthwalker and angry Joe and his friends is massive. They died over 500 times! In X35 Earthwalker’s first play though we died less than a quarter of their deaths. They even said combat wasn’t polished but the gameplay they showed of them in combat was terrible. They were fighting the gorleks without dodging even when a telegraphed attack was coming their way yet they say the combat isn’t polished. They said abilities were in the background and didn’t pay attention to it even though they are a big part of there game. They even said that all you have to do to beat the bosses was just grab and redirect their attacks back at them which is so false. Use your abilities. Use Spike, sentry, blaze and more. That’s what they are for… combat. Sadly not everyone is at our level of gaming skill and intelligence. Once again if you want accurate reviews and good points then come to us.
There’s more to say but we have to leave it here for now as we are running out of time. We will have to update this post later. Let’s summarise. The boss battles are excellent and exciting. Facing bosses like stink spirit, howl, mora, the armoured bug beetle and even Shriek isn’t easy. They are complete monsters on hard difficulty though. On easy they are too easy. So bosses, music, graphics, side quests, story, combat, controls, sense of getting stronger, collectibles, fast travel, methods to find collectibles, ending, variety of enemies, variety of weapons, variety of shards and builds are all very good and lead to a fantastic experience. We like how the last section Willows End basically has platforming that requires you to use everything you have learned to survive. Ori and the Will of the Wisps is the new standard for games when it comes to animations and graphics. It’s called an indie game but clearly triple A standard and better than majority of them. We love this game.
Overall Ori and the Will of the Wisps is the only game right now we can call a perfect game. 10/10 easily. Last of all Ori and the Will of the Wisps is available on Xbox through gamepads which means it is free. Go and play it. We would happily spend £40 on it. It’s just that darn good. It isn’t a big game and can be beaten under 10 hours easily and even 4 hours if you know what to do and sprint through it but it’s called an indie game for a reason. There’s also a improved Xbox Series X version of this game. So there’s not a better time to play this game. Ori and the Will of the Wisps is better than demon’s souls remake, better than spider man: miles morales, the latest god of war and many more. This game is so underrated and not enough people were talking about this. Ori and the Will of the Wisps is 10/10 but what’s better than Ori is… the ‘Earth Walk!’
