Microsoft revealed the release date for the direct sequel to Ori and the Blind Forest called Ori and the Will of the Wisps during their E3 press conference. After a year of silence, Microsoft disclosed that the sequel will launch in 2019.
Moon Studios, the developers behind Ori and the Blind Forest, have been working on a sequel which is due to release sometime in 2019. This Metroidvania platformer debuted back in March 2015 and was received favourably by both reviewers and players. The most praise was harvested for Ori's captivating story, unique visual style, and fitting soundtrack.
The sequel will once again be set in the magical forest of Nimble, where Ori, a guardian spirit, and Sein her trusty guardian are tasked with protecting the forest. Ori and the Will of the Wisps seem to have almost the same visual style as it's predecessor along with some VFX improvements judging by the trailer.
Ori will face new dangers which include new enemies, challenges and unforgiving terrain. The titular character will also gain new allies in the upcoming sequel. One of the new characters being introduced with the sequel will be the owl from the trailer, which will have its own soundtrack composition according to the composer Gareth Coker.
The developers also teased some of the skills coming to the sequel which look quite interesting. Those skills will be obtainable through spirit light containers which in turn open up a part of the map, just like in the original Ori and the Blind Forest.
The sequel promises to deliver a revamped combat system and alongside weapons. One of the weapons that were shown during the gameplay was the Spirit Arc.
In an interview with the CEO and Game Director of Moon Studios Thomas Mahler touched upon the topic of difficulty which was a big issue in the first game. Apparently, the game was too challenging for a lot of players. Mahler mentioned that the developer team is working on a solution via adding a difficulty slider, but nothing was officially confirmed.
Microsoft
The game is scheduled for release sometime in 2019, with PC, and Xbox One being the supported platforms
