If you’re jumping into Ori and the Will of the Wisps this week, the biggest and most immediate change is the game’s basic attack. Instead of the ranged magical orbs that do damage from afar, Ori’s first weapon is a nice energy sword that looks superb in full flight.
But the attack has another crucial quality that you’ll want to remember: it keeps you hovering in mid-air for the briefest moment.
Uncovering the finer mechanics of platformers like Ori, Hollow Knight and so on is part of the fun. It’s a super crucial skill for those who are speedrunning, but even if you’re just picking up Ori and the Will of the Wisps as a novice, it can be a super handy tool.
Whenever you attack in Ori and the Will of the Wisps, the attack adds a small delay as the animation finishes. There’s a different animation for each of the attacks depending on the attack’s direction. If you attack downwards while in mid-air, Ori’s momentum will stop completely and they will spike downwards. If you hit a creature with the attack, you’ll be launched back into the air, giving you enough time and space to jump or attack again.
Each of the attacks adds a bit of momentum depending on the direction, too. The most useful and versatile is the upward attack, which gives you a small forward thrust and prevents you from falling downward for a fraction of a second. That extra momentum is actually enough in the very early stages to help with a couple of jumps that you’d ordinarily need the double-jump for.
But it’s also a nifty get out of a jail card if you fuck up a jump, because you can use that extra push of momentum to get you within touching distance of a ledge or wall. Below you’ll see a slowed down version what the up attack looks like, so you can better see the distance and hover you get from the up attack.
In this instance, I’ve started the jump too early, and so there’s no possible way for me to reach the platform since I’ve already used the double jump. But by attacking upwards, Ori’s momentum continues moving forward towards the platform, meaning that instead of potentially dropping into the vines below, Ori ends up grabbing the top ledge.
The full power of this will really be shown off when speedrunners and advanced Ori players get their hands on the game. The early areas of Ori and the Will of the Wisps aren’t filled with enough enemies that you could continually bounce through the air with downward strikes, and you can’t use the downward attack to springboard off vines or the ground like you can in Hollow Knight. But there’s definite utility to the move, and it’s definitely handy to have up your sleeve, especially if you’re struggling with some of the platforming.
The full embargo for Ori and the Will of the Wisps lifts tomorrow night. We’ll have local coverage of the game then, as well as some insights from our friends in the US. Stay tuned.
[referenced url=”https://www.kotaku.com.au/2020/03/ori-will-of-the-wisps-pc-xbox-opening-is-beautiful/” thumb=”https://www.kotaku.com.au/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2020/03/ori-will-wisps-1-410×231.jpg” title=”Ori And The Will Of The Wisps’ Opening Is Beautiful” excerpt=”This week was bad enough for pulling at the heartstrings, so I guess it’s only right that I point out how heart achingly beautiful the opening of Ori and the Will of the Wisps is.”]
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