Guessed by @UnderwaterFunktown
Put on some music from this game to get me in the mood to do the write-up, and... wow.
I don't think I'll ever get over how special this work of art is. I still remember staring at the title screen for 30 minutes on my first time of seeing it, just so blown away by the gorgeous art and music that I had to take it all in before heading into the game. And well, the game was an absolutely beautiful work of art for as long as it lasted. The visuals are so unbelievably stunning, this is the prettiest game I've ever played. The soundtrack is so incredible, it's the best score I've ever heard. The story hits you so hard with barely any dialogue, it's the most emotional a videogame story's ever gotten me. And even the gameplay feels so smooth and silky that it feels like a work of art in an of itself.
Ori and the Will of the Wisps is so incredibly special, I struggle to put it in words. Well, to be fair, I've written very many words about it here in years past, but it still never feels like it's enough. Nothing can describe the sheer amazement of having this game on your screen and in your hands. Of moving this cheerful little spirit through this wondrous world. And shining a light on the darkness that pervades it, doing everything to help those for whom everything seemed lost, and then the hard truth that not everyone can be helped. Yeah, this game packs a punch. The world of Ori may be wondrous and look simple, but it's full of complex struggles and even a good-spirited little guy like Ori can't fix everything.
I don't know what else to say about this game. It seriously blew me away so much and still does. On top of all that stuff I said above about the visuals/soundtrack/story/gameplay, I also think this game has the greatest final boss of all time. I was a somewhat serious speedrunner for this game because it was just so fun to play, and despite playing through to the end dozens upon dozens of times, that ending still made me cry every single time. I admit the speedrunning removed a lot of the impact of many things here, but not that ending.
I'm not sure I'll ever fully get over how incredible this game is. I'm sure it'll never age, I'll always cherish it deeply in my heart. I absolutely adore it. Ori and the Will of the Wisps is what videogames are meant to be.
Essay Pro