Ori and the Will of the Wisps

Game images by RAWG

Ori and the Will of the Wisps

Moon Studios

Windows (PC); Xbox One; Xbox Series X/S; Nintendo SwitchPaid (one-time purchase; no microtransactions)

Health Score

DECENT

Official Website Watch Gameplay

About This Game

Super Review

Ori and the Will of the Wisps offers a visually stunning and emotionally rich adventure for families, featuring a gentle story of friendship and environmental care. While its platforming can be challenging, adjustable difficulty and no in-game purchases make it a worthwhile consideration, especially for patient players aged 9 and up. Some younger children may find its creature designs or suspenseful moments a bit too intense.

Super Review

Parent verdict

Ori and the Will of the Wisps is a qualified fit for families seeking a beautiful, story-driven single-player experience without the complexities of online interactions or microtransactions. Its Decent rating reflects a balance between its high artistic merit and positive themes, alongside platforming challenges that can be frustrating for younger or less experienced players. It works best with clear limits on session length for younger kids and is ideal for patient players who appreciate exploration and puzzle-solving.

What kids actually do

Players control Ori, a guardian spirit, navigating a lush hand-painted world by jumping, dashing, and climbing to overcome environmental obstacles and progress through the story.
Players strategically use Ori's growing array of abilities to solve environmental puzzles, such as manipulating objects or finding hidden paths, which encourages logical thinking and spatial awareness.
Players engage in combat against corrupted creatures using various spirit weapons and spells, requiring timing and aiming to protect the world and advance the narrative.

Where it shines

The game excels with its emotionally resonant story focusing on themes of friendship, courage, and environmental restoration, presented through a memorable journey.
Its beautiful, award-winning art style and orchestral soundtrack create an immersive and captivating world, making exploration a visually and audibly rich experience.

Parent watch-outs

The precision platforming and maze-like level design can be quite challenging, potentially leading to frustration for younger children or those new to the genre.
Some creature designs and boss encounters, while not graphic, can be visually unsettling or suspenseful for very young or sensitive children, despite the overall mild content rating.

Family rules worth setting

Set a time limit for gameplay sessions, especially when children are encountering difficult sections, to prevent frustration from long, unbroken play.
Agree to play alongside younger children, using the easier difficulty settings, to provide guidance on navigation or assistance with challenging platforming sections.

Talk about this

Discuss the game's themes of friendship and protecting nature. How does Ori help those in need, and what lessons can we learn about caring for our own environment?
Talk about persistence and problem-solving when facing difficult game segments. What strategies did they try, and how did they feel when they finally succeeded?

Play style

This is a single-player, story-driven adventure with an emphasis on exploration and precision platforming. Sessions can range from short bursts to longer, immersive dives into its world, depending on a child's patience with challenges. Difficulty is adjustable, which is crucial for tailoring the experience. Younger or less experienced players will likely need parental help with navigation and boss fights, even on easier settings.

Score Breakdown

Positive Aspects

Educational Value

2/5

Creativity

2/5

Pro-Social

0/5

Risk Factors

Addictive Monetization

0/5

Time Pressure / FOMO

1/5

Social Risk

0/5

Content Intensity

1/5

Why this rating

Educational Value

2/5

The game scores a 2 for Educational Value due to its strong narrative themes that subtly encourage environmental care and friendship. While not designed for explicit learning, its complex world traversal does foster problem-solving and spatial reasoning skills.

Addictive Monetization

0/5

Addictive Monetization scores a 0, indicating no concerns, as Ori and the Will of the Wisps is a one-time paid purchase. There are no microtransactions, loot boxes, or other in-game purchases present, making it a straightforward financial commitment for parents.

Content Intensity

1/5

Content Intensity receives a score of 1, reflecting minimal concerns. The game features mild fantasy violence and some creature designs that could be unsettling for very young children, but the overall tone is emotionally rich rather than overtly frightening or graphic, aligning with its E and PEGI 7 ratings.

Negatives

•Platforming and navigation can be challenging for very young children
•some scenes and creature designs may frighten ages 3–6
•earlier console ports had occasional technical glitches noted on some systems.

Positives

•Beautiful, award-winning art and orchestral soundtrack
•gentle, emotionally resonant story with positive themes (friendship, environmental care)
•tight platforming controls and adjustable difficulty settings.