I absolutely adored Shriek as a villain and bawled like a child at the conclusion of her story. The image of her curling up under the petrified corpses of her parents, seeking the closest thing to love that she could comprehend, is gonna stick with me for a while.
Regarding your last point about Shriek, I thought she was set up to be a foil to Ku and to show us what would have happened to her if the light hadn't been restored at the end of Blind of Forest: they are both owls who were born with some kind of malformation. But while Ku had a loving family that cares for her, Shriek was shunned by everyone she met and spent her entire life alone.
fabrimuch for sure, that’s definitely a read of her. I think a big defining feature is that, from her lack of family and support structure, she had nothing tying her to the world that made her want to be redeemed/saved. The idea that someone who’s alone anyway has nothing left to lose
Just beat this game recently and checked out this analysis. Really nice stuff, you pointed out a lot that I didn't even think about (the Creation of Man shot with the willow tree is so obvious in hindsight...) and I definitely agree on a lot of your points, such as the disability theme coming off slightly half-baked. One thing that I was thinking about during my playthrough that I haven't seen yet in online discussion: what about the title of the game? A will-o'-the-wisp is usually depicted in media as something with sinister undertones, like a misleading mirage to lure others in the wrong direction. It seems like an odd choice, given that the wisps in WOTW are never really portrayed to be evil or in the wrong. Perhaps the "will-o'-the-wisp" moment is supposed to be when it's revealed that Ori needs to make the ultimate sacrifice? After the Silent Woods segment, Kwolok tells you, "If anything can undo the damage that has been done, it is the Will of the Wisps". The player is led to believe that collecting the light shards and restoring the tree will fix everything up, like in Blind Forest. The wisps reinforce this in the Windtorn Ruins lore dump - the tree is dying and won't be able to hold the light forever... but don't worry, because we're going to save it. Also, you're the chosen one to bring us strength when we are weak, but don't think about that for too long. Maybe I'm just dumb for being caught off guard by that twist, but I feel like there's intent behind it. It also plays into the leaving the nest / growing up fast type of arc that Ori goes through in this game. Shit happens, life can be cruel, bad things happen that are out of your control, some people don't get a storybook ending no matter how hard you try (Shriek...), but you still have to get back up and keep going. The will-o'-the-wisp may have made you think that there was a perfect answer to it all, but there is no easy solution to removing the corruption that hit you with a cold dose of reality. You're going to need to make sacrifices to support the next generation. It's a long term cycle that's beyond any one person. Become tree. Maybe it's a reach, but this has been on my mind, so I just wanted to type it out. Again, love the video.
@@Zikemach This game does have many bugs, that could've been the issue as well. Thankfully, I didn't experience a lot of them. Some people were less lucky, to say the least.
Worth noting that Ku never died, but was just critically injured and in essentially a coma. I believe originally she was going to pass away, but play testers basically told Moon that they wouldn't continue playing if she did. It was too much and like seeing a child killed off. So they elected to just place her in that coma like state and revive her back to consciousness at the end. I really wish we'd had more play with Ku. It had the opportunity for some creative pair work and puzzle solving. Also, Shriek did die. The guys did an AMA a few months ago and they confirmed as such
Fantastic review. You should try Oxenfree which is a 2.5D game mostly a walking sim nothing to drastic gameplay wise but the story, voice acting, soundtrack and intrigue are excelent I am sure it will be right up your alley.
So I remember commenting on your critique of the first Ori game a while back, mentioning that I find your long-form critiques/ reviews really interesting - and that definitely still holds true, but it wasn’t until yesterday that I finally watched your critique of the second game. I know it’s been like two months since you posted it, but I simply did not realise you had uploaded the video! I’m not sure how I missed it; I’m also only subscribed to very few people, so it’s not like your videos were ”drowned out” so to speak. Anyway, here’s my take: Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed watching your critique, and I agree with most of what you said, but there are a few things I view differently. My biggest problem has to do with Shriek and her role in the game. Honestly, if I have to be completely honest with you, I find her a pretty boring antagonist. Look, I realise what they were going for, and what they were trying to show: the fact that she was basically ostracised for being different, and that she turned into what she is today because of lack of love and care. This lonely and hurtful life made her unable to reach out and accept Ori’s help; sometimes, people can’t be helped. I get it. It isn’t that I find the execution of these ideas bad - I think they did a good job, and I’ve always been a fan of their ”show don’t tell” style of storytelling. It’s simply that I find the whole premise of her story dull. As mentioned, I think it’s kind of boring. On the other hand, Kuro was a much more engaging and interesting protagonist in my opinion. I really liked the twist - we learned that she had a reason for hunting Ori and Sein; that she was protecting her last child, and then there’s the whole thing about motherly love when Naru meets her at the end. This connection between the different characters added even more depth to her. In the end, I just think Kuro was a much more developed character. Just to be clear, I’m not saying they should simply have made a ”Kuro 2.0”. All I’m saying is that of the two big birds we get acquainted with, I feel Shriek’s the less interesting one I do find it a bit odd how you mention that Ku has a unique move set; I’m not entirely seeing it honestly. She has the ”Flap” and ”Glide” abilities - both of which we get to use ourselves later on; she has no abilities/ skills that are unique to her only and that’s kind of a bummer. In general, I think the most disappointing element was Ku. They simply did far too little with her - both story wise and gameplay wise; she is severely underutilised on both fronts. I also really dislike the ending, but that's a whole 'nother thing entirely. But other than those points, I found myself agreeing with most things. For instance, the ”Burrow” ability definitely feels imprecise and clunky to use. Especially compared to its aquatic counterpart, ”Swim Dash”. I also have to wholeheartedly agree with your assessment of Gumo and Naru. All they ever did in this instalment of the game was to search for Ori and Ku; we basically got no character progression/ development at all. I get that the game isn’t really about them specifically, but I still found their roles and inclusion (or rather, lack thereof) a bit of a let-down. As a side note, I’m not really sure why this critique has so many dislikes compared to your critique of the first game. Odd. As a final comment, I can confidently say that I will check out your newer videos too now that I’m done with this one. I guess I’ll also have to be more alert so as not to miss a bunch of uploads as I have previously done, heh. I guess this comment ended up being pretty long, but I just like to write detailed replies.
Completely disagreed with you. This game was way better than the first one and had the best story and characters. Ku wasn't meant to be playable character and it was all about Ori. And you're absolutely wrong about the ending, it was really good too. Every win comes with a sacrifice and I think what Ori did was to be forgiven, he was sorry to kuro for what happened to Ku and he saved thousands of families because of this. The ending is a powerful message that the Life cycle always continues. It also had a way better antagonist with realistic motives This game was more deeper and had a better story than the first game. But both games are MASTERPIECES with WotW being 10x better in terms of story, Gameplay and conclusion.
I think you need to work on the structure of your videos man. It was pretty hard to tell what points you were making when you were going through the game in linear fashion. Also you focused an awful lot on emotion and themes which while important should not take precedence over the base gameplay and plot of the game which you seemed to skim over. Keep up the good work tho, long form critique needs to be supported on UA-cam
Hey Loaf, thanks for commenting. I'll take this into consideration for the Mirror's Edge video I'm working on now, though I'm not sure how to address the structure comment when I thought gameplay and narrative were pretty well segmented!
@@Zikemach Since you've played the souls games it's mostly like that. But the mechanics/lore of HK have been talked to death, hence why I am curious for your perspective.
@@Zikemach Interestingly enough, both. The narrative is also sewn into the lore, which is very deep. I found myself interested in the game because of the lore, mainly. I focused on playing it through to find more interesting pieces of it. The mechanics were a good part of it as well, though.
I absolutely adored Shriek as a villain and bawled like a child at the conclusion of her story. The image of her curling up under the petrified corpses of her parents, seeking the closest thing to love that she could comprehend, is gonna stick with me for a while.
As much as I wanted her to be OK, this was a more powerful creative choice. Can’t wait to see what Moon Studios put out next.
Regarding your last point about Shriek, I thought she was set up to be a foil to Ku and to show us what would have happened to her if the light hadn't been restored at the end of Blind of Forest: they are both owls who were born with some kind of malformation. But while Ku had a loving family that cares for her, Shriek was shunned by everyone she met and spent her entire life alone.
fabrimuch for sure, that’s definitely a read of her. I think a big defining feature is that, from her lack of family and support structure, she had nothing tying her to the world that made her want to be redeemed/saved. The idea that someone who’s alone anyway has nothing left to lose
Just beat this game recently and checked out this analysis. Really nice stuff, you pointed out a lot that I didn't even think about (the Creation of Man shot with the willow tree is so obvious in hindsight...) and I definitely agree on a lot of your points, such as the disability theme coming off slightly half-baked.
One thing that I was thinking about during my playthrough that I haven't seen yet in online discussion: what about the title of the game? A will-o'-the-wisp is usually depicted in media as something with sinister undertones, like a misleading mirage to lure others in the wrong direction. It seems like an odd choice, given that the wisps in WOTW are never really portrayed to be evil or in the wrong.
Perhaps the "will-o'-the-wisp" moment is supposed to be when it's revealed that Ori needs to make the ultimate sacrifice? After the Silent Woods segment, Kwolok tells you, "If anything can undo the damage that has been done, it is the Will of the Wisps". The player is led to believe that collecting the light shards and restoring the tree will fix everything up, like in Blind Forest. The wisps reinforce this in the Windtorn Ruins lore dump - the tree is dying and won't be able to hold the light forever... but don't worry, because we're going to save it. Also, you're the chosen one to bring us strength when we are weak, but don't think about that for too long. Maybe I'm just dumb for being caught off guard by that twist, but I feel like there's intent behind it.
It also plays into the leaving the nest / growing up fast type of arc that Ori goes through in this game. Shit happens, life can be cruel, bad things happen that are out of your control, some people don't get a storybook ending no matter how hard you try (Shriek...), but you still have to get back up and keep going. The will-o'-the-wisp may have made you think that there was a perfect answer to it all, but there is no easy solution to removing the corruption that hit you with a cold dose of reality. You're going to need to make sacrifices to support the next generation. It's a long term cycle that's beyond any one person. Become tree.
Maybe it's a reach, but this has been on my mind, so I just wanted to type it out. Again, love the video.
I love how Joseph Anderson is it's own genre now
Ultra Mango the highest of compliments. Thanks for watching!!
I went through the mouldwood depths first, everything was open for me, I don't know
Interesting you had that experience! I was all walled off from the boss arena-interested to hear what other people's experiences were!
@@Zikemach This game does have many bugs, that could've been the issue as well. Thankfully, I didn't experience a lot of them. Some people were less lucky, to say the least.
Worth noting that Ku never died, but was just critically injured and in essentially a coma. I believe originally she was going to pass away, but play testers basically told Moon that they wouldn't continue playing if she did. It was too much and like seeing a child killed off. So they elected to just place her in that coma like state and revive her back to consciousness at the end.
I really wish we'd had more play with Ku. It had the opportunity for some creative pair work and puzzle solving.
Also, Shriek did die. The guys did an AMA a few months ago and they confirmed as such
Fantastic review. You should try Oxenfree which is a 2.5D game mostly a walking sim nothing to drastic gameplay wise but the story, voice acting, soundtrack and intrigue are excelent I am sure it will be right up your alley.
Thanks for the suggestion mate. I’ll do some research on it!
I had a different experience: I beat Mora before I went to either Luma Pools or Baur's Reach.
@9:30 I thought all the wisps could be collected independently! Maybe it was a bug in your play-through.
alphanimal that seems to be the general feedback. Will definitely give it another whirl in a few months and see how it changes
Such a hard game to play on keyboard! Gamepad is MANDATORY
I played on keyboard I didn't think it was too hard tbh
Ngl im more used to it in keyboard (buti used hollow knight's keyboard control woops)
It was rough on keyboard, but I managed. Just kind of stretched my fingers a lot.
So I remember commenting on your critique of the first Ori game a while back, mentioning that I find your long-form critiques/ reviews really interesting - and that definitely still holds true, but it wasn’t until yesterday that I finally watched your critique of the second game. I know it’s been like two months since you posted it, but I simply did not realise you had uploaded the video! I’m not sure how I missed it; I’m also only subscribed to very few people, so it’s not like your videos were ”drowned out” so to speak. Anyway, here’s my take:
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed watching your critique, and I agree with most of what you said, but there are a few things I view differently. My biggest problem has to do with Shriek and her role in the game. Honestly, if I have to be completely honest with you, I find her a pretty boring antagonist. Look, I realise what they were going for, and what they were trying to show: the fact that she was basically ostracised for being different, and that she turned into what she is today because of lack of love and care. This lonely and hurtful life made her unable to reach out and accept Ori’s help; sometimes, people can’t be helped. I get it. It isn’t that I find the execution of these ideas bad - I think they did a good job, and I’ve always been a fan of their ”show don’t tell” style of storytelling. It’s simply that I find the whole premise of her story dull. As mentioned, I think it’s kind of boring. On the other hand, Kuro was a much more engaging and interesting protagonist in my opinion. I really liked the twist - we learned that she had a reason for hunting Ori and Sein; that she was protecting her last child, and then there’s the whole thing about motherly love when Naru meets her at the end. This connection between the different characters added even more depth to her. In the end, I just think Kuro was a much more developed character. Just to be clear, I’m not saying they should simply have made a ”Kuro 2.0”. All I’m saying is that of the two big birds we get acquainted with, I feel Shriek’s the less interesting one
I do find it a bit odd how you mention that Ku has a unique move set; I’m not entirely seeing it honestly. She has the ”Flap” and ”Glide” abilities - both of which we get to use ourselves later on; she has no abilities/ skills that are unique to her only and that’s kind of a bummer. In general, I think the most disappointing element was Ku. They simply did far too little with her - both story wise and gameplay wise; she is severely underutilised on both fronts. I also really dislike the ending, but that's a whole 'nother thing entirely.
But other than those points, I found myself agreeing with most things. For instance, the ”Burrow” ability definitely feels imprecise and clunky to use. Especially compared to its aquatic counterpart, ”Swim Dash”. I also have to wholeheartedly agree with your assessment of Gumo and Naru. All they ever did in this instalment of the game was to search for Ori and Ku; we basically got no character progression/ development at all. I get that the game isn’t really about them specifically, but I still found their roles and inclusion (or rather, lack thereof) a bit of a let-down.
As a side note, I’m not really sure why this critique has so many dislikes compared to your critique of the first game. Odd.
As a final comment, I can confidently say that I will check out your newer videos too now that I’m done with this one. I guess I’ll also have to be more alert so as not to miss a bunch of uploads as I have previously done, heh.
I guess this comment ended up being pretty long, but I just like to write detailed replies.
Completely disagreed with you. This game was way better than the first one and had the best story and characters. Ku wasn't meant to be playable character and it was all about Ori. And you're absolutely wrong about the ending, it was really good too. Every win comes with a sacrifice and I think what Ori did was to be forgiven, he was sorry to kuro for what happened to Ku and he saved thousands of families because of this. The ending is a powerful message that the Life cycle always continues. It also had a way better antagonist with realistic motives
This game was more deeper and had a better story than the first game. But both games are MASTERPIECES with WotW being 10x better in terms of story, Gameplay and conclusion.
iirc, Moon Studios confirmed that Ori's a he.
I think you need to work on the structure of your videos man. It was pretty hard to tell what points you were making when you were going through the game in linear fashion. Also you focused an awful lot on emotion and themes which while important should not take precedence over the base gameplay and plot of the game which you seemed to skim over. Keep up the good work tho, long form critique needs to be supported on UA-cam
Hey Loaf, thanks for commenting. I'll take this into consideration for the Mirror's Edge video I'm working on now, though I'm not sure how to address the structure comment when I thought gameplay and narrative were pretty well segmented!
Great video! You should definitely play Hollow Knight.
True.
Definitely on my platformer to-do list! Is it mostly mechanic-driven or is there an interesting narrative pushing it along?
@@Zikemach Since you've played the souls games it's mostly like that. But the mechanics/lore of HK have been talked to death, hence why I am curious for your perspective.
@@Zikemach Interestingly enough, both. The narrative is also sewn into the lore, which is very deep. I found myself interested in the game because of the lore, mainly. I focused on playing it through to find more interesting pieces of it. The mechanics were a good part of it as well, though.