Ori and the WIll of the Wisps is the sequel to 2015’s Ori and The Blind Forest created by Moon Studios. I’ve never played the original so when the chance came to review the sequel, I was a bit hesitant. I love platformers with a passion and find the pinpoint precision needed to make advance jumps and pull off obscene combos to be extremely rewarding. I may die two dozen times on a single screen, but that just adds fuel to my fire.

Without a doubt, Ori and the Will of the Wisps is one of the best platformers released over the past few years. It nails down all the crucial elements a game in this genre needs to thrive. The controls are precise and perfect, with Ori and his companions having weight while they are jumping around the screen. As you progress, you’ll unlock new powers like a bow that shoots light arrows or the ability to dash around the screen. You’ll need to use all of these skills in chained combos in order to complete puzzles or find new areas.

The world itself is amazing to behold, with crisp colors and bright imagery covering the landscape of the marsh and beyond. With the map being so vast, it almost feels like an open-world experience, except their are still plenty of places you’ll never be able to get to. The music also pulls you in, being just dramatic at times to keep the energy hype while still following a melancholy beat in slower worlds to feel a sense of wonder.

The creatures themselves are some of the most awe-inspiring aspects of the title. The plot of the game centers around Ori needing to find his owl friend in a giant world with the help of the Momi (which are little lemurs) and the other denizens of the forest. My favorite has to be Kwolok, the lord of the marsh, an amphibian made of stone who’s there to offer wisdom and guidance. Each character fits in with the aesthetic that Ori is trying to create; a mix of fantasy and whimsy that isn’t afraid to get dark.

After over a dozen hours with Ori and the Will of the Wisps, I have yet to really explore everything that’s out there. With dozens of mini collectibles that upgrade your health or energy, there’s just so much to do besides helping your owl compadre.

For those looking for an easy experience, you might want to skip this one. Once you collect all your powers, like dashing and jumping to lights, the platforming really ramps up. There were many times that I had to take a break for fear of throwing my controller down and breaking another piece of hardware. This aspect doesn’t bother me since good platformers tend to require skill and pinpoint button presses to succeed. After years of grinding my skills on the Gameboy version of the Lion King game when I was very young, I prefer the challenge. But to a newbie who just wants to play as a cute fluffball, it might be too difficult.

While playing the Xbox version of Ori, I did experience quite a few technical glitches. The frame rate would randomly drop (especially while fighting enemies), the start-up screen could take 20-30 seconds to boot up and characters would sometimes just disappear. Moon Studios is working on a day one patch to make sure players won’t have to deal with these issues when the game releases.

Overall, Ori and the Will of the Wisps is a masterpiece in game design. You can really tell that each ledge, spike or falling rock has been placed with care and a desire to make a good game. If you are a fan of platformers in any way, then this game should be a must-buy.

Ori and the Will of the Wisps releases on Xbox and PC on March 11.