Ori and the Will of the Wisps
A Metroidvania platformer about a spirit guardian exploring a forest world.
Where Ori and the Will of the Wisps comes up1 episode or test
- 1Meet a blocked puzzleBaur the bear won't wake
- 2Assume answer is elsewhereMetroidvania habit: the path is somewhere else
- 3Overlook current abilityMark Brown already had the feather
- 4Answer was in handTooie guards needed only a gentle tilt
From Mark Brown on Ori and Banjo-Tooie
What was said about Ori and the Will of the Wisps
Ori players can wrongly assume a blocked puzzle needs a later ability. Mark Brown had the feather needed to wake Baur the bear in Ori and the Will of the Wisps, but assumed he needed an ability found elsewhere. It is the same mistake he made with the sleeping guards in Banjo-Tooie's Mayahem Temple.
In Tooie, the guards only needed a gentle stick tilt to tip-toe past. When a game is about going elsewhere to find the path forward, players assume the answer is elsewhere. The lesson is to show whether a blocked puzzle needs a future ability or one the player already has.
The World Design of Banjo-Kazooie
Mark Brown made the same mistake as in Tooie here. He already had the feather needed to wake Baur the bear but assumed he needed a later ability.
Ori players can wrongly assume a blocked puzzle needs a later ability. Mark Brown had the feather needed to wake Baur the bear in Ori and the Will of the Wisps, but assumed he needed an ability found elsewhere. It is the same mistake he made with the sleeping guards in Banjo-Tooie's Mayahem Temple.
In Tooie, the guards only needed a gentle stick tilt to tip-toe past. When a game is about going elsewhere to find the path forward, players assume the answer is elsewhere. The lesson is to show whether a blocked puzzle needs a future ability or one the player already has.
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