Ori and the Will of the Wisps review for Nintendo Switch

Ori and the Will of the Wisps released earlier this year for Xbox One and Windows, and last month it was ported to the Nintendo Switch. Back in March when I originally reviewed the Xbox One release, I indicated that it was an early contender for game of the year. And now, having played through the game again for this Nintendo Switch version review, I?ll 100% stand by my earlier statement. It?s an absolute joy of a game, one of the best examples of a ?Metroidvania? platformer on the market, and it?s no less fun to play through a second time. 

I won?t rehash my original review, but it?s worth pointing out that this Nintendo Switch version of Ori and the Will of the Wisps is honestly more technically sound than the game was when it originally launched on the Xbox One back in March. I?m sure the game has been patched and improved on that platform as well, but I was really amazed at how well the Switch version of the game ran here. I had no real technical hiccups to speak of. The framerate was incredibly smooth, even in harrowing chase sequences that saw occasional hitches on the Xbox One at launch. It?s a serious technical marvel how well this game has been ported over to less powerful hardware.

I also played a chunk of the game via handheld mode and on a Switch Lite with no real issues to report. The controls felt great and responsive in any mode, and it?s certainly nice having access to the game on the go. Outside of a reduced resolution, you?d be hard-pressed to find any significant difference between the Switch version of Ori and the Will and Wisps and the Xbox One version of the game.

On the other side of that, this is a pretty straight port of the game all things considered. There?s no notable bells and whistles in the Switch version that can?t be found on the Xbox One. That?s certainly not a bad thing if you?ve not played the game, but if you?ve already bought or played through it on Xbox One or PC, the biggest draw here will be the ability to play via handheld mode. Still, the fact that it works and looks as good as it does is a pretty decent incentive to experience it all again. 

Absolutely pick up Ori and the Will of the Wisps if you haven?t had a chance to experience it so far. It?s still one of the best games I?ve played all year, and it?s a real standout amongst any ?Metroidvania? style game I?ve ever played. It?s definitely a joy to play, and no less so on the Nintendo Switch. 

Note: iam8bit provided us with an Ori and the Will of the Wisps Switch code for review purposes.