Did you know that "Ori and the Will of the Wisps" stole a bunch of mechanics from "Hollow Knight"?

In this thread I will expose some of them.

#gamedev #gamedesign #OriAndTheWillOfTheWisps #HollowKnight #Ori

Sorry for the clickbait

What I really mean is that Ori and the Will of the Wisps ADAPTED some mechanics from Hollow Knight.

In videogames, like any other form of art, creators "copy" or take inspiration from other games.

However, is not that simple, you can’t just "copy" a mechanic, you must adapt it to your game and make it your own.

Let's look at the release dates:
2016 -> Ori and the Blind Forest
2017 -> Hollow Knight
2020 -> Ori and the Will of the Wisps

When you compare some of the changes they implemented from Ori 1 to Ori 2, you can see that some of them were already present on Hollow Knight.

And they did well on taking inspiration from Hollow Knight since is one of the best Metroidvanias.

But wait, first I should explain what is a Metroidvania; in short it is a videogame subgenre.

Which is named after 2 games: Metroid and Castlevania Symphony of the Night.

They share some main mechanics and design:
Large interconnected map
Non-linear path with backtracking
A skill/item is required to reach some areas

Although the subgenre has evolved, and we can see 3D or not platforming games considered Metroidvanias

There is an ongoing discussion about what can be considered a Metroidvania or not.

We can see by the very start that both Ori and Hollow Knight are based in Metroid and Castlevania as many other Metroidvanias.

Even if both games, Ori and Hollow Knight, share subgenre, they offer a very distinct experience and have a different target in mind:

One of Ori’s pillars is “BEAUTY”:
It has an outstanding art and soundtrack.
The movement of the main character is fluid and smooth.
Happy ending story
The game is not too difficult

Meanwhile, we could say that Hollow Knight is “UGLY”:
Oppressive and dark environments a
Sad story
The main character movement is not fluid
The player will have to get skilled to beat all the hazards and strong bosses

However, the art style is beautiful and cute

Looking at these differences we can see that whatever mechanics or ideas Ori took from Hollow Knight the developers had to adapt them to keep their “beauty” and make them their own.

So, time to look at some of these mechanics that were translated from Hollow Knight:

The map is an iconic element in videogames and with such importance that some mechanics have derived from it (fog of war, treasure maps, etc.)

An important feature is MAP REVEALING: how does the game show the map of the world?

Is it accessible from the start? You need to buy it? Is it revealed as you advance?

In Ori you can reveal the map for an area by finding some Map Stone fragments and inserting them on a Map Stone.

In Hollow Knight, you can find Cornifer (an NPC) located in each area that will sell you a map of that area.

You have some clues on where to find as he makes a characteristic sound and you can spot a trail of paper pieces on the floor.

So, what did they do for Ori 2? As for HK, there is an NPC called Lupo that sells maps located in each area.

We can notice that the number of NPCs from Ori 1 to Ori 2 was highly increased since they wanted to provide a world that feels “alive”.

However, as I said before, they had to adapt the map revealing mechanics to their needs:

HK doesn’t show the map of an area if you haven’t bought the map, even if you have already been there.

Ori will reveal the paths where you’ve already been instantly.

HK will not show an icon on the map to display where you are currently. Unless you have equipped a special item.

Ori will show your location without any special requirement.

When you buy a map in HK you don’t get the full map, you get some clues, and only part of it, you will need to explore the rest yourself.

In Ori, once you buy the map you get the whole map for that area revealed.

In HK the map is not updated revealing the parts you’ve traversed until you don’t seat on a bench (checkpoints)

Ori updates it in real-time.

As you can see all these mechanics makes HK harder and slows the pace where the player will need to think where to go and thus encouraging exploration.

While Ori wants to keep the game more accessible and aims for a fluid and smooth traversal.

But on objective marking both have the same approach:

In Ori 1 the room/area where the next objective is located was revealed.

Ori 2 went for the same approach as HK; showing an icon in the map where the objective is, without revealing the whole room/area in the map.

With this technique you are encouraging exploration, the player has an idea of what direction to follow but doesn’t know for sure what road will lead to the objective.

It is like having a compass

We've said that one of the objectives of Ori 2 was making the world feel more “alive” so not only they populated the game with a lot of NPCs, but they added a town that acts as CENTRAL HUB called Well Spring Glades.

This resembles Dirtmouth (the main town of HK).

The idea behind these towns is to have a place where NPCs go back to and offer different services: shops, skill upgrades, etc.

The town evolves as you advance in your adventure, so it is also a representation of your progression

However, there is a big difference between Dirtmouth and Well Spring Glades, that is the location in their respective worlds.

The first one is located on the upper part of the map and the second is in the centre. With this change, the feeling of the world changes completely:

HK makes the world feel dangerous and mysterious, the deeper you go the darker and harder the world is.

But you also unveil more mysteries, the player feels like an archaeologist digging deeper on an excavation. Going back to the surface means going back to safety.

In Ori 2 the idea is for Well Spring Glades to be the heart of the world, by putting it in the centre the player will pass through several times while navigating the map. A haven for all creatures that had to run away from danger.

Also, they made some parts of the town inaccessible until you gain a certain ability so the player will want to go back once they’ve gained that ability.

What makes this town more unique is that you can upgrade it by expending money, making more parts accessible and building houses for NPCs, thus making the player feel part of the world.

That would go against HK design, where the player is an external agent to the world.

Probably the COMBAT is one of the main features for Metroidvanias. Do you have a gun, a sword, a whip?

This will also define the behaviour of the enemies.

In Ori 1 the player had the Spirit Flame, a small orb that goes next to enemies and attacks them on a button press.

Hollow Knight’s main weapon is the nail (sword).

Similar to HK, in Ori 2 you start with a sword called the Spirit Edge.

Hollow Knight’s approach is more about dominating the use of the nail and improve it by acquiring new movements or upgrades.

Ori 2 goes for a more accessible approach and lets the player decide what weapon to use, so it adapts to your own combat style.

But let's dig deeper and look at secondary attacks:

In HK you have some especial attacks that will consume some spirit/energy that you gain by defeating enemies, and this happens as well in Ori 2.

So here ends the 1st part of this thread, where we have taken a look at:

1. Map
2. Objective markers
3. Main Hub
4. Main weapon
5. Secondary attacks

Hope you liked the thread so far!

And don't forget to share and follow so you don't miss the 2nd part.