Ori: The Collection

Genre: Compilation / Metroidvania

Players: 1

The Nintendo Switch 2 Difference

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Review:

Ori: The Collection, released in 2021 on Xbox One in digital form and Nintendo Switch as a physical-only release, is a Compilation of the first two Metroidvania games in the Ori series – Ori and the Blind Forest: Definitive Edition, released on Nintendo Switch in 2019 after multiple earlier releases on other platforms, and Ori and the Will of the Wisps, released on PC, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch in 2020. These games follow a glowing white foxlike creature exploring natural environments threatened by large, shadowy enemies.

I have previously reviewed both of these games. Here is what I thought of each of the games in this collection:

Game	Genre	# of Players	Grade
Ori and the Blind Forest: Definitive Edition	Metroidvania	1	A+
tl;dr Ori and the Blind Forest is, quite simply, one of the best Metroidvania games ever made, and not only is this an amazing port of a previously Xbox One-exclusive title, but it’s actually improved in its Switch release, which now stands tall as the truly definitive version of the game. This is a must-have game on the Switch, and if you missed it on the Xbox and PC, you owe it to yourself to get it now.
Ori and the Will of the Wisps	Metroidvania	1	A
tl;dr Ori and the Will of the Wisps is an outstanding sequel that improves on the first game in multiple areas, and changes enough things to make it distinct, although many of its best qualities are carried over from the first game. The Nintendo Switch version has a few technical issues, but overall this is still a gorgeous, incredibly fun, must-have Metroidvania.

In short, both of these games are absolute masterpieces, two of the best games ever made in their genre. These are gorgeous, well-crafted entries in their genre, with beautiful visuals, a stunning soundtrack, outstanding level design, and superb gameplay. In the years these games came out, I honored both of these games for awards in eShopperReviews’ yearly game awards ceremony, with each game winning multiple awards (Ori and the Blind Forest won Best Platformer and the Game of the Year: Silver Award, and Ori and the Will of the Wisps won Best Music and Best Graphics, with both games also being named Runner-Up in multiple other categories).

So what I’m saying is that both of these games are very, very, very good.

The only other question, then, is one of value. In that regard, Ori: The Collection fares well, though not extraordinarily so. At $50, the price of this Compilation is the same as buying both of the games separately. Those who prefer to get physical copies of games will be relieved to hear that both games come on the same cartridge though, and the deal is sweetened just a little with the inclusion of 6 art cards and a download code for the absolutely beautiful digital soundtracks of these games. It’s definitely not enough to make this a massive bargain, but it’s a nice addition to an already stellar package.

In short, if you have not yet purchased either of the Ori games and prefer to get your games in physical form, this bundle is an absolute must-have – I have already spent a lot of time talking about how amazing these two games are, so I’ll just say that if you enjoy Metroidvanias at all, these games need to be in your collection, and Ori: The Collection is an excellent way to get them both at once.

tl;dr – Ori: The Collection on Nintendo Switch is a physical-only Compilation of Ori and the Blind Forest: Definitive Edition and Ori and the Will of the Wisps. In sum, this is two of the most well-crafted, fun, and stunningly beautiful Metroidvania games ever made. The Compilation is priced about the same as it would cost to get these games separately, but in exchange you get both games on the cartridge, with a few small extras as well. If you have somehow missed out on these games until now, you should definitely remedy that oversight.

Grade: A+

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The Nintendo Switch 2 Difference

Ori: The Collection

Genre: Compilation / Metroidvania

Players: 1

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Review:

I have separately had a look at both individual Ori games on Nintendo Switch 2 and compared their performance to the way the games play on the original Nintendo Switch. The results? For both games, there’s no difference in resolution, framerate, or anything like that. Which is fine, both games already looked great.

However, there was one major difference in both cases: loading times.

Ori and the Blind Forest saw a huge improvement there. On Nintendo Switch, it took 55 seconds to start the game, and 17 seconds to load a save file. On Nintendo Switch 2, those times have been cut down to a comparatively tiny 12 seconds and 5 seconds, a massive improvement.

Ori and the Will of the Wisp benefits significantly in this area as well, albeit not as much as the prior game in the series. On Nintendo Switch, loading up the game takes one minute two seconds and loading a save takes 13 seconds. On Nintendo Switch 2, those times are cut down to 32 seconds and 8 seconds. Still a massive improvement, even if not quite as impressive.

In short, don’t expect these games to look much different on Nintendo Switch 2, but you will spend significantly less time in loading screens while playing them. Given how great both of these games are, if you haven’t already played them, I hope this improvement is what it takes to push you over the edge into giving them a try.

tl;dr – Ori: The Collection on Nintendo Switch is a physical-only Compilation of Ori and the Blind Forest: Definitive Edition and Ori and the Will of the Wisps. In sum, this is two of the most well-crafted, fun, and stunningly beautiful Metroidvania games ever made. The Compilation is priced about the same as it would cost to get these games separately, but in exchange you get both games on the cartridge, with a few small extras as well. If you have somehow missed out on these games until now, you should definitely remedy that oversight.

Grade: A+

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