Ori and the Will of the Wisps

This Game Is:

A stunning platform-adventure Metroidvania developed by Moon Studios and published by Xbox Game Studios. Known for its breathtaking visuals and immersive gameplay, Ori focuses on exploration, item collection, upgrades, and revisiting previously locked areas, creating a rich and rewarding player experience.

Challenge We Took:

Synchronizing team members’ work on massive scene files and assets without causing repository conflicts was a constant issue during pull/push operations. Additionally, game performance optimization was crucial, as many levels were overloaded with unnecessary assets that strained the GPU with minimal visual impact. Another challenge was setting up and refining the AI behavior of in-game entities to ensure smooth, dynamic interactions.

What We Implemented:

→ Performance Optimization: Analyzed game levels to identify and remove redundant objects that bogged down GPU performance while having negligible impact on gameplay or visuals.

→ AI Behavior Setup: Designed and fine-tuned AI entity behavior to enhance the fluidity and immersion of in-game interactions.

→ Custom Editor Tools: Developed innovative editor tools for artists, designers, and animators to streamline their workflows, including:

• Art Optimizer – To clean up and optimize assets.
• Performance Toolset – For real-time performance measurement and bottleneck detection.
• Animation Browser – Simplified the process of working with and managing complex animations.

Results:

Ori and the Will of the Wisps captivated millions of players globally, earning awards like Outstanding Visual Style (2020) and Game of the Year  at the Golden Joystick Awards (2020). The team also contributed to its successful porting to the Nintendo Switch, ensuring high performance across platforms while retaining its visual brilliance. The cutting-edge editor tools developed during the project have since become essential to the workflow, benefiting artists and designers alike.