Spirit of the North
Top Critic Average
Critics Recommend
Spirit of the North Trailers
Spirit of the North - Launch Trailer | PS4
Spirit of the North - Gameplay Trailer | PS4
Spirit of the North - Debut Trailer | PS4
Critic Reviews for Spirit of the North
Spirit of the North simply doesn’t hold up well on the Switch, and with poor gameplay and visuals, its relatively short 3 to 4-hour length felt much longer as a result.
Spirit of the North: Enhanced Edition is a short and lighthearted adventure that boasts a good visual department but is crippled by several annoying technical problems.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Spirit of the North is a lovingly crafted indie adventure that's let down by some wonky platforming and simple puzzling, while the mysterious explorative adventuring evokes the memory of Journey, just without quite achieving the same emotional impact.
Exploring Iceland as a furry fox friend has been a real treat. It's delicious eye candy with a satisfyingly chewy center. Yes, there were times when I hoped for a little more direction in solving puzzles. Those brand new help cards on the PlayStation 5 dashboard sure would have been nice (fingers crossed we see those when the game officially releases). That said, Spirit of the North is too beautiful and captivating to be disappointed for long. If you love games like Lost Ember, I can't recommend adding Spirit of the North to your collection enough.
Even as a fairly short game, Spirit of the North managed to accomplish what it had set out to achieve – to tell us a story without words and to slow us down. A truly unique experience where the visuals and music were its greatest strengths, it shows that a game does not have to be filled with excitement for it to be gratifying. It wasn’t a perfect adventure, but it served as an important reminder to always be curious about your surroundings, to take your time, and to stop and smell the flowers.
Infuse Studio has done a fantastic job in remastering Spirit of the North's visuals for PS5, but while it looks gorgeous, this edition neglects the elements that needed an update most. Though the controls remain stiff and your objectives aren't always clear, anyone willing to look past this will find a wonderful experience at the core. If you've been searching for a new adventure game, Spirit of the North is short but sweet and despite these flaws, comes recommended.
Spirit of the North Enhanced Edition may look great at 4K and run smoother at 60 FPS, but with no gameplay changes, barely any meaningful use of the DualSense, and a lack of gameplay improvements the indie-adventure doesn't offer much of a reason to play. This enhanced edition isn't bad by any means, but it just doesn't offer much of a reason to check it out for new or returning players, especially given the price increase.
