Spirit of the North Reviews
Spirit of the North may have its fair share of flaws, but is ultimately a success in spite of them. In the end it won me over, and will be a game I’ll revisit when I need a warm hug from an old friend.
Spirit of the North offers a novel and charming adventure, but there were a few too many annoyances to be found within its gameplay to make it essential playing. Whilst the puzzles were clever in design and the environments both stylish and vibrant, the awkward controls and some dull gameplay mechanics just held things back a bit too much. Despite these flaws, I did have fun with Spirit of the North – I just wish that some aspects of its design were a bit more streamlined and accessible to make the experience that bit more enjoyable.
I cannot argue that Spirit of the North isn't a beautiful game on the surface. It is spectacular in certain areas ways and because there are a number of good points, I rate Spirit of the North at a 7 out of 10. The story of the fox and his spirit companion needs a lot more reason to play to keep puzzle aficionados like me interested beyond the first couple of chapters.
I found Spirit of the North to be quite simple and I think that’s intentionally. I like the fact it’s simple, it reminded me of Journey and Abzu. The aim of the game is getting from place A to place B, while doing a few things on the side. And to meanwhile enjoy the surroundings and the wonderful places you travel through. So, while the scenery is spot on, it just dragged on too much for me. The gameplay fell a bit flat, and later on in the game, when there’s a bit of platforming to do, the controls aren’t accurate enough. If, however, you are looking for a beautiful atmospheric puzzler that isn’t too difficult you might want to check it out. For me, the game just wasn’t memorable enough.
Sadly the lonely experience of Spirit of the North is only a transparent, albeit beautiful, imitation.
GREAT - Despite the indie background, Spirit of the North feels like a master class in atmosphere and just how much you can do with it. Even with some noticeably rough edges, the world we get a glimpse into is beautiful, bold, and begging to be explored.
Spirit of the North is a contemplative indie adventure, which tells of a civilization lost through the wonderful lands inspired by Iceland and Nordic folklore. In addition to constant drops in frame-rates, the real sore point is gameplay. From a technical point of view it is impossible to ignore their big inaccuracies, but it would be a shame not to be able to put these problems aside and look beyond. In fact, the game has a lot to offer from other points of view. First of all, let yourself be enchanted by the loving journey of a fox and her friend, through fascinating and evocative landscapes.
Review in Italian | Read full review
At the end of the day, despite the faults of the core gameplay, Spirit of the North is redeemed by the amazing sense of wonder its environments, score, and story deliver. Many of its issues lie on the technical side, and quite a few will be impossible to ignore. But, if you’re able to look past that, you‘ll surely find an experience that you won’t soon forget.
An oftentimes-gorgeous game whose shifts in gameplay focus make way for a dispiriting experience as time goes on.