Spirit of the North Reviews
Spirit of the North may look beautiful, sound beautiful, but is a confusing and boring mess. It tries too hard to be artsy while disregarding the importance of fun gameplay and an interesting story. During their short playtime, players are required to interpret the weak narrative and their overall purpose in the game. The only replayability comes from completing the collect-a-thon. However, that provides zero satisfaction to the player and has a hard time trying to stay relevant to the gameplay and story at large.
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.
A game relaxing to the point of dullness.
Spirit of the North: Enhanced Edition is a game trying so hard to replicate and better its peers that it loses its way. From the story and lore of the world, to the puzzle solving and even the visuals, everything about it feels held back and the little it does well isn't enough to justify its lengthy playtime.
Spirit of the North may have been a noteworthy game if it released a decade prior but it's far too uninspired in today's gaming market.
An oftentimes-gorgeous game whose shifts in gameplay focus make way for a dispiriting experience as time goes on.
When it comes to presentation, Spirit of the North: Enhanced Edition is a treat and a real step up from the other versions of the game. It’s just a shame the visual overhaul doesn’t do much to offset the monotonous gameplay and abundant bugs that plague the experience. I really wish Infuse Studio spent a little more time ironing out the kinks because it would make it easier to recommend the game to more casual players who may not mind the game’s lack of challenge and unimaginative puzzles. Sadly, at least in its current state, Spirit of the North: Enhanced Edition is a bit like finding yourself trapped in a public bathroom without any toilet paper: it’s a frustrating and lonely situation that you’ll probably want to avoid.
Aside from the graphical upgrades, there’s not much else new to find here. If you’re hoping for great use of PS5’s unique UI and controller, this is absolutely not a showcase title for that. But if you’re interested in a PS5 game on the cheaper end of the scale that will leave you with some lasting memories, Spirit of the North Enhanced Edition will certainly tug those heartstrings, occasionally tax the gray matter, and even give you a few reasons to smile.
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.