![]() The remaster also seems to do little to take advantage of the upgraded hardware. It's a pensive, relaxing experience, aided by its well-realized fox, striking visuals, and moving soundtrack., but even games in a similar vein tend to provide more consistent puzzles or platforming moments, and shedding them further is a hindrance rather than help for Spirit of the North. The game's style and presentation is worthy of praise, but spending stretches of time walking or sliding down a hill is more likely to make gamers feel sleepy rather than awestruck, no matter how nice the music is. Obviously, Spirit of the North isn't meant to be an exhilarating, demanding game. That's about it when it comes to game content, though. The player will occasionally solve simple puzzles or do some light platforming, and there is an optional objective to find staves throughout the levels and drop them near frozen mummies to release their spirits. Quickly, the fox meets a spirit fox, and spends most of the game following and interacting with the spectral canine, although there is no chance of the other fox being controlled by a real person, unlike Journey's unique brand of seamless multiplayer. The opening minutes are painfully slow walks through the snow, made more frustrating when a sprint button only appears after these long lengthy segments. Unfortunately, controlling the fox isn't as rewarding as observing it. ![]() Related: The Pathless, From Abzu Developer Giant Squid, Is Now A PS5 Launch Title The fox stands out as a splash of orange over the sea of whites and teals that dominate the snowy landscapes of the game. These little details give the fox life and character, which add to the game's atmosphere. It curls up and goes to sleep if left idle for too long, and it avoids putting weight on a wounded leg after taking heavy damage. ![]() The fox can jump, bark, and wag its tail. Wonky controls and a lack of polish prevent it from reaching the upper echelon of indie adventures, though.Spirit of the North puts players in control of a red fox with no special powers or abilities. This is the perfect chillout game to get stuck into over a day or a weekend, especially if the idea of playing as fox gets you excited. The gorgeous, sprawling locations are packed with detail and feature some nice puzzles and exploration, and the whole journey is paced wonderfully. Spirit of the North is a lovely game with an adorable, furry protagonist. I had to reload my game quite a few times before it finally stopped happening – lucky, because I’d almost given up. I also experienced a near-game breaking bug in which the fox would fall through the scenery during the final sequence, resulting in my being stuck there. Used more sparingly to punctuate important moments, it would’ve been much more effective. The soundtrack, while hauntingly evocative and mournful in all the right ways, is played pretty much constantly throughout the entire game, meaning it’s repeated heavily. It’s quite easy to get stuck in bits of the environment, especially when prodding boundaries while hunting down secrets, and the fox is sometimes pretty wonky to control. Spirit of the North looks great, but it’s not the most polished product. ![]() Unfortunately, there are also times where it all falls apart. For the most part, your only real goal is to keep pushing forward, helped along by a glowing wisp and the borrowed powers of your ethereal fox friend to navigate all manner of environments and help them eventually ascend to the stars. There are hints in the environment and throughout the game at what might have been – a civilisation lost to a deadly red mist, a mythical fox with powers from the heavens themselves – but it’s all kept intentionally vague, as these types of meditative indie experiences are wont to do. ![]() Spirit of the North’s completely wordless tale follows a red fox, who finds a connection with an ancient ‘spirit’ fox that takes them on a journey through a vast land inspired by Iceland and Nordic folklore. Spirit of the North, from developer Infuse Studio, might not have the polish and tightly-honed design of the indie greats, but it’s just as memorable and full of heart. Games like Journey, Inside and Vane have done it so well in the past. There’s something about a game that can take you on a rousing, ever-moving and succinct journey in the space of a single day that makes it truly memorable. ![]()
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