Spirit of the North Review
Release Date: May 8, 2020 (PC), May 7, 2020 (Switch), October 31, 2020 (PS4), November 26, 2020 (PS5)
Developer: Infuse Studio
Platforms: PC, PS4, PS5 (Reviewed), Switch
Price: $19.99 (PC, PS4 Digital), $24.99 (PS5, Switch Digital), $24.99 (Switch Physical), $29.99 (PS4 Physical), $34.99 (PS5 Physical)
Have you ever wondered what would happen if you combined gameplay and aesthetics elements from Flower, Journey, Okami, various Legend of Zelda titles and a hint of Death Stranding? Me either, but I’m glad to have experienced such a title. First releasing on PC on May 7, 2020 and PS4 on November 1, 2019, this enhanced edition of Infuse Studio’s Spirit of the North is arriving as the first physical indy game collectors edition for the PlayStation 5. Exclusive to this version of the game are three new skins unlocked right from the get go. Spirit of the North follows a seemingly ordinary red fox who throughout their journey increasingly intertwined with the guardian of the Northern Lights.
Spirit of the North’s story is a subtle one, forgoing the conventional means of storytelling, and choosing to convey its message through stone carvings, light and its beautiful musical score. Speaking of SotN’s music, from the moment you start your journey in the snow covered mountains of Iceland the music sets the tone of the game and you’re off. The game does little to tell you where to go, but for the most part is fairly straight forward. Most chapters of the game are linear with plenty of off the beaten paths to search for fallen monks and their staffs, this games version of collectibles.
As you explore the gorgeous environments (more on that in a minute) you’ll uncover the mystery of the “guardian” and unlock new spirit/light-based abilities to help you solve light environmental puzzles, such as lighting up stone glyphs in the correct order or releasing rock spheres to open gates. The fox is always fun to control and this enhanced edition attempts to take advantage of the PS5’s new haptic vibrations but they are subtle and I found myself longing for unique haptics for the different types of terrain you encounter. Spirit moves a a brisk pace, but I found myself wanting to explore each new environment just to take it all in and appreciate the new land I’m in. There is a specific chapter that opens up significantly from the previous ones and it is far to easy to get lost. Where as the linear nature of the the previous chapter made it fairly easy to figure out where to go and what to do next this point in the game was extremely frustrating. I didn’t know where to go, everything looked the same, and there was zero direction of where to go and what to do.
The fox is fun to control and explore, but the fluidity of the controls mixed with soundtrack and carefully crafted animations makes Spirit of the North a dream to play. I did, however, encounter two glitches, neither fully gamebreaking but still annoying. The first was when approaching a glowing symbol the haptics in my controller starting vibrating, as its intended, but they didn’t stop. They kept vibrating until I put my console in standby for the day. The second was while I was attempting to take a staff back to the fallen monk I found I was able to access the building from above by climbing a nearby cliff and jumping over the wall. Once inside the building I found myself unable to leave the building since I had not yet acquired the necessary skill. I was able to start the chapter over with no more than a few minutes lost.
SotN chooses a more artistic aesthetic over a photorealistic one but still manages to have detailed textures and brilliant lighting. Running over the grassy hills watching the light shine off nearby rocks and the bloom peak over the hills is mesmerizing, let alone the grass swaying in the breeze and the fox’s fur move with the momentum of your running. Throughout your journey you’ll travel through many scenic environments each more complex and stunning in their own way.
I didn’t know what to expect when booting up Spirit of the North, but I never would have guessed it would leave the impact it did. The sense of journey, the music, and lighting are able to create a deep connection to your character that by the end of the game you’re left really caring for this little red fox, and you just don’t want to see him in pain.
Final Score:
Pros:
-Beautiful, orchestral score
-Stunning environments running in 4K/60
-Relaxing and zen like experience
Cons:
-Lack of direction starts to frustrate as game becomes more open
-Short campaign
-No replay ability to speak of outside of trophy hunting for a pretty easy platinum
Special thanks to Merge Games and Infuse Studio for providing The Gamer’s Lounge with a copy of Spirit of the North for this review