Spirit of the North

Spirit of the North is an audio-visual treat, let down by weak gameplay.

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In Spirit of the North, you play as a fox on a spiritual journey, exploring a beautifully realized version of Norway's landscapes and uncovering the secrets of ancient Norse mythology. Through intuitive exploration and puzzle-solving, you'll discover a world filled with beauty, mystery, and magic, all while working to restore balance to the environment. With its striking visuals and engrossing atmosphere, Spirit of the North is a unique adventure that's not to be missed.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

Reviews

69%

Audience ScoreBased on 3,489 reviews

story607 positive mentions

stability100 negative mentions

Beautiful graphics and environment that create an immersive experience.
Heartwarming story conveyed through visual storytelling without dialogue.
Relaxing gameplay with simple puzzles that encourage exploration.

Clunky controls and imprecise jumping mechanics can lead to frustration.
Lack of clear direction and guidance can make navigation confusing.
Auto-save only at chapter ends can result in lost progress if the game is quit early.

story
1,419 mentions
43 % positive mentions
53 % neutral mentions
5 % negative mentions
The game's story is primarily conveyed through visual storytelling, utilizing environmental cues, murals, and the protagonist's journey to create an emotional narrative without dialogue. While many players appreciate the unique approach and find the visuals and music captivating, some feel the story is vague and lacks depth, making it challenging to fully engage with the plot. Overall, the experience is described as beautiful and touching, though it may not satisfy those seeking a more traditional, narrative-driven game.
- “I appreciated that there was visual storytelling through wall art or the extras without it being integral that you find every single detail as you play.”
- “The story is told in an endearing way and there are a few quite emotional moments.”
- “The combination of the music and environments that tie into the story makes me love this game.”
- “The story was rather vague but I understood it after some time exploring.”
- “The story is very lackluster which is its weakest point; it's hard to keep up with or make any sense of it, just kind of plops you into the game, it just feels like it's a second thought.”
- “The lack of story, or an obvious story at least, ends up being glaringly obvious because as one's frustration builds they realize they are doing this all for essentially... nothing.”
music
1,140 mentions
60 % positive mentions
37 % neutral mentions
3 % negative mentions
The music in "Spirit of the North" is widely praised for its beauty and ability to enhance the game's serene atmosphere, with many players describing it as hauntingly beautiful and calming. However, some reviewers noted that the soundtrack can become repetitive over time, lacking sufficient variety to maintain engagement throughout longer play sessions. Overall, while the music significantly contributes to the game's emotional impact and immersive experience, its limited range may detract from prolonged enjoyment.
- “The visuals are stunning, and the music adds a calming vibe to the whole experience.”
- “The combination of the music and environments that tie into the story makes me love this game.”
- “The music is absolutely gorgeous and spot on for the overall mood.”
- “With the slow pacing, gentle instrumental music, and just sprinting, jumping, and more sprinting, I felt myself falling asleep at how chill this game was.”
- “The game is silent, void, and empty; you just sort of go through it, and the music tries to do the heavy lifting, which simply cannot work, because I don't care how 'nice' your music is if the game isn't worth playing.”
- “The music is well done, but the same little tune plays over and over on repeat with very little in the way of variety.”
graphics
842 mentions
67 % positive mentions
29 % neutral mentions
4 % negative mentions
The graphics of "Spirit of the North" have received widespread acclaim for their stunning beauty and captivating landscapes, often described as breathtaking and visually impressive, especially for an indie title. While many players appreciate the serene art style and atmospheric environments, some critiques point to inconsistencies in texture quality and occasional graphical glitches. Overall, the visuals are a significant highlight of the game, contributing to a relaxing and immersive experience, despite some gameplay and control issues.
- “The visuals are stunning, and the music adds a calming vibe to the whole experience.”
- “A gorgeous game with truly amazing graphics.”
- “I was enthralled with the absolutely breathtaking visuals in this game.”
- “Whilst it does have some decent visual sections, the actual graphics are from the early PS3 era, but that does make the game 4GB in size.”
- “For a game genre where visuals and music usually carry a lot of weight, this one underdelivers on both.”
- “Ultimately, there was not enough story to keep me motivated through the clumsy controls, disappointing graphics, and boring gameplay.”
gameplay
615 mentions
22 % positive mentions
64 % neutral mentions
13 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "Spirit of the North" has received mixed reviews, with many players praising its beautiful visuals and calming atmosphere but criticizing its clunky mechanics and repetitive tasks. While some enjoy the simple puzzle-solving and exploration elements, others find the controls frustrating and the gameplay tedious, particularly due to issues with jumping mechanics and a lack of clear direction. Overall, the game is seen as a relaxing experience for those who appreciate its aesthetic, but it may not satisfy players seeking more engaging or challenging gameplay.
- “The gameplay compels you to explore these landscapes to find solutions to puzzles, clean the area, and advance to the next area.”
- “The gameplay mechanics are intuitive, allowing you to immerse yourself in the serene world and connect with the environment in a meaningful way.”
- “The serene visuals, engaging gameplay, and symbolic storytelling combine to create a memorable journey through nature.”
- “The collision mechanics are pure garbage; you get hit by a wall or stuck on a corner for no reason, and a lot of the time it causes you to fall from heights and restart again and again.”
- “Don't buy this game; the controls suck (literally can't go up stairs half the time, world boundaries are excessive), gameplay is boring, and the poor mechanics make it just frustrating and unpleasant.”
- “The pacing of the story is atrociously slow and dragged out; there's very little gameplay beyond navigating the obtusely cumbersome controls and solving a very similar iteration of the same puzzle over and over again.”
atmosphere
286 mentions
71 % positive mentions
28 % neutral mentions
1 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of "Spirit of the North" is widely praised for its stunning visuals, calming music, and immersive world, creating a serene and ethereal experience for players. Many reviewers highlight the game's ability to evoke emotions and a sense of exploration, despite some frustrations with gameplay mechanics. Overall, the game's atmosphere is considered its strongest aspect, making it a worthwhile experience for those seeking a tranquil adventure.
- “The game's atmosphere is beautifully crafted, immersing players in a serene and ethereal world.”
- “The atmosphere is unforgettable and several times throughout my playthrough I got whole body chills.”
- “The soundtrack is amazing, the visuals are brilliant, the atmosphere is the most calming thing in the world.”
- “It totally ruins the gameplay, atmosphere, and simply is a half-done job.”
- “It's just here for you to experience the atmosphere, but I must point out that in the spirit of the north, gameplay itself does not tell the story as well as in Journey.”
- “As for the story and narrative... well, it's there. Honestly, I expected more from the narrative design; you want some interesting ways to tell the story from games like this, but it seems the developers prioritized visuals and overall atmosphere above all.”
emotional
254 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is widely praised, with many players reporting that it moved them to tears through its heartfelt storytelling, beautiful visuals, and touching soundtrack. The narrative, conveyed without dialogue, creates a deep emotional connection between the player and the charming fox companion, leading to a memorable and often heartwarming experience. Overall, players recommend the game for its ability to evoke strong feelings, making it a must-play for those who appreciate emotional storytelling in gaming.
- “This game is tragically beautiful, I cried and thoroughly enjoyed all the views and puzzles involved in creating this story.”
- “The main character, a fox, is a charming companion throughout the game, and the bond that develops between the player and the fox is truly heartwarming.”
- “The story for this game, while at first seems half-hearted and dull, soon grew on me the more I played the game; I suggest not spoiling yourself with this game's story, and while it's not exactly the most twist-of-fate story ever written, it beautifully pairs together with what the game is; for a story about a fox and a spirit, I think it performs wonderfully, and the underlining theme between the player and their companion makes the end of the game a genuinely heartwarming experience.”
stability
110 mentions
9 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
91 % negative mentions
The game's stability has been widely criticized, with numerous players reporting frequent glitches, bugs, and clunky controls that can disrupt gameplay and even require restarting sections. While some users found the experience enjoyable despite these issues, many noted that the technical flaws significantly hindered their overall enjoyment, particularly due to the lack of save points and the potential for soft-locking. Overall, the game is seen as needing substantial polish to improve its stability and user experience.
- “The photo mode in this game is excellent, no glitches (at least that I know of) and it's perfect for the map of the game.”
- “And the performance of each animation and chapter is not buggy whatsoever.”
- “I don't have many problems with it, and it runs great.”
- “There are also a few design flaws and glitches that are irreversible when triggered and may cause you to restart the entire chapter/section.”
- “I encountered glitches multiple times which made me give up on this game.”
- “Texture glitches all over the place unfortunately, which makes it unplayable (6900xt gpu)”
grinding
68 mentions
1 % positive mentions
13 % neutral mentions
85 % negative mentions
The grinding aspect of the game is frequently described as tedious and repetitive, with many players noting that the gameplay often involves slow, monotonous tasks that can detract from the overall experience. While some appreciate the game's beauty and emotional impact, the lack of engaging mechanics and the necessity of backtracking contribute to a sense of frustration and boredom during extended play sessions. Overall, players suggest that clearer guidance and more dynamic gameplay could alleviate some of the tedium associated with grinding.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “Half of the tasks are purely repetitive actions that require you to go back and forth several times for a tedious process.”
- “The gameplay is also fairly tedious and mostly consists of exploring these empty spaces, finding walking sticks and jumping on switches to unlock doors.”
- “Spirit of the North really is about the journey more than anything else - it definitely has the potential to feel slow or meandering to a frustrating level, and some gameplay mechanics can get repetitive and tedious over time, especially if you're eager to complete the stages.”
replayability
32 mentions
9 % positive mentions
78 % neutral mentions
13 % negative mentions
Overall, the game has low replayability, with many players noting that once the main objectives and collectibles are completed, there is little incentive to replay. While chapters can be revisited from the main menu, the lack of new content or significant rewards diminishes the desire to replay the game. Despite its short length and limited replay value, some players still find it a worthwhile experience.
- “All chapters are replayable and easy to access through the main menu.”
- “The game is short even though you get all the achievements, but it has replay value and honestly is worth the price.”
- “🔲 infinitely replayable”
- “There is no real replayability in this title.”
- “The game is not replayable since the levels are always the same.”
- “Although I could replay to unlock fox skins and find all of the shamans, the replay value is simply too low as there is nothing new that it brings once you complete the game in around 5 hours.”
optimization
30 mentions
60 % positive mentions
30 % neutral mentions
10 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's optimization is generally praised, with many players noting it runs well even on low-end PCs and offers solid performance on ultra settings without significant bugs. However, some users experienced performance issues such as frame rate drops and tearing, particularly on the Steam Deck, indicating that while the graphics are impressive, there are still areas for improvement. The limited configuration options for graphics settings may also restrict players looking for more tailored performance adjustments.
- “I played it entirely on the Steam Deck, and the performance was amazing.”
- “Graphics are very impressive and well optimized, and the gameplay/mechanics are well thought out and polished.”
- “It runs smoothly and without error.”
- “Finally, I'm not sure this is a problem only faced by me, but it had some performance issues, with stuttering, frame rate drops, and tearing.”
- “The game settings (as presented in the options menu) are sparse, with few options to tune for looks or performance.”
- “Not much to adjust in the config files either; it's bare bones, typical settings for console, since the differences in specs that the game is optimized for are basically non-existent.”
humor
12 mentions
83 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
17 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is mixed, with some players finding joy in the quirky animations and funny moments, such as the fox flying through geysers and jump portals. However, frustrations with bugs and crashes overshadow the comedic elements for others, leading to a generally negative sentiment about the game's humor. Overall, while there are amusing aspects, they are often marred by technical issues.
- “The most fun part about the gameplay, in my opinion, are the geysers and jump portals :D It just looks so funny to see the fox flying.”
- “Some bugs were funny, some were helpful, and of course... some others were frustrating.”
- “Hehe, funny spirit woof woof bark fox nuzzle wuzzle hihi hoho go into you bark superman fox go bark bark.”
- “I lost a lot of time and it's not a funny game.”
- “I lost a lot of time and it's not a funny game.”
character development
2 mentions
50 % positive mentions
50 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
Reviewers appreciate the character design and world-building, highlighting their strong contributions to the overall experience. However, specific feedback on character development itself is not provided.
- “I love the character design and the world-building in general!”
monetization
2 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
Reviewers appreciate the game's monetization approach, noting that it feels genuine and crafted with care, rather than being a quick cash grab like many contemporary titles.