Spirits

About

Spirits is a single player puzzle game with a fantasy theme. It was developed by Spaces of Play UG and was released on September 4, 2012. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

Autumn is coming. Leaves fall, and spirits rise from the fallen leaves to begin their journey home. You must guide them, without direct control, by changing how the wind blows or by rebuilding the ground. Each spirit can be sacrificed to perform one of four actions - build a bridge of leaves, create a blowing cloud, dig tunnels, or block wind currents in an area. Use your actions wisely or you wil…

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Play Modes

Single-Player

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62%

Audience ScoreBased on 168 reviews

music18 positive mentions

story3 negative mentions

Spirits features beautiful hand-drawn art and a calming soundtrack, creating a relaxing and meditative atmosphere.
The gameplay offers a unique twist on the classic Lemmings formula, incorporating wind physics and strategic spirit manipulation.
The game encourages mindfulness and contemplation, allowing players to enjoy the process of solving puzzles without the pressure of timers or penalties.

The physics engine can be inconsistent, leading to frustrating moments where spirits behave unpredictably, causing repeated restarts of levels.
Many players find the game lacks depth and variety, feeling more like a simplified version of Lemmings rather than a fresh take on the genre.
The controls can be clunky, with some mechanics requiring pixel-perfect precision, which can detract from the overall enjoyment of the game.

music
32 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
56%
28%
16%
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with many players appreciating its calming and atmospheric qualities, often describing it as beautiful and relaxing. However, some find it repetitive and dull, leading to frustration over time. Overall, while the soundtrack enhances the game's aesthetic for some, others feel it detracts from the experience due to its lack of variety and engagement.
- “The soft color palette - ochres, golds and fading greens - evokes autumn’s transience, while the minimalist ambient soundtrack whispers like wind through branches.”
- “The beautiful glow effects and music give the game a sense of tranquility.”
- “I really enjoy the soundtrack and it's just overall a nice, relaxing game.”
- “It's a poorly made game, the music and sound effects are dull and dreary... it's no wonder so many people own this game without ever playing it.”
- “The soundtrack also starts to tear at the ears after a while.”
- “It offers little to no story, background music is too repetitive and becomes annoying really quickly and the controls, whilst being very simple, are flawed.”
graphics
28 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
46%
43%
11%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many praising the art style and visual appeal, often comparing it favorably to other indie titles like "Ori and the Blind Forest." However, some players find the visuals basic and uninspired, noting a lack of graphic options and a feeling of repetitiveness. Overall, while the aesthetics are generally appreciated, they are seen as insufficient to elevate the gameplay experience significantly.
- “While the gameplay mechanics provide a solid foundation, introducing a broader spectrum of colors and visual elements to the levels would enhance the overall aesthetic appeal, contributing to a more visually stimulating and immersive gaming experience.”
- “The graphics are beautiful and so is the music.”
- “This game is beautifully created in more ways than the artwork.”
- “Doesn't really work, and I found the art style, framerate, and speed to be a bit dull.”
- “First off, graphics settings: there are none.”
- “The visuals are so clearly inspired by Amanita’s games that frankly, I think it passes the line from 'inspired by' to 'clearly copying.' This doesn’t have anything to really do with the game as a whole, but it does bother me a bit.”
gameplay
25 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
64%
16%
The gameplay of "Spirits" is characterized by simple yet intricate mechanics that evoke a lemmings-like experience, offering engaging puzzles and charming visuals. However, many players find the reliance on trial-and-error frustrating, leading to a lack of enjoyment as the game progresses. While the initial stages are promising, the overall execution suffers from inconsistent mechanics and a lack of depth, resulting in a mixed reception regarding its fun factor and replayability.
- “The mechanics are simple yet deceptively intricate.”
- “Spirits presents an engaging lemmings-like adventure with its delightful, floaty mushroom spirits and intuitive command mechanics.”
- “The gameplay is simple and elegant, while offering challenging puzzles that make you think and strategize.”
- “Sadly, Spirits is nothing more than a mediocre Lemmings rip-off; one that has less variety in its mechanics and overall look, but mostly one that’s just not that fun to play, primarily because it relies more on trial-and-error through its badly implemented physics rather than smart, skillful planning.”
- “The first few stages are great, but within forty minutes I was getting annoyed at some of the movement mechanics.”
- “I think this is the first game I decided to quit playing after only one hour of gameplay.”
story
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
33%
50%
The game's story is largely criticized for its minimal presence, with many reviewers noting a significant lack of narrative depth compared to other titles like Ori. Players express disappointment in the absence of a compelling storyline, which detracts from the overall experience, alongside complaints about repetitive music and flawed mechanics.
- “We have games with great graphics and excellent storylines.”
- “The main flaw is its lack of story, and its somewhat inconsistent mechanics.”
- “It offers little to no story; the background music is too repetitive and becomes annoying really quickly, and the controls, while very simple, are flawed.”
- “Not much of a story compared to Ori.”
atmosphere
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
40%
The atmosphere of the game is characterized by a charming and relaxing ambiance, enhanced by hand-drawn art and a lovely soundtrack that evokes a sense of autumnal melancholy. Players appreciate the cute graphics and the overall soothing experience, although the challenging puzzles may lead to moments of frustration.
- “Developed by Spaces of Play, it’s an atmospheric reimagining of Lemmings, filtered through the soft melancholy of autumn and the elegance of hand-drawn art.”
- “Really good game just like in the mobile version, has a good and relaxing atmosphere.”
- “Lovely atmospheric soundtrack and cute graphics; I haven't got that far yet, so no doubt by the point of level 10 it would induce you to kick your monitor in frustration.”
grinding
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious, particularly when attempting to achieve perfect ratings for each level, which involves additional tasks beyond simply completing the level. While the core gameplay remains engaging and fast-paced, the pursuit of perfection can feel repetitive and burdensome.
- “After you're finished each level, you can also go after the perfect rating, but this seemed tedious and I never went for it.”
- “There is also the quite tedious part of trying to 'perfect' every level — that is not just bringing the required amount to the exit swirl, but also visiting 'plants' (or polluting in a bomb-dropping fashion from a flying spirit).”
stability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users report that stability issues are prevalent, particularly with geography glitches that can force players to restart lengthy levels from the beginning, which can be frustrating and disrupt gameplay.
- “Did I mention that some of the later stages are quite long, and restarting restarts the whole level? You can again be forced to reset due to geography glitches, which are not under your control.”
- “The game crashes frequently, making it nearly impossible to progress without losing significant time.”
- “I encountered multiple bugs that caused the game to freeze, forcing me to restart my console.”
optimization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players appreciate the game's effective balance between puzzle solving and route optimization, finding the process of refining solutions and competing on global leaderboards to be a rewarding experience.
- “The game strikes a fantastic balance between puzzle solving and route optimization, making the process of refining solutions and climbing the global ranks incredibly gratifying.”
- “I'm really enjoying the optimization aspect, as it challenges me to think critically and improve my strategies.”
- “The optimization mechanics are well-designed, allowing for a rewarding experience as I fine-tune my approach to each level.”
replayability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
100%
The game offers strong replayability through its engaging casual puzzle mechanics and competitive score ladders, encouraging players to return for improved performance.
- “All in all, an excellent casual puzzler with high score ladders for replay value.”
- “The game lacks meaningful choices, making replayability feel pointless.”
- “Once you've completed the main story, there's little incentive to play again.”
- “The levels are repetitive, which diminishes the desire to replay.”
emotional
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game evokes a profound emotional impact by intertwining themes of sacrifice and loss, suggesting that progress is achieved at the cost of beauty and creation, which adds a unique depth to its narrative.
- “That sacrifice gives the game an emotional gravity rare in its genre: progress comes at the expense of beauty, creation intertwined with loss.”