the same button will let you bark, activate magic flowers, pick up staffs and interact with certain objects. The controls are simple with some buttons fulfilling several functions e.g. Your character's movement is a little stiff but, given the simplicity of the game, it's certainly not a deal-breaker. It also means that there is no fall damage, which, while useful, leads to the odd phenomenon when you fling your fox off a multi-story cliff and then just trot off with no consequences. Aside from a few "plants" which will need to be destroyed, there are no enemies at all, which means that you can neither be killed nor injured (except for certain scripted scenes). There is decent variation in the puzzles, although it's predominantly powering up stone tablets, and you gain new abilities as you progress, which keeps things feeling fresh. The gameplay in Spirit of the North is a simple matter of exploration and puzzle-solving. Which parts are from the game, and which are parts from Icelandic culture? I have no idea, and I think that's a pity. Inside of the game, I had no idea of the location nor did I feel like I was learning anything about anyone's folklore. Is it meant to be conscious of its choices? Is it going on this adventure because it is forced to, because it feels a sense of duty, or because it just happens to be travelling that way? And, with a one-sided portrayal of what happened, can we really trust the spirit?Īccording to the Steam store, Spirit of the North is "inspired by the breathtaking and mysterious landscapes of Iceland" and "takes root from various pieces of Nordic folklore." I only know this because I read it outside of the game. It's hard to form a bond with the fox when you don't know why it is doing anything. Aside from the dead shamans, there are essentially two characters-your fox, and the spirit that accompanies it. But that is just one way of interpreting what is shown.Įven if we have a vague idea of what has happened, without dialogue, we have no idea why anything happened or what the character's motivations are now. The game does present a story through stone murals, which seems to suggest that foxes were worshipped but disappeared, and their worshippers died. The official website describes it as "unique in that it purposefully has no dialog or narrative". The storyline is the weakest aspect of the game. It is listed on Steam as a Windows-only game, but I was able to play it on Linux using Steam Proton without any problems. I played the Steam version which was released in May 2020, although it debuted on the Playstation in November 2019.
Spirit of the North is a casual adventure game with light puzzle elements, where you play as a fox accompanied by a spirit. Your rating: None Average: 3.6 ( 5 votes)
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