Spirit Of The North 2 Review

It’s been a little while since the first Spirit Of The North title was released, almost six years. A lot has changed in the gaming space during that period, and with the introduction of Unreal Engine 5, we see a second outing of a fairly successful first game. Spirit Of The North 2 launches with a semi-open world which builds on the foundations of the original and gives us players a lot more to explore and do. You play as a fox, which you can customise on your travels, with the end goal being to awaken guardians scattered throughout the world. It is a casual affair which allows you to take your approach to the game at your own pace.

Puzzles, Death & Exploration

Spirit Of The North 2 encourages exploration, and for me, this was the most intriguing part of the game. Navigating the different paths, biomes, and puzzles gives you plenty of opportunities for it to almost feel like a vast RPG title. Playing as a fox was enjoyable and you soon start to realise how nimble you can be, squeezing through gaps and attempting to reach points where a human couldn’t. In the early parts of the game, you’ll be getting to grips with the movement mechanics and no doubt dying countless times as I did. Platforming doesn’t function how I’d like it to at times, and sometimes it can be hard to judge whether your fox will make a jump. Death can be frustrating at times, as there are moments when you respawn, and you have to direct yourself to where you were before.

The puzzle elements of the game can be a bit repetitive, and sometimes you’ll lose sense of what is required to complete the task. Often, I had to refer to Google to walk me through certain areas. It isn’t always clear either what you can react with when it comes to the interactions within each puzzle. That said, the repetition does even out the later you progress, and the variation in different puzzle types does alter. Some require you to channel spirit energy, while others will have you utilising your raven companion or negotiating platforms.

Visuals & Audio

This sequel has been created using the Unreal Engine 5 technology, and it clearly shows in some of the beautiful landscapes and backdrops. I felt like a lot of passion had gone into the presentation of the different biomes, which all felt different with foggy forests and icy areas, to name a few. Whilst there is no voice acting or spoken dialogue throughout the game, you’ll find the game kind of communicates using other sounds throughout the environment, such as animal calls.

Puzzles are well designed, but not always clear in their premise, which becomes a little tiresome at times and had me scratching my head on several occasions. The soundtrack is a real strong point in Spirit Of The North 2, which has been composed by Joseph Gifford and blends in with the atmosphere wonderfully with orchestral and piano pieces. There are some excellent sound effects also, with howling winds, rain, waterfalls, wildlife, and birds all adding to its gorgeous world.

Final Thoughts

Spirit Of The North 2 builds upon the goodness of the first outing, improving the experience by offering a larger world and extended playthrough. If you played the original and loved its calm nature, the compelling storyline, and the gorgeous worlds, then you’re in for a treat and will love this adventure. Unfortunately for me, the calmness didn’t last too long before I became frustrated with some of the platforming elements and camera angles. With tighter controls and some more fine-tuning in these areas, it would have scored a bit higher on my part. Whilst I did have these frustrations, the game is magical from almost every angle of the game with a lot to discover and explore. It’s a hugely ambitious effort from developer Infuse Studio and publisher Silver Lining Interactive that is a fantastic and captivating campaign to play through.