Spirit of the North 2 Review – Outfoxed

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There’s a special enchantment in video games that center around animals, and I particularly cherish instances involving wolves. Games like “Okami” and “Neva” exemplify this, delivering captivating action-adventure gameplay despite their distinct visual styles and viewpoints. Their themes centered on nature never felt contrived or overdone, instead seamlessly integrating into the main storyline to improve the overall gaming experience.

Regarding that particular title, “Spirit of the North” by Infuse Studio, has always piqued my curiosity. I wonder if the experience of playing as a fox would be equally captivating? Although the original game didn’t resonate with me for several reasons, I held some optimism for the sequel, now available on Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC. I hoped that the development team had addressed the issues from the first game and fulfilled the thematic promise. Regrettably, “Spirit of the North 2” stumbles almost as much as its predecessor, and falls short in leveraging an intriguing exploration mechanic.

In the spirit of being allowed to roam freely, as long as it falls within your capabilities, the game “Spirit of the North 2” effectively strikes a balance by offering ample room for exploration while keeping the story’s progression engaging.

The next chapter unfolds with you, a fox, stirring in your refuge, home to other foxes. Initially, you have the chance to personalize your fox’s appearance at the outset, although the selection is initially quite modest, especially when it comes to fur and eye options. However, as you traverse the landscape, more choices will become accessible. Notably, an unintended event leads to the liberation of Grimnir, a menacing shaman with dark powers.

Through the holy texts scattered throughout the temple, you’ll discover that Grimnir isn’t a benevolent figure. Originally a wise shaman, traveling across lands and sharing knowledge, he appears to have been consumed by darkness and started influencing various tribes negatively. The Fox Tribe, however, managed to elude his influence by fleeing into an unknown region. Interestingly, Grimnir himself is detained within the temple. This might seem peculiar – maybe there’s a logical reason behind these inconsistencies. Nevertheless, despite numerous warnings advising that his staff should be kept away from him, you, as the protagonist, have accepted and delivered it instead.

Yes, it seems somewhat coincidental that you fell through weak wooden flooring and landed right in Grimnir’s cell. However, the whole situation feels overly convenient, as if the game developers couldn’t think of any other way to initiate your journey across the Northern Isles without making your character appear foolish. The fact that Grimnir, a powerful enemy capable of causing lava eruptions and setting fires, is defeated by mere pecks from your raven companion, adds a touch of humor to an otherwise intense scenario.

In this version, I’ve replaced technical terms like “rickety” with “weak,” used more common phrases such as “initiate your journey” instead of “kickstart the adventure,” and made the language more conversational by using phrases like “as if” and “it adds a touch of humor.

Moving on from a corrupt sanctuary and a troublesome bear, you set off to traverse the scenery, picking up hints and ideally purifying the environment along the way. The objective is to find the Guardians who have vanished amidst Grimnir’s ominous waves, but their exact location remains unclear. Instead, you are given a degree of autonomy in your exploration (within your capabilities). In this spirit, Spirit of the North 2 effectively balances freedom with story progression. As you advance, you’ll collect shards of crystal to activate Obelisks and uncover more of the map, featuring intriguing locations to explore, Runes to unearth, and Wisps to gather. There are also adorable raccoon traders who offer goods, their happy expressions becoming brighter as they make a sale.

The overall scene appears stark, not only due to its muted color schemes but also because of the wide expanses separating various elements, contributing to a sense of uniformity.

These Spirits are essential for navigating the mini-dungeons scattered across the scenery, where you’ll discover items needed to unlock the primary Temples. There’s a wealth of challenging puzzles and platforming, and while the puzzles feel delightfully old-school, they can be surprisingly simple. For example, you might need to collect small statues and position them on pedestals to clear a path. However, finding these statues is almost too straightforward. One twist attempts to add some variety by providing you with three different statues. How do you determine which statue fits the pedestal? It’s not trial and error, as no one would actually try that method!

In another case, the cell doors were all locked, forcing us to jump through openings instead. Although this could have been interesting, it seemed overly straightforward. I’d prefer some hints, like a raven guiding me towards the next objective. Luckily, it wasn’t excessively used, allowing for some space to think things through, although the tasks were still too simple. The Temples are an improvement, particularly when you gain new skills such as Glide that introduce innovative mechanics. There’s a hint of Zelda-like atmosphere, but I wished for a wider range of challenges and tougher puzzles to solve.

Incidentally, at times, the raven’s call reminds me of the character Kazooie from the Banjo-Kazooie video game series. It almost seems that a raven sounds more like Kazooie! Nevertheless, this similarity drew my attention away from the mediocre platforming and sparked my desire to play Banjo-Kazooie instead.

Exploring various locations to uncover what’s hidden beyond each turn can be fun, even as you stumble upon additional scrolls and learn about Grimnir’s malevolence and your foolishness for releasing him. Yet, the overall scene appears desolate, not only due to its drab color schemes but also because of the vast expanses between points of interest that contribute to the monotony. While I don’t need a random event happening every few minutes to gather two Tokens and a Blue item, it seems that the play area could have been divided into smaller sections for a more engaging experience.

The enhancement also applies to the skill tree, providing a variety of upgrades that are supposedly significant, such as +1 health and less damage when falling (which seems excessive once you acquire Glide). I would have preferred fewer nodes if it meant each one was more substantial. At least, the Runes we discover add some intriguing twists, like gaining armor points for free by visiting statues that restore your health.

Given a bit more refinement and sparkle, it could potentially become a noteworthy yet robust adventure. As it stands now, unfortunately, it’s primarily a basic action-adventure game with many unpolished aspects.

Regarding the game’s platforming mechanic, there are areas that could be improved (similar to other aspects). In addition to standard jumps, you can perform “guided” jumps where a small blue marker appears on gaps and platforms. Press the jump button, and you’ll land on them. However, attempting to leap without the guide sometimes results in missing the target. Some sections become frustrating if not navigated according to the indicator, although this isn’t always the case. The inconsistency of this feature creates an odd sensation that disrupts the enjoyable platforming experience. Unfortunately, you can’t bypass it entirely, making these instances feel repetitive and tedious.

Ultimately, let me mention the graphics produced using Unreal Engine 5, which offer two modes on PS5: Performance and Fidelity. I opted for the Performance mode to ensure a smooth 60 frames per second gameplay experience. However, this choice seems to have an impact on the visuals, as they present a blend of realism and animation that feels somewhat inconsistent. Unfortunately, these graphics suffer from noticeable environmental pop-in, which detracts from the overall aesthetic. At one point, I even thought I noticed a brief flash in the sky, which further diminished my sense of immersion.

The overall level of lightness seems strange as well. Certain spots remained completely dark until adjusting the brightness slightly. After that, I encountered other areas that stayed dim until getting nearer, causing doubt, particularly because falling damage and potential environmental dangers are factors to consider.

Title “Spirit of the North 2” boasts grand aspirations, evident in the narrative complexity, albeit clumsy as the plot setup and the protagonist’s decisions might seem, and in the expansive size of the environment. Regrettably, its platforming can be glitchy, regions are sparse, puzzles unremarkable, and visual performance on PS5 leaves much to be desired. With a bit more finesse and refinement, it could develop into an above-average adventure, albeit with some flaws. In its current form, unfortunately, it’s primarily a hollow action-adventure game with many rough edges.

This game was reviewed on PS5.

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2025-05-12 17:27