Spirit of the North 2 PS5 Review. A hidden curio from 2019, the original Spirit of the North was a tranquil if cursory adventure containing no story or characters, just a fox who replenishes a land with spiritual resonance. A choppy and seemingly unfinished-yet-relaxing saunter through naturalistic environments, Spirit of the North had potential to be a lovely and blissful reprieve from the more demanding and involved video games we’re often embroiled with. Now, the fox has been reawakened for another go-round in Spirit of the North 2 and a bird has decided to tag along for this adventure, but does this sequel pulse with new life, or is it still rife with technical stumbles?
Spirit of the North 2 Review (PS5)- Foxing For Success
Wordless and without meaty story sustenance, Spirit of the North 2 follows a similar template set out by its predecessor, meaning exploration and light puzzle-solving are the main activities you’ll be burrowing into just like our titular protagonist fox. This sequel is far larger and double the length of its predecessor, so it’s a welcoming evolution from the dinky indie it once was-though the swathes of landscape and the loaded upgrade system run counter to the type of experience Spirit of the North 2 offers.
The freedom of scampering around open areas brings with it a free form pace that encourages you to take in the sights, and mosey through untouched areas such as caves and crips, finding the path forward through narrow passageways, and sometimes swimming or hopping between rocks, as well as crawling through window-sized gaps to proceed. It all feels slinky in a way befitting of a fox, which is very commendable. The fox’s howl is on-point as well, so thankfully it doesn’t sound like a mutt.
No doubt, Spirit of the North 2 is a game fit for a fox, showing its pristine wild side, but containing you within the map enough to ensure you’re kept on track towards your objectives. You may wish it was more abbreviated because the openness while freeing can seem hollow when there isn’t much to unearth or discover besides collectibles, but even so you can poke around and find unexpected treasures.
Foxing Around The Environment
Though you can wander where you may, huge red ribbons in the sky act as a guide to show you the locations you must explore to find the way forward within the story. Going off the beaten path is worthwhile for finding smashable pots full of a blue energy that can restore health, and there are special chests with fox figures inside, which signify an upgrade point. In general however, incentives to venture from your objectives are sparse, and there’s too much open space with not enough going on inside of it to peak interest.
Despite the lack of environmental interactivity, there are some breathtaking sights and sounds to take in as you admire the scenery in Spirit of the North 2. Watching the winds sway and the expanse of the views opening up in front of you, you might just want to pause your activity and take it all in. The soundtrack appreciably adds to the game’s ambiance, moving along elegantly to complement and punctuate the sense of freedom and discovery along the way.
There’s a deep sense of the unknown protruding through Spirit of the North 2 in a way that keeps provoking your curiosity. You’ll be sparking musings about the history of these environments, and what’s with all these ancient pillars and stones. Mysterious masks lay strewn ready to be picked up by the fox’s gnashers, and dropped onto pressure points to open doorways keeps you questioning what the significance of all of this is.
Spirit of the North 2 much like its predecessor channels vibes that are similar to ThatGameCompany’s Journey, as there’s plenty of calm, but lots of intriguing but strange lettering, and it’s not easily understood. You may even draw comparisons to Team ICO’s Shadow of the Colossus as well. Such influences enrich Spirit of the North 2, and keeps it from feeling hollow.
An Upgraded or Downgraded Sequel?
The upgrade system may look quite overwhelming as you peruse the many advantages all the perks grant you. Thankfully you don’t need to grind for any of the enhancements, as you’ll find the aforementioned chests with a figure inside that’ll immediate grant you an upgrade point to use at your leisure. Abilities include lessening the damage from falling, increased health, and spirit-related buffs.
Having such a giant upgrade mechanism for a relatively small indie game is peculiar, but you’ll certainly find the benefits from these perks. Reducing fall damage in particular is welcoming because hearing that fox yelp in pain hurts both ears and emotions, so you should be thankful there are skills to keep the fox safe when scurrying through the mystical landscape.
On the technical front, Spirit of the North 2 doesn’t perform as well as expected for a sequel. Running and scampering along is all well and good, and jumping up to platform is fine although the blue cursor is finnicky, but the game does need more polish and room for improvement. You will find yourself disgruntled falling through the map, and the frame rate can chug as well. You’d think given all the time between the first game’s release and the sequel, that the sequel would be far cleaner, but alas it’s not a fox trot.
If you’re familiar with Spirit of the North, this sequel may impress you with its evolutionary strides over its predecessor, such as granting you an open expanse to explore at your leisure, not to mention the fact it’s double the length of the previous title. For newcomers, Spirit of the North 2 has an enchanting and calming essence you’ll gravitate towards despite its technical shortcomings and unnecessary upgrade system. You may find Spirit of the North 2 is bigger rather than better, but it should still be embraced for its ethereal and relaxing qualities.
Spirit of the North 2 is out now on PS5, Xbox Series S/X, and PC.
The review copy was kindly provided by the publisher.