A dreamlike walking tour simulator with puzzles starring a fox; this is the peculiar Spirit of the North for PC, PS4 and Nintendo Switch
Video games based on contemplative experiences have evolved to become, practically, a genre of their own, adventures in which the interaction by the player is much less pronounced and decisive, betting on powerful narratives that seek to shake the emotions of those who play, even sacrificing many other fundamental aspects of what one would think a video game is. There are many examples, especially in recent years, with the fantastic Journey as the repetitive example that everyone ends up going to. And Spirit of the North, the work of the small indie studio Infuse Studio together with the publisher Merge Games, aims to follow the path of this type of experience where narrative, setting and evocative sensations occupy a large part of its offer, although with neither much less bright; Let's get a closer look at the journey of a fox through icy and beautiful locations inspired by Nordic folklore in our review for PC, PS4 and Nintendo Switch.
On the trail of a mysterious crimson trail
Spirit of the North immerses us in a story that aims to awaken feelings and sensations in the player through a completely narrative adventure, without dialogues or objectives, only through our progress and minimal interaction with the environment. The game bets on a setting based on Nordic folklore through beautiful natural landscapes that seem to house the remains of an ancient civilization, now disappeared. Under the skin of a nimble fox, we embark on a dreamlike journey following the mysterious crimson trail that occupies a prominent place in the sky. There is no further information; we don't know what we do in the snow. We can only move forward to try to find answers to such an intriguing context.
Beyond these particularities at the beginning of our journey, Spirit of the North does not offer any type of storyline or reasons that feed our curiosity. We simply move forward, determined to find the answers that shed some light. And precisely, the total absence of a plot line invites the player to carry out his own conspiracies, trying to make sense through free interpretation and imagination. In very specific cases it works; in others, such as the one in question, it does not finish. In any case, and since we find the first interactive element, everything invites us to think of some type of redemption of souls from ancient beings that help us in our advance, along with a sort of guardian fox spirit that guides us in our first steps through a mysterious connection and light powers that we will have to deal with through the following chapters.
The title of Infuse Studio responds to the subgenre of the aforementioned walking simulator although with certain concessions to platforms and puzzles, with the exploration of the scenarios as the main axis of its development. The adventure is completely 3D and we control both the fox and the camera in a totally free environment, so we are able to move at our whim. We will soon discover that the few mechanics that Spirit of the North offers are repeated much more than desired, becoming monotonous and almost inconsequential for the player: free souls, find magic staffs, illuminate ancient glyphs … All this to continue opening the way towards a mysterious objective that invites us to advance and advance.
Obtaining certain powers through the guardian spirit will offer a little more variety to its development, such as the possibility of leaving behind the physical body of our furry protagonist to control his ethereal version and thus access inhospitable places. Of course, the powers of light are finite, so after each use we will have to find a way to recharge them through certain fully identifiable flowers and strategically distributed throughout the stages. All this to give rise to the resolution of certain challenges and puzzles, which for the most part do not entail greater difficulty than unlocking a series of glyphs as a switch or finding certain collectibles.
At the level of gameplay and control of our reddish protagonist, Spirit of the North does not offer its best face either. Yes, we can move with relative ease, although both the animations and the animal's own control seem awkward and unnatural, something that is aggravated in the sections of platforms, with an imprecise control that can despair the most condescending player. The collisions are not up to the task either; or directly, they are non-existent, with fox positions that could well go through those of a technical demo from two generations ago. If we fall from great heights, the fox will not flinch and certain actions can become a real headache for his poor approach. In no case is it acceptable that a video game based on exploration offers such a rough and not very graceful control.
At a technical level it offers remarkable aspects although others, again, are not up to it. Although it offers more than striking prints with colorful landscapes and natural landscapes that overflow beauty on all four sides (especially in outdoor locations), it is in interior places such as caves or frozen caves where the title shows its worst face. Of course, the color palette, in general, works in a remarkable way and manages to immerse the player in a very special environment, supported by its soundtrack, although we will delve into it later.
On the other hand, the appearance of the fox does not stand out especially, with a somewhat simple modeling and somewhat irregular fur effects, to which we must add the crude animations already mentioned. Altogether, neither the light and particle effects manage to enhance a staging that in video games of this type should be one of its main bastions. Another problem that is too often felt is a performance with too many ups and downs, sometimes with drops of images per second and jerks where it should not suffer under any circumstances, even on platforms with plenty of power for a title of these characteristics.
A dreamlike video game like Spirit of the North that evokes audiovisual sensations as the axis of its development (and with total absence of dialogues) should offer a soundtrack to match. And in this case it is so; until one has already listened to the same piece of music in a loop for the thirty-fourth time. Although it bets on an orchestral character with that emotional and mystical touch that cries out for a work of this type, its reproduction lacks any relation to what is shown on the screen, without ups and downs or specific accents that help emphasize the player's actions . The feeling of immersion is remarkable although due to its repetitive reproduction, it becomes tedious. The sound effects, meanwhile, are no more than testimonials; As a detail, we can howl at the push of a button.
CONCLUSION
Spirit of the North offers a leisurely, contemplative adventure and beautiful natural landscapes, with certain concessions to puzzles and platforms, with exploration as the main axis of its development. In addition, his strong narrative personality lets us glimpse an emotional story through a dream journey starring a fox, which will take us between 4 and 5 hours to complete. As an approach, it is certainly not bad. The problem is that the video game as such does not comply in its execution, well below what would be expected in a title with these characteristics. And it is that from its rough and tedious gameplay, to its staging at a technological level, with constant chiaroscuro both in performance and in its audiovisual section, the title of Infuse Studio fails to position itself as a valid alternative among the narrative adventures of the market current.
THE BEST
- Interesting dreamlike setting
- Certain landscape prints
- Competent soundtrack …
WORST
- … Although excessively repetitive
- Performance with too many ups and downs
- Very rough gameplay and animations
- Graphically with many chiaroscuro
Right
It is not the latest or most original, nor does it have the best execution, but it can be fun if you like the genre. Good, but upgradeable.
