Spirit of the North

 Switch
User Score
7.1

Mixed or average reviews- based on 23 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 15 out of 23
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 23
  3. Negative: 6 out of 23

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  1. SuperkenGaming
    May 8, 2020
    8
    Spirit of the North
    A Beautiful Adventure
    Spirit of the North is a 5 hour long puzzle platforming game where you play as a fox accompanied by a spirit, at first things are pretty straight forward, and this is when spirit of the north Is at its best, it’s at first a beautiful linear journey, with snow, and ice, and finding symbols to bring to life to move forward, all while beautiful    Spirit of the North
    A Beautiful Adventure
    Spirit of the North is a 5 hour long puzzle platforming game where you play as a fox accompanied by a spirit, at first things are pretty straight forward, and this is when spirit of the north Is at its best, it’s at first a beautiful linear journey, with snow, and ice, and finding symbols to bring to life to move forward, all while beautiful chill inducing music plays in the background, spirit of the north starts as a game that feels like hot chocolate on a cold day and then the second half of the game happens.. spirit of the north becomes more puzzle platform and less puzzle adventure, here you’ll be activating symbols still, but not so much in a linear fashion, they now act as switches, so you’ll be in the same area running round figuring out which switch to throw to move onto the next switch until your able to leave the area, sometimes being introduced to a new ability to help you solve new puzzles, such as the ability to leave your body and activate switches out of reach to your solid form… an ability that has potential, but these puzzles proved to be a nuisance thanks to them being tied to a timer, and the switch so far out of reach that you don’t have a moment to spare on your way to activating it… overall I wish the spirit didn’t leave your body when youd activate a symbol, or destroy an object.. it would’ve bee na much more enjoyable experience just playing with the mechanics and not having to constantly find a flower to pill your energy from in between every switch press… its all just feels overwhelming in the final stretch, really making me miss those beginning moments when things were simple, and it was about enjoying the experience.. I would’ve loved moments like this thrown in between the puzzle solving rather than new puzzle area after new puzzle area.. let me breathe… thankfully towards the end, things start to go back to the way they should be.. back to enjoying the environment and music.. back to enjoying the beauty that is spirit of the north…
    Spirit of the north does have its pacing issues for the 2nd half of this 5 hour long game, but the overall package makes spirit of the north a must play for adventure and platforming fans…
    I give Spirit of the North
    a 7.5/10    … Expand
  2. RobFlandersN64
    Sep 22, 2020
    10
    Way better on Switch than I expected. The graphics aren't as good as PC and PS4 but I almost couldn't even tell. Had to play them side by side to see a difference(I own PC, Switch. I've played a little on PS4). Controls felt smooth. Lots of games with animal protagonists are really rough but this was honestly one of the best. Graphics and controls asside... The subtle symbolism is theWay better on Switch than I expected. The graphics aren't as good as PC and PS4 but I almost couldn't even tell. Had to play them side by side to see a difference(I own PC, Switch. I've played a little on PS4). Controls felt smooth. Lots of games with animal protagonists are really rough but this was honestly one of the best. Graphics and controls asside... The subtle symbolism is the best part of this game. It's really moving and powerful. Took me a second playthrough to see it. Honestly, there is a lot of hidden lore in this game, but don't expect the game to feed it to you. Crazy to think only 2 guys made this.… Expand
  3. Isolatedsound
    May 29, 2020
    8
    I have very mixed feelings about this game. On one side it's a very buggy game with lackluster 3D design. Some errors in cinematic are just amateur looking, constant popups and model glitches are annoying. Platforming in this game is not fun and can get really frustrating.. and then, when you deal with the anger coming from those problems... something beautiful emerges. This is the firstI have very mixed feelings about this game. On one side it's a very buggy game with lackluster 3D design. Some errors in cinematic are just amateur looking, constant popups and model glitches are annoying. Platforming in this game is not fun and can get really frustrating.. and then, when you deal with the anger coming from those problems... something beautiful emerges. This is the first and only game in my life that compelled me to taking screenshots every 3-5 minutes. And it's not that it's graphically impressive, models and textures are kinda mediocre, but the overall painting... marvelous. Along with the excellent music there is something spiritual about this game. This is one of the titles that i love, but I hesitate to recommend. There is an unexplainable bond between me and this game, which on technical level is pretty bad. But try it, maybe you'll feel the same.… Expand
  4. Paleona
    Oct 6, 2021
    8
    I played through this game last year and was pretty enchanted by it, honestly. It's not a perfect game- the most notable flaws being the sometimes wonky controls, some frustrating platforming, and the occasional glitch, but I still thoroughly enjoyed it. This game was literally made by TWO people, which is so impressive! It's not the most graphically stunning, but the visuals were stillI played through this game last year and was pretty enchanted by it, honestly. It's not a perfect game- the most notable flaws being the sometimes wonky controls, some frustrating platforming, and the occasional glitch, but I still thoroughly enjoyed it. This game was literally made by TWO people, which is so impressive! It's not the most graphically stunning, but the visuals were still very pretty, imo. Love that there's no dialogue and it mainly focuses on the foxes- the music also really heightened the emotions of the entire experience. The soundtrack is so good that I still listen to it now and then. Give it a try if you love foxes and have the patience to deal with some flaws~… Expand
  5. Maroonshift
    May 17, 2020
    2
    Spirit of the North tries to follow in the steps of great games like Abzu and Journey. It many ways it succeeds, but mostly it's terrible. I love these types of simple, atmospheric games. I love foxes and I love Iceland. Surely there's no way I could dislike this game, right? Perhaps the experience on PC or PS4 is different, but on the Switch this is the worst game I've ever played, and ISpirit of the North tries to follow in the steps of great games like Abzu and Journey. It many ways it succeeds, but mostly it's terrible. I love these types of simple, atmospheric games. I love foxes and I love Iceland. Surely there's no way I could dislike this game, right? Perhaps the experience on PC or PS4 is different, but on the Switch this is the worst game I've ever played, and I tried the Switch version of Fornite. I played the whole thing docked,, but even still the resolution looks like it's 720p and framerate is about 30 fps. The textures are blurry and washed out. Everything is sharp and jagged. It looks like a hot mess still in alpha development. For a game that's focused on visuals it looks and feels absolutely terrible. The game play feels clunky, but maybe thats partly from the dismal fps. The music is good and the idea is great, but the execution on the Switch is downright embarrassing. Do not buy this game on the Switch.… Expand
  6. Kirixa
    Jan 1, 2021
    3
    Controls make it unplayable, graphically not great: the fox is pixely, gravity is off, the snow squish effect is copy-pasted for every step, the jumping is as if you're launched straight up without any use of muscle.
  7. RedPixel
    Apr 16, 2023
    3
    Pretty, but I'm not sure who this game is for. Long stretches of running around somewhat awkwardly in the pretty world make you think it's a chill game meant for the atmosphere. But then it's got its platforming stretches which are a little harder than they should be. Not always clear where you're supposed to go, despite an occasional hint. I get a bit dizzy playing it at times, though IPretty, but I'm not sure who this game is for. Long stretches of running around somewhat awkwardly in the pretty world make you think it's a chill game meant for the atmosphere. But then it's got its platforming stretches which are a little harder than they should be. Not always clear where you're supposed to go, despite an occasional hint. I get a bit dizzy playing it at times, though I don't in other 3d games, so it's something about the way you move around in this game. Controls are sort of wonky, especially that you have to hold L and left joystick to run... not a comfortable combination. Divided into "chapters", but there's no way to save, so you have to finish a chapter, which is super annoying when you need a break from the awkward platforming, awkward controls, or awkward movement making you sick. Some of this game is puzzling about what you're supposed to do next and how, and those parts have some promise, but they get sort of lost with the other wonkiness.… Expand
  8. Starfree
    May 18, 2020
    7
    This game is cute. It’s not a massive game, and there are way better small 3D platformer puzzle games. But this game didn’t set out to accomplish much and it’s a beautiful game. It’s a tad bit easy, and in some places the area is too dark to see what your doing clearly. But overall it’s a very good game. And a good pick up if you have a few days to fill while waiting for a big release.
  9. Zorron
    Jul 27, 2020
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Me encantó el ambiente nordico que quisieron trasmitir los desarrolladores y encanta que el protagonista sea un zorro… Expand
  10. Nicolicious
    May 20, 2021
    8
    This is a beautiful game with an interesting, no story dialogue, gameplay. The Nordic setting and mythology sit beautifully with the game, as does the music. Somewhat challenging to play, it is really a combination of puzzle-solving and wilderness wondering. Pre-set & far apart, save points are a bit annoying if you want to pick up and drop the game during the day as you'll be pulled backThis is a beautiful game with an interesting, no story dialogue, gameplay. The Nordic setting and mythology sit beautifully with the game, as does the music. Somewhat challenging to play, it is really a combination of puzzle-solving and wilderness wondering. Pre-set & far apart, save points are a bit annoying if you want to pick up and drop the game during the day as you'll be pulled back to the last save. That aside, it's still a fun, fascinating and enjoyable game to play.… Expand
  11. 3DOgaming
    Feb 10, 2021
    9
    Spirit of the North is visually stunning. While the Switch version is a step down from the other console versions, it still looks great while playing. The game is very peaceful, yet retains some challenging elements. Devoid of true enemies, there is no hacking and slashing, or even biting, but that only enhances the charm of the game. Great environment and the soundtrack is perfect.Spirit of the North is visually stunning. While the Switch version is a step down from the other console versions, it still looks great while playing. The game is very peaceful, yet retains some challenging elements. Devoid of true enemies, there is no hacking and slashing, or even biting, but that only enhances the charm of the game. Great environment and the soundtrack is perfect. Highly recommended.… Expand
  12. janwe04
    Apr 27, 2022
    10
    I love this game. It’s probably my favourite indie game right now! Everything is so well made. It’s perfectly balanced between hard and easy.

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
59

Mixed or average reviews - based on 14 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 14
  2. Mixed: 10 out of 14
  3. Negative: 3 out of 14
  1. Cubed3
    Aug 3, 2020
    90
    Spirit of the North's enchanting journey is magnificent on the Nintendo Switch Lite's screen, as played on for this review, and is even better on a large TV screen. The, at times, challenging game, has collectibles that add to the replay value, and playing as an unlocked snow fox in the snow magnifies the immersion of the game, with levels that beg to be experienced again simply for the fun of enjoying their beauty.
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  2. GameCritics
    Jun 26, 2020
    45
    Sadly, my drive to persist was sapped by a series of glitches in one section that led me to replay the same should-have-been-easy bit over and over again. That was bad enough, but combined with the poor controls, lack of engaging gameplay, an inability to manually save and infrequent checkpoints, every session was a slog. Writing a negative review for Spirit of the North is tough because on paper, it seems like something I’d fall in love with. That said, it’s just not a good experience — my appreciation for its non-violent content and environmental themes can’t carry its many shortcomings.
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  3. Everyeye.it
    May 25, 2020
    65
    Overall, the experience remains a valid alternative for players looking for a relaxing, short-lived title with ethereal atmospheres, despite the technical defects that prevent it from making its full potential shine.
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