Spirit of the North 2, A Review

My first impressions were surprisingly positive. Spirit of the North 2 seemed like it could be a memorable and relaxing adventure, more than just a good sequel. However, the game had some unexpected surprises in store.

Are you in the mood for something completely different? Check out our Revenge of the Savage Planet review!

The Story of Spirit of the North 2

Spirit of the North 2 puts you in the role of a fox in a post-apocalyptic fantasy world where different animal tribes used to live in the past, leaving behind only abandoned dwellings and ruins. As is often the case with such games, it's not entirely clear where you need to go or what your goal is, and there are no dialogues. However, as you explore the map, new paths will begin to open up for you to follow.

After completing the tutorial, which is set in a separate zone, you'll find yourself in a semi-open world that you can explore at your own pace. The only indicator of the "correct" direction is a wavy red light in the sky. However, no one forces you to follow it.

For example, you spot a building on the horizon that seems interesting, so you deviate from the path to explore it. You'll be rewarded for it, e.g., with currency, skill points, or a piece of lore. But not necessarily. The building might be empty or inaccessible at the moment. If this sounds like a drawback, it's not. Spirit of the North 2 places great emphasis on art direction and the feeling that exploration itself is the reward. And it succeeds remarkably well at first.

The Gameplay

The first few hours spent in this game were delightful, and every corner of the initial area offered something worth exploring. In this case, the slow pace of the fox doesn't bother me, nor do the imprecise controls during platforming segments (a combination of guided controls like in Stray and free controls).

 It reminded me of the charm of exploration in Elden Ring, just without the constant dopamine hits, given that there's no traditional combat in this game. Wherever I turned, I encountered something that, at the very least, looked fantastic. Often, even passing through various dungeons, abandoned farms, and monasteries was enjoyable.

The World of Spirit of the North 2

When it comes to exploration, another similarity with Elden Ring is notable: just as you could find map fragments under stelae to aid your exploration, here you can search for obelisks that will draw an entire zone on the map for a certain amount of "money" and reveal points of interest.

Unfortunately, my opinion on this game changed drastically, just as it did with Spirit of the North 2. After defeating the first boss, you need to pass through a dark cave, and then the game fully "opens up." At this point, you're no longer in a semi-open world but in a full-fledged open world. However, while this moment usually excites me in most games (the transition from White Orchard to Velen in The Witcher 3 still stands as a golden standard for me), here I could only think: oh no.

Spirit of the North 2 doesn't function well as an open-world game because it highlights all the potential problems of this title. I mentioned that the slow movement of the fox didn't bother me at first; it's different when you're no longer confined to a limited area but have kilometers of space to cover. And imagine how it feels when, after walking for several minutes, you reach a ruin that you can't enter. At that point, it's no longer a charming element that fits into the convincing art direction.

Even some non-gameplay aspects lose their strength once you realize how large the world is. For instance, the monotonous music, which I initially found fitting, suddenly became as pleasant as the sound of a drill...

When Exploration Becomes a Chore

It doesn't happen often that I look up information about a game's length while reviewing it; it can significantly influence the experience. However, I couldn't resist this time. I almost fell off my chair when I discovered that my grueling six hours of gameplay represented only a third of the work ahead. And since I was already tired of walking at a snail's pace only to find closed doors, I thought I'd rather spend my time looking at Excel spreadsheets than exploring the history of wolf, raven, and deer tribes. 

Still, I endured for three more hours before throwing in the towel after getting stuck in a dungeon that I couldn't complete with the powers I had (at least, I think so; I'd be lying if I said I forced myself to check).

It's not like the gameplay in Spirit of the North 2 doesn't change throughout the title. Still, I don't see how finding runes that grant new powers and Metroidvania elements can compensate for the fundamental gameplay issues, which become more apparent with every minute of gameplay. 

Suppose I were back in elementary school and could spend hours and hours walking in circles (fast travel is minimal). In that case, I'd likely find more enjoyment in unthinkingly exploring a nice but relatively empty world. As it stands, the simple and potentially effective gameplay is, unfortunately, at odds with the format and size of the world the authors intended to present.

In Conclusion

Finally, after playing South of Midnight, which also runs on Unreal 5, I couldn't believe how tragically poor the optimization of this game is: an average of 60 fps in empty forests on medium settings with the most aggressive DLSS on an RTX 3080 and Ryzen 5600x. Well, do with that crushing information what you will. I'm reverting to my old Excel spreadsheets.

I recommend this game to kids aged 10 and above, as it features a relaxing atmosphere and doesn't contain any violent or mature content. However, the game's complexity and repetitive gameplay might not appeal to younger players. ESRB rating for Spirit Of The North 2 is 10+.

Rating: 4.5/10

The game got this grade because its engaging art direction and exploration mechanics are overshadowed by poor design choices, such as slow movement and imprecise controls, which become increasingly frustrating in the vast open world.