Spirit of the North was a very touching adventure game where you play as a fox on a journey to the end of a red light across the wilderness. Shortly after starting, you find a spirit fox that helps guide you through the miasma that has killed the people that once lived in the land. Gaining spirit abilities through runes and energy flora, you learn to dash, project, and expel the energy collected to destroy the parasite that is killing the land and work your way to the top of the mountain and the source of the red light.

The music in this game is so relaxing and made for a comfortable play session. I played once to get the story and then used the Chapter Select to gather the collectables and misc achievements.

A solid title on GamePass.

Bom, tem um bom tempo que joguei Spirit of the North, um joguinho que está disponível no Game Pass, e eu, como um verdadeiro amante do serviço, não poderia deixar de testar.

Em uma primeira vista, o game é bem modesto - é uma breve história sobre uma raposa. E então, os visuais, a mitologia e a música começam a tocar, e as cenas mudam de cavernas geladas para planícies. O mundo inteiro parece acordar ao seu redor, e descobrir para onde você está indo faz parte do encanto e da frustração do jogo.

Sem um papel bem definido na pele da raposa vermelha, vamos em uma jornada tranquila. Acompanhados por um espírito de raposa e com pouca informação sobre o que estamos fazendo, o jogo depende muito do senso de aventura e criatividade. Sem uma narrativa, diálogos ou dicas indicando o que fazer e para onde ir, cabe a você resolver os puzzles ambientais e descobrir novas paisagens para explorar.

Dividido em diferentes capítulos, em Spirit of the North, você deve ir a cada ambiente para a raposa andar e encontrar pistas para avançar na história. Como não há personagens para conversar ou mesmo um narrador para explicar o que está acontecendo, muitas vezes é preciso confiar em pistas visuais para saber para onde ir em seguida. Existem quebra-cabeças espalhados pela terra, nos quais símbolos precisam ser ativados para revelar algo novo. Às vezes, você pode encontrar um cajado no chão e procurar pelo seu xamã e por aí vai. O jogo é relativamente direto e fácil de jogar, e apesar da falta de instruções, não é difícil entender o que fazer.

Não é incomum se perder e vagar por várias horas antes de perceber que você está andando em círculos. Parte disso pode ser vista como a beleza da exploração, enquanto a outra parte é a frustração de não ter nenhum senso de direção. No entanto, você está sempre cercado pela beleza do jogo, e o cenário deslumbrante incentiva você a desacelerar e apreciar a vista. Não há mapa, e sinceramente acho que ter um arruinaria o propósito da descoberta e o conceito do game, que dá para sentir que foi feito exatamente com essa intenção.

Embora o jogo dependa da resolução de puzzles para progredir, não há muita variedade nesse sentido. Os puzzles são simples e repetitivos, tornando a experiência de jogo bastante chata as vezes. Embora fique um pouco mais difícil, a maior parte do tempo foi bem tranquilo, é inegável que esse game não foi feito para ser difícil. Mas certamente estar perdido não é exatamente divertido, e ter paciência também não é minha maior habilidade. Você precisa estar em um certo estado de espírito para jogar este jogo, e se estiver procurando por algo com ação constante, não encontrará isso aqui.

A jogabilidade do game, no geral, apresenta comandos fáceis que permitem que você corra e pule suavemente, mas onde você pousa é outra história. O jogo é prejudicado por uma plataforma completamente desajeitada. Às vezes, você também fica preso em cantos aleatórios, e a única maneira que encontrei para sair foi sair do jogo e reiniciar o capítulo. Como um jogo de exploração, isso é desanimador, mas felizmente não acontece com frequência.

Apesar dos problemas mencionados com os controles, a paisagem e a experiência tornam esses problemas até que perdoados. Quando você combina a arte com uma música que o game tem, há uma certa magia em tudo. O gráfico do game, apesar de simples, é muito legal, e a trilha sonora também foi igualmente incrível. A cada poucos minutos, eu parava de me mover para dar uma olhada ao redor.

Mesmo sendo um jogo relativamente curto, Spirit of the North conseguiu alcançar o que se propôs a fazer - contar uma história sem palavras. Uma experiência verdadeiramente única, onde os visuais e a música são suas maiores qualidades, não foi uma jogatina perfeita, mas valeu a jogatina.

Pontos positivos:

- visual
- Trilha sonora
- Fácil e relaxante

Pontos negativos:

- Controles desajeitados
- Quebra-cabeças ficam repetitivos com o tempo

Versão utilizada para análise: Xbox Series.

You play an adorable fox as they explore the vast world. The environments are pretty but empty. You would feel utterly alone if it wasn't for the wisp friend, that occasionally does point you to the way forward or toward collectibles. The sound track is beautiful, an orchestra to lighten the mood. The puzzle gameplay helped the game stand apart from Journey or Lost Ember (another game you play as a fox with a wisp companion).

With regret, that's all the positives I have for it. Very quickly I found the jump action isn't responsive as a platformer should play. The jump is awkward and while moving between ledges, frustrating. There are linear and open chapters. Some of these chapters are WIDE open areas with nothing in them. Often I wandered around and felt like I wasted time.

The collectibles can be well hidden.That's not a negative in itself but the game does teach you to be vigilant. In one chapter, I was able to jump into a hole in the wall, thinking it was a secret. I went through it without an issue and down a hill. Only for the chapter to end. I thought it was odd considering how short that chapter finished. I checked the menu and saw I missed a bunch of collectibles in that chapter. I went back in, found the correct way and I cannot believe how I missed nearly the entire chapter! I missed many puzzles, collectibles, and story stones. If I did not go back to look for those collectibles on the main menu, I would have never found out I missed all that content in that chapter. I am stunned that you can completely bypass a chapter in this game. How has this not been caught and fixed? I had no issue getting into that hole in wall. It looked like a secret!

The biggest issue in this game, not counting you can completely skip a chapter, is the abstract story. There is very little information about what you're doing and why. Other than your blue wisp friend is "good" and the red pulse tar is "bad." You have to solve puzzles and erase the red tar to advance. There's no pleasure from solving it. Only to move on. Maybe if the tar was shown further how it was affecting the life and environment? Like it was suffocating the area. (I don't even know if that's what was happening.) Similar to Okami (there is a reward skin for Amaterasu in this game) if you healed the land, flowers and animals would show up. I'm not asking they should directly copy another game. But show me there is a purpose to what I am doing. Nothing happens other than a wall will be removed from your path....great.

The second biggest issue in this game is the complete void of life. Again, is that because of this tar? I honestly have no clue. You can explore this beautiful wilderness. Sun is out, trees and plant life. But nothing else. Not even insect noises, or low poly birds in the sky to show any sign of life. It's empty. It doesn't feel alive. No reason to explore (unless you're hunting the collectibles...which are corpses lol). It feels unfinished. Why am I "saving?" this world if there is NOTHING HERE?

The end is frustrating to say the least. The largest, most unnecessary zone. It's a forest where everything looks the same. You will get lost. You also have to re-collect your collectibles, only now they move in this absurdly large area. You have no map, because why would you.

It could have been so much better. But no. Your reward for everything is the quietest, most devoid of life forest I think I have ever seen in a video game. This could have been a fun game but there's no direction.

it could have been a nice chill and good looking game but they decided to ruin it with the most stupid, boring and frustrating features possible. You need to CONSTANTLY recharge your power by barking at a stupid flower that is always conveniently yes near but yet far enough to force you to backtrack a little.
and oh boy... the seventh chapter... a huge forest with no indication of what you need to do or where you need to go. you just randomly roam around till you find you're stupid way into the lower part of the castle.

again... it could have been a way more enjoyable game but no.

Spirit of the North leads much to be desired when it comes to indie games similar to 'journeying' to a destination. The A-B is clunky, frustrating and all round an unfun game.
PROS
- Currently on Gamepass
- Settings and locations look lifelike and wouldn't be surprised if the valleys and castles were based on real places.
- Soundtrack is pleasant, nothing to save on a personal playlist but nice to listen too
- secret fox skins are unlocked but never told to you in game
- the lava/back goop looked great and felt right to move through getting stuck on your fur

CONS
- Fox feels unresponsive, when jumping there's a second delay and when turning it feels you're moving on a circle axis rotating around an animation.
- Animations feel stiff which feel like it's a game from the 2010 not 2020.
- Button inputs of the blosson flowers are unresponsive
- Collectables like the souls are good in idea but you cannot pick up powers with a stick in your mouth.
- When powered up, some areas in the game you have to fill up multiple stones with them meaning you have to repeatedly go back and forth picking up blossoms. Really kills the pacing and feels artificial padding.
- in multiple chapters you're tasked in running/dashing over vast locals, this would be more enjoyable if the fox was animated/controlled better but its just boring. You feel slow and unguided, worst offender of this is chapter 7 in the spirit realm.
- swimming too slow, you leave the water and auto animate by shaking off water ( 75% of the game is around water)
- 2 times in the game you are hurt and start to limp, chapter 6 has a section where i limped for 03:30
- The puzzles in the game are: Rotate pedastal, hold b to clear infection, platforming. Nothing new or made you think, dated in execution.

In summary, Spirit on the North looks great as a title screen but when you begin to play it as a game it morphs into a bland, unresponsive and uninspired limp through beautiful landscapes. I do not advise buying this game.

Sabe quando você está navegando pela netflix com milhares de opções para assistir e escolheu um bagulho qualquer mesmo sabendo que não é muito o seu gosto só pra preencher o buraco?? Foi exatamente oque eu fiz aqui kkk

Tava de boa no gamepass e vi a capa deste joguinho e tentei dar uma chance, mas foi o que eu imaginava. O jogo é basicamente um walk simulator de uma raposinha, que você passa por mapas resolvendo alguns puzzles pra avançar enquanto vê a arte dos cenários do jogo.

Eu achei bem méh, o jogo não me prendeu tanto e só terminei ele porque é bem curtinho mesmo, a física do jogo é meio estranho, quantas vezes eu já fiz a raposa andar sobre o ar?? kk
No geral eu não curto este tipo de jogo, não achei uma boa experiência e que provavelmente vai cair no meu esquecimento, aonde ele deve estar, porque apesar de tentar transmitir algo incrível para o jogador sem nenhum dialogo no jogo todo, acabou que no final não me transmitiu NADA.

I had, maybe, more expectations than I should in this game. It’s not a completely bad game, but it has a some very important things that made my experience playing it not so pleasant.
Let’s go with the good first, then the bad.
The Good
• The game looks pretty. The Icelandic-looking landscapes look beautiful. Altough after the first hours, they start looking repetitive. The visuals look good too. For an indie game, it has really good looking graphics. The light and glowing effects look good onscreen.
• The music is nice, and goes well with the atmosphere of the game. Altough after a while starts to sound a bit generic, but it’s still nice background music.
• The lack of written text can be good and bad at the same time. I think it’s good that they tried to tell a full story only through gameplay, icons, graphics, wall drawings, etc. Altough, often times I was a bit lost about what was happening in the story. But I think they deserve the credit for trying.
The Bad
• The controls and movements are really bad. But I mean really, really bad. More than once I found myself falling, having to try again and again a specific jump or puzzle, because the little fox would go or jump anywhere expect for where I was trying to move. I mean, I didn’t expect amazing controls and movements, but they were so bad that I considering abandoning the game specifically for this (a bit extreme of me? Maybe)
• The game trust too much in it’s good-looking aspect. And by doing so, the gameplay and story can get a bit boring and repetitive. You keep playing it because the game looks nice, but not because it’s entertaining. The landscapes, while still beautiful, are a bit empty and repetitive after a while.

Such a shame... I was really interested in this one. I was expecting something similar to Stray or Kena: Bridge of Spirits, but I was sorely disappointed.

Graphics and music were OK, I guess, and I liked the atmosphere and the lore of the world. Controls were abysmal, though. The poor little fox got stuck more often than I could count, and I sometimes experienced some serious input delays, too. And let me tell you, making precise jumps is like a game of roulette: very rarely you can get lucky and land where you wanted to, but most of the time you end up somewhere else. Also, I didn't get why some levels were so huge as they are mostly empty... Sometimes I was just running around for minutes in empty landscapes (especially in the last chapter).

I can't recommend this to anyone, unless you're really, really bored.

This is a competent 4-legged walking simulator with light puzzling. The fox mechanics are equally solid and adorable, with the sole exception coming from your furry friend's jump. Jumping from a stand-still is practically broken and jumping too close to a tiny overhang bonks your cute little head into frustration.

The main weakness are the levels themselves. They're sprawling to the point of pain. There are some decent collectibles scattered about, but the game does not do a good job indicating to the player what is considering in-bounds. So while it encourages exploring, you'll often bump into invisible walls. These issues come to an impressively boring climax within a giant forest level.

All things considered, this is a decent effort for a tiny indie studio. And I'm sure they'll improve on all aspects in the announced sequel.

Truthfully the concept sounded better than the execution. It isn't necessarily awe-inspiring to look at by any means. My cat did really like the first chapter, I don't know if he could see all the white or what. Music is pretty. The platforming can be very spotty. There's also a couple spots you can accidentally put yourself where you'll just straight up be stuck, even though you can see the fox model has plenty of room to move. Gameplay just felt boring. Pickup staff, drop staff. Get flower power, lose flower power. Go to get flower power and it inexplicably doesn't work. End of the day it couldn't hold my interest enough to justify continuing.

So I've played a Mouse game and a Cat game last month so figured I would go for the trinity with a dog game. Unfortunately I didn't have one so I figured playing as a Fox was a close alternative. The animations where the Fox "doggy" paddles in water for example? See, totally the same thing.

Speaking of the animations, when the unnamed Fox swims, slides, curls up to sleep or shakes water off are really charming. The visuals generally are quite nice with a good usage of colour, water effects and environments. Mixed with the nice usage of string and piano instruments playing gentle melodies and this is set up for a relaxing time.

Unfortunately that is the only positive I have to say about this because the actual gameplay is agonizingly boring. The areas the Fox travels through are large and expansive but there is nothing of interest to see or do. Exploration involves running through these areas for several minutes before collecting some energy from a flower through a tediously slow animation and finding the stone to power up to open the path. This is repeated for essentially six hours. It's a dull affair. The areas don't need to be that big, the puzzles are slow and repetitive and even the collectables are bizarrely tedious with each needing a two part location to complete of finding a staff and then the skeleton of the shaman to put it next to. The whole game is just kind of rote. It's also a little clunky on top with the Fox sometimes getting caught on scenery or jumping weirdly and the abilities you get are just never interesting.

It's rare I really wish for a game to end as much as I did this one. Chapter 7 was almost the last straw where you almost directionlessly explore a giant forest but I powered through to the ending which was ok but not really worth it.

This title is all style over substance. I don't recommend it.

+ Play as a Fox, some cute animations.
+ Visuals and music are nice.

- Boring, tedious and repetitive. Somehow bland under everything.