It’s not long before you encounter another fox, except this one is blue and translucent. As you trot along toward it, you’ll enter an ice cavern and find some peace and quiet. In the distance is a giant red swirl of energy, rising somewhere from the ground and enveloping the sky. Spirit of the North puts you in control of a cute red fox, who in the game’s opening is roaming a snow-covered land, the wind loudly whipping around. It feels empty, stirring no emotions despite the soaring music, which makes for a disappointing time. It looks and sounds great, and it offers the intriguing hook of being able to control a fox, but this is a game that lacks much of anything interesting to see, let alone do. Infuse Studio’s Spirit of the North is a similar style of adventure, but sadly falls far short in terms of quality. Playing those games is almost like a tightly choreographed dance, where everything moves with rhythm and feels perfectly paced. Both are wordless, but they manage to immerse and amaze with incredibly beautiful worlds that are a joy to explore. It’s particularly fondly remembered.For my money, Journey and ABZÛ are two of the best video game experiences ever made. ![]() There is a section in the latter moments which focuses on the spirit world, letting you roam around in a heavenly place amongst the ruins of an ancient culture. Its use of the Icelandic landscapes, skies, and rolling hills ensures that it is a pleasure to wander around. Visually there is an enchanting aesthetic about Spirit of the North: Enhanced Edition. But overall the journey is lovely and calming. There are a few moments which seem a bit too drawn out though and I could have done with less wandering and more set pieces. You can, if you like, awaken the souls of all those you find dotted around the map too, with these placed in hard-to-reach areas. There’s a nice chunk of gametime found in Spirit of the North, with around 4 to 6 hours of it depending on if you go around and hunt down all the secrets. At times, Spirit of the North has left me frustrated, needing to put it down before coming back at a later time. Some of the animations – mostly of jumping and falling through the air – feel janky and not quite on point. The fox doesn’t always feel weighty enough and the platforming feels slightly off. What I haven’t personally enjoyed quite so much are the platforming elements of the game. ![]() I won’t go into details for sake of spoilers, but it’s safe to say that I loved this tale and the way it is told at times it has real heart and is extremely beautiful in moments. The story takes you within the real world and into that of the spirit land as well, and it’s this which is the best part of the game, ensuring that Spirit of the North is a very strong addition to the visual storytelling genre. As you journey onwards, you discover ruins of forgotten civilisations, skeletons of men, and ancient monuments that need to be explored as you move through. Your journey is intertwined with a female spirit fox who acts as a guide… and at times your savior. In Spirit of the North: Enhanced Edition, your fox spots a mysterious red smoke trail coming from a mountain on the other side of the world, setting off to discover what it all means. When you do fall into what it is able to deliver though, you’ll discover that Spirit of the North has been inspired by the breathtaking scenery of Iceland, influenced by Nordic folklore and mythology. Due to this Spirit of the North will get compared to the likes of Journey although that’s not a bad game to be held against. Instead it is entirely told through the visuals. The game follows the life of an ordinary red fox, with no words or voice-over to tell the story. Spirit of the North finally has come to Xbox in an Enhanced Edition, giving us Xbox players the chance to take it in via the finest version possible.
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