Been playing Spirit of the North this week. I’ve actually finished it, including 100% achievement completion, because it’s not a huge game. What is really sticking out to me right now, though, is that I adore this game. I like a lot of games, but it’s pretty rare for me to absolutely love one.
I’ve also just finished a run through Baldur’s Gate 2, playing a bard for the first time ever. I enjoyed the class more than I thought I would. Onwards to Throne of Bhaal next week!
What did you like about Spirit of the North? I got it with PS Plus but haven’t bothered with it because it got pretty middling review scores. Looks beautiful though.
So, yeah, the fact that it’s a beautiful game is definitely part of it! Visually it’s stunning, and the music is also really beautiful. I also think it’s superbly written: there’s absolutely no dialogue, but there is still a narrative as you play through each area, and I think that’s genuinely very hard to do well, but Spirit of the North does. I really got invested in the relationship between the two characters. There’s also no combat or fighting in the game, so it’s all focused around the platforming and puzzle elements.
I can definitely see why it’s not to everyone’s tastes. It got “very positive” on Steam, so it’s rated more highly on PC than on the PS, and the negative reviews it did get are complaining about either the controls or the game not telling you what you need to do. So the former is fair, I think: the devs focused on making a beautiful game, so it’s about the experience, not the mechanics. The controls aren’t bad as such, but they’re not as smooth as you’d expect for a platformer, I guess? You get the occasional moment of “why didn’t I make that jump?” But there’s no “miss the jump, die, restart the level” mechanics, so it’s normally 1-3 jumps that you need to repeat if you fall. I found the platforming elements really forgiving in terms of not punishing you for screwing up.
The second criticism, that the game doesn’t tell you what you need to do, I think is unfair. The direction you need to go in is always the way that feels most intuitive, either because of a path, wall, or just the shape of the terrain. Some of the puzzles need you to stop and think about them, and the game doesn’t hold your hand by going “and do this here, and that there, and then that”.
The game I’d most compare it to is Abzu, but with more Nordic and less ocean vibes. If you’ve played Abzu and enjoyed it, then you’ll probably enjoy Spirit of the North too.
Nice, thanks for the write-up! I will definitely bump this up the list then. Honestly it looks so appealing I think I’ve just been looking for an excuse to give it a shot that outweighed my wariness from the reviews.
It’s definitely worth a shot. It’s actually a pretty small game: I didn’t rush, and spent 6 hours on it the first time I played (and 16 hours for 100% achievements). So even if you find it’s not for you, it’s a pretty small time investment to find out. :)
Its a mix of CS:GO, The Long Dark and Assetto Corsa for me lately.
I just got the Project Rome mod for Battlefield: Bad Company 2 so I’ve been playing that quite a bit as well! To any BC2 fans out there, make sure you get Project Rome and start playing again! It’s just as fun as it’s ever been.
It is seriously so underrated. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve played it over the years. I was actually really disappointed when they abandoned it so quickly. But honestly it’s just a great game as is. The atmosphere is absolutely perfect.
I wish we could get Steam Link on Xbox. That’d be the ideal solution for me since I’ve got the controller already setup. The Shield is probably a decent solution, but it’s an extra device in the chain.
Working my way through completely exploring the entire world of Assassin's Creed Odyssey. I really love this game, but goddamn is it enormous. I'm about 75% in.
And just picked up the switch port of Red Dead Redemption. Really glad to be able to play this one without dragging out the 360. Still an awesome game, and a damn good port.
Valorant, been playing with friends and prepping for the premier games this week. It’s the gaming equivalent of a softball or bowling league, fun to practice leading up to a game, with a season that ends in a playoff. Been a lot of fun strategizing, even though we’re not high level
Yes, it really knows how to make inventory management an integral and engaging part of the gameplay. Too many times is inventory management done wrong or relegated to a mechanic thought of as "busywork". .
I'd love to see more games shine a spotlight on it, because I find it very interesting.
Witcher 3: Blood and Wine Finished hearts of stone last weak. Enjoyed the main quest, but felt much smaller than blood and wine. Love the new and „shiny“ are that came with blood and wine.
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