Spirit of the North 2 Review — Dedicated Yarp Button

Spirit of the North 2 is a heartwarming and relaxing exploration game set in the rustic and cold environment of—well—the North. Playing as an adorable little fox, players are given the opportunity to explore a breathtakingly beautiful map at their own pace, navigating parkour platforms and solving gentle environmental puzzles as they uncover the forgotten lore of the land around them. This is certainly not a game for those seeking an action-packed afternoon filled with fast-paced combat or intense challenges. Spirit of the North 2 instead provides its own uniquely peaceful kind of experience, one that will certainly appeal to those simply looking to relax, unwind, and disappear into an enchanting world for a while.

The game opens with its own charming version of a character creator, giving you the ability to customize the appearance of your very own fox companion. While not the most incredibly expansive character creation system out there, it does offer a fair number of options. You can tweak a variety of features, including eye size, fur color, and even the weight and shape of your fox. What’s particularly nice is that the game allows you to change many of these appearance options, such as fur and eye color, at basically any point during your playthrough. This means you do not have to commit too seriously to a specific look right at the start. That freedom feels very in tune with the overall relaxed nature of the game.

Gameplay in Spirit of the North 2 revolves almost entirely around exploration. The core mechanics can be summarized simply as running, jumping, and yarping. Yes, there is a dedicated “yarp” button, and it is as adorable as it sounds. Much of the game involves bounding across platforms, weaving through fields, and immersing yourself in the tranquil environment. However, as you progress, you begin to unlock magical powers that transform how you interact with the world. One of the earliest powers you gain is the ability to glide. It significantly changes your movement and exploration options and also changes the way your fox looks. This adds a touch of mystical charm to your furry friend. Paths forward are unlocked by collecting magical runes. Paths forward are unlocked by collecting magical runes, further adding to the sense of otherworldly and yet very ancient and natural magic in the game.

Something I found both interesting and surprisingly helpful was the game’s platforming mechanic, more specifically, the addition of a “snap-to-platform” jump. Before you actually leap, you can see and aim where you’re going to land, even on platforms located above your current position. This intuitive feature helps ensure that you’ll land where you intend to, before you even commit to a jump. It’s a small touch, but one that makes movement feel fluid and satisfying, especially for a game that relies so heavily on verticality. It also adds a bit of realism to the experience, as you’d expect a wild fox to have an instinctive sense of how and where to leap in real life.

This design choice becomes even more valuable considering that Spirit of the North 2 features something that somewhat surprised me. Animal death. More specifically, your fox has a health bar, and falling from great heights is the easiest and most common way to reduce it to zero. When that happens, you are sent back to your last checkpoint. While this might sound like a standard platforming mechanic, I could not help but feel it was out of place in this particular game. It may sound like a strange criticism, but I genuinely do not think Spirit of the North 2 needed this feature at all.

To be more specific, the inclusion of character death felt unnecessary. Call me overly sensitive if you would like, but I did not enjoy seeing my fox die. Watching this cute little creature whimper and curl up every time I missed a jump or took a risky path made me cringe. Not in fear or frustration, but in discomfort. It pulled me out of the serene, meditative experience that the rest of the game so clearly aims to deliver.

I was left wondering why, in a game focused almost entirely on platforming and exploration, death needed to be a consequence at all. Perhaps the developers included it to avoid designing alternative routes or safety nets. Or maybe they wanted to maintain a sense of challenge. But the outcome of failing a jump or slipping off a cliff is the same whether the fox dies or not. The player simply restarts from a recent checkpoint. The game could have just as easily teleported you back to the last shrine you visited. It did not need the added spectacle of an on-screen animal death. Doing so would likely preserve the tone of the game more consistently.

One thing Spirit of the North 2 absolutely excels at is environmental storytelling. While this might seem like an obvious compliment, given that the game heavily relies on it, it still deserves special praise. As you explore the hauntingly beautiful wasteland of the North, you gradually discover the ruins of an ancient civilization and uncover the story of a long-lost human conflict that shaped the world. What makes this storytelling so powerful is the way it is presented. Quietly, through visual cues, scattered remnants, and subtle environmental design.

Seeing the aftermath of a very human war from the perspective of a fox makes everything feel more distant, more mythic, and yet more emotionally grounded. The stories you read (yes, our fox can read, somehow) and the remnants of past battles do not feel like exposition dumps or filler lore. They come across as faded memories. Forgotten fragments of a past that you begin to believe really existed within this world. These moments create a sense of depth that elevates the entire experience from a simple platformer to something far more profound.

Spirit of the North 2 is a uniquely serene and meditative game that stands out from the crowd of exploration titles. It offers a magical journey through a cold and quiet world. Its relaxing pace, beautiful visuals, and intuitive traversal mechanics create a compelling experience that encourages players to take their time and immerse themselves fully. The inclusion of a death mechanic feels out of place and jarring in an otherwise gentle game. But it does not overshadow the strengths of the game’s environmental storytelling, peaceful exploration, and heartfelt tone. For those looking for a game to slow down with, to breathe deeply, and to wander through an enchanting landscape, Spirit of the North 2 is well worth your time.

Try Hard Guides was provided a PC code for Spirit of the North 2. Find more detailed looks at popular and upcoming titles on our Game Reviews page! Spirit of the North 2 is available on Steam, Xbox, and PlayStation.