At first I was afraid that the game would be a bullying simulator; but I quickly realized that with a name such a “Spirits of Spring“, it would aim to bring a positive outcome to this plague.
Spring always brings hope, and that’s what Chiwatin will be needing through his adventures. Hindered by a nasty trios of bullying crows, he must venture in the cold Canadian wild to restore beautiful colors in the environment. He needs to collect, in this top down adventure, orbs of colors to restore the beauties of spring in this colorless winter.
Thankfully to assist you along the way are two trusted animal friends, the rabbit and the bear. Each with their special abilities, they will be able to help you tackle the puzzles the environment is throwing your way: the bear can swim to hard to access area while the rabbit can bury himself in holes in the ground.
The puzzles offered aren’t too hard and it would be almost embarrassing to be stuck in them. The game isn’t meant to be hard but rather be some sort of empathy game, where you have to walk in the shoes of the clumsy Chiwatin. He will stumble. He will trip. But you must never give up.
I like a game that doesn’t rush us along the way but rather would prefer we explore at our own pace. This is where Spirits of Spring shines. The game focuses on immersing you in a powerful experience rather than confuse you with difficult gameplay. I don’t think there is any failure possible on this application either: you can and will survive is the underlined message.
The game also offers an interesting auditory experience, with very fitting music that will vary depending on the action on the screen. The voice acting is also quite poignant and helps making this game about empathy.
A bit of a short game if you dedicate your full attention to it, but still very worth it.
