Explore New Horizons for Spirit Island

U.S. publisher Greater Than Games has announced a spin-off title for R. Eric Reuss' well-loved Spirit Island, with Horizons of Spirit Island scheduled for release in October 2022.

Horizons of Spirit Island, which is co-designed and developed by Reuss and GTG's Christopher Badell, came about following a request by U.S. retail chain Target for "a lighter standalone version of Spirit Island". Reuss and GTG instead developed this standalone game that features the core mechanisms of Spirit Island, but with a new double-sided game board for a streamlined set-up, punchboard components that would lower the retail price of the game, and five new Spirits designed to be ideal for those playing a Spirit Island game for the first time. To quote from the announcement:

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Sun-Bright Whirlwind is all about control and thrives with utility Powers, enabling fellow Spirits to reach new heights, while Fathomless Mud of the Swamp piles up sacred sites, delaying the Invaders' Build actions and oozing across the island to make construction miserable for the Invaders.

Eyes Watch from the Trees thrives by rallying the Dahan to fight for the fate of the Island, spreading Fear while defending lands, while Rising Heat of Stone and Sand saps the very vitality of the Invaders with oppressive heat, reducing their health and burning away their strongholds.

While less complex than those in the original base game, these new Spirits are compatible with all existing Spirit Island components, so you could use them together with the Jagged Earth expansion, for example, but Horizons of Spirit Island is not a replacement for Spirit Island since you need components from that base game in order to use the expansions.

More from the announcement:

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Horizons of Spirit Island will be available for $30 at Target in the United States in October 2022, and will remain exclusive to Target for two years from release. The new Spirits, alternate components, and new player onboarding experience in this game are quality-of-life options that wouldn't be possible without Target's interest in adding a new title to the Spirit Island catalog of games.

I can understand why Greater Than Games included that explanation. Many fans of a game are disappointed when material is released through an exclusive outlet, but without that outlet, this item would not exist in the first place. Maybe it's a mixed blessing for players around the world, but publishers like to stay in business, so it doesn't make sense to shun a deal that will introduce your game to thousands of new players who might never have seen it otherwise.

For fans of the original game, GTG's notes that a crowdfunding project for Spirit Island: Nature Incarnate, a full expansion for Spirit Island, will launch on BackerKit on October 18, 2022.