Spice and Wolf: The Wind that Spans the Sea

The Wind that Spans the Sea (狼と香辛料 海を渡る風, Ōkami to Kōshinryō Umi o Wataru Kaze? is a dating and business simulation game, developed by ASCII Media Works in collaboration with the Spice & Wolf Production Committee. The game was released in Japan on September 17 2009 for Nintendo DS.

The game takes on and improves many elements from its predecessor, My Year With Holo, released a year earlier for the DS, without being a direct sequel.

Story
Players can step into the shoes of series’ protagonist Kraft Lawrence, on his adventures with the Wisewolf, Holo. Whilst travelling north to find information about Holo’s hometown, the two are confronted by a massive channel of water which they cannot cross without passing through strict identity checks, impossible for the wolf-eared Holo to complete. Searching for alternative passage, they meet game-original character Luka (ルカ, Ruka) daughter of a ferryman who is currently missing.

Gameplay
Like the first game, gameplay consists of travelling through various locations, trading goods and acquiring information to uncover the conspiracy behind the Church preventing access to the North. There are various new and improved mechanics, such as the inclusion of contracts with strict deadlines for deliveries, and a grid-based inventory system.

Also new is the inclusion of a third character to travel with, allowing players to make the opportunity to decide between deepening their relationship with Holo, or another heroine of their choice. Possible companions include Nora, a shepherd-girl, Eve, a merchant whose skills are said to out-class Lawrence’s, or new character Luka.

Additional Content
Released at the same time as the regular game, the limited edition features 3 additional bonuses. The first is a soft cover for a DS with art of Holo drawn by Emu, who was responsible for all the chibi character artwork seen in both games. The second is a CD complete with 24 tracks from the game, and the last is a reproduction of the massively popular life-sized pre-order bonus poster from the first game, this time featuring images of Holo and Luka on either side.