The Invader game pieces were made white deliberately in Spirit Island to highlight that light colors do not always imply 'good'.

[1] The game has four expansions, Branch & Claw, Jagged Earth,[2] Feather and Flame, and Nature Incarnate (the last released in 2023).

Over the course of the game players unlock more abilities for their Spirit and additional Power cards, making them stronger and more capable of pushing back the Invaders.

[9] The Invaders' actions are controlled by a deck of cards that dictates the areas of the board they Explore, Build, and "Ravage".

[9] In their full review they described the game as complex and deep, calling the array of choices a "wonderfully thinky puzzle", though highlighting the potential for analysis paralysis.

[12][13] In an article for The Atlantic, Luke Wilkie stated that Spirit Island is "one of the few flat-out anti-colonial games on the market".