Spiritfarer - REVIEW (Switch, PC)
Death is a near constant in video games. We kill enemies all the time or die ourselves as we take on challenging odds. But it’s rare for games to broach the subject of death and ponder what happens afterward. And while the new indie game from Thunder Lotus Games, Spiritfarer, does touch on the subject, it also dives into what it means to make lasting memories with those around you knowing that goodbye is never that far away.
That likely sounds heavy-handed and dour, but Spiritfarer really focuses on the connections and natural thrill of slowly making your life and the lives around you better. It’s a game about balance where I found myself smirking at some of the dialog and touched at other moments.
But what is it actually about? Spiritfarer focuses on the character of Stella, a young girl who is chosen to take over the duties of Charon, the being responsible for ferrying spirits to the afterlife. As the new Spiritfarer, Stella and her cat, Daffodil, who acts as an optional Player 2, must sail the waters and discover spirits who have yet to move on.
Once on board, these Spirits take their true form as some kind of animal, but they are very much human. They all have unfinished business which takes them across a vast ocean peppered with islands, giant turtles, dragons, and so many otherworldly events.
Satisfying their needs and requests readies them all to take the next step into the afterlife. It’s a story that doesn’t click right away. The premise is intriguing on its own, but it was difficult to wrap my head around the concept at first. It’s not as simple as finding a Spirit and taking them to a location and moving on to the next.
Instead, Spiritfarer wants the player to really get to know their passengers. What they like, what their lives used to be, their joys and sorrows, and seeing them process the things that happen to them. Along the way, the Spirits teach Stella how to fulfill their needs which inevitably helps with future passengers.
Yet it still seemed like any other life sim game where you gather materials and abilities to become more efficient and progress. But then I finished a quest line for a Spirit and actually took them to the next world, and I got chills from it all. The way the Spirit talked about their life, their acceptance of what happened in the past, their willingness to move on; it was heart wrenching.
That’s when it all clicked for me because by that point, I had built up a relationship with the Spirit and was sad to see them go. And each Spirit that left after that felt harder in some way as the game implied the implications of dying from cancer or alzheimers.
It was sad, but strangely uplifting in the way Stella gave each of them a big hug before they left. There’s something comforting in that gesture, and even though not everything is spelled out, I was satisfied with each character’s story. Amusingly enough, I didn’t fully enjoy the gameplay of Spiritfarer until after that first Spirit left either.
I understood it well enough as Stella is given a boat that’s possible to build upon. This includes a kitchen to cook, a foundry to smelt metals, fields to grow food, or even the personalized houses for the various Spirits. It becomes apparent that this is a kind of management game where you’re constantly on the lookout for new materials that will help you progress through the game.
There’s no combat whatsoever and this made me unsure, especially because the opening felt so guided. That said, I later learned it didn’t have to be as Stella can sail in any direction using the map. And that’s well worth pointing out. Nothing is timed here.
You cannot fail. It’s all about doing what you want and fulfilling that goal. At all times, Stella has an item called the Everlight, which can be used in any way necessary. It’s her fishing rod, her pickaxe, her saw, even her oven mitts. It keeps things simple yet each of the mini-games involving it have enough interaction that I was never on autopilot.
Gathering the materials needed to construct each building was satisfying, especially as each piece led to the next both in terms of passengers and construction. It all seemed pretty basic, and I felt like I had a handle on what to expect from the game.
After all, each passenger would have different quests requiring Stella to gather certain materials or visit certain islands. But then came more passengers and each one would eventually hand over a certain item which could then be exchanged at shrines to expand Stella’s moveset, granting her a double jump, a glide, a bounce, and more.
This in turn would allow her to explore even more of the islands which gave Spiritfarer an almost explorative platformer feel, especially because many of the chests contained rare items or blueprints on how to improve your existing buildings further.
And that’s not even everything as once a Spirit has passed on, a special item is granted that allows Stella to modify her ship. This attaches an ice breaker, a rock breaker, or a mist clearer that opens up even more of the map allowing players to find new and better materials that are necessary to help the other Spirits.
Once all this became clear, I couldn’t help but feel addicted. This is a genre I generally don’t play yet the gameplay loop was able to completely pull me in. I found Spirits, helped those Spirits which guided me to new abilities, crafts, materials, and buildings until they passed on, and was then able to upgrade further to explore even more.
All the while learning more about them and their past until having that final heart-wrenching goodbye. It was so easy to lose myself in the game at this point, but it does take a while to get there. And that’s because there’s a lot of downtime in Spiritfarer.
Every task takes time from cooking to growing food to simply traveling from island to island. Later in the game, this isn’t an issue as I was able to create a meal, water the plants around my ship, feed the Spirits to keep their happiness up, or upgrade my materials toward whatever I wanted to build next.
But early on, there aren’t nearly as many options so I’d simply cook or fish a little and find myself somewhat bored. I knew I was making progress, but it didn’t feel like an accomplishment. Thankfully it only took a few hours for other activities to become known and make travel much easier, especially once quick travel and alternate means to increase materials were introduced.
And some of the activities are inherently more exciting as specific locations in the sea allowed me to mine ore off a dragon’s back, collecting falling stars or bolts of lightning, chase hidden bugs, or even catch dark jellyfish. It lends to the adventurous feeling of it all, especially as I could fish up messages in a bottle leading to hidden treasure, sell off treasure to earn money, and use that money to upgrade my boat so I could have more buildings on it.
Every step felt like I was progressing. There’s even sidequests to help break up the standard activities. It doesn’t hurt that Spiritfarer utilizes an animated 2D look that’s simply stunning at times. Those exciting moments are made all the more impressive with the lighting engine on display.
But it’s the smaller moments that benefit from the graphics style. Stella may not talk, but the expressions on her face convey so much and that goes for the Spirits as well. Their animations tell a lot about their personalities, especially when giving a hug.
The world is realized wonderfully as well as the islands you sail by can be seen in the distance. It’s just a great look. And the music is fantastic as well: spiritual, haunting, funny, exciting, everything it needs to be when it needs it. I certainly won’t forget the main title or quick travel themes anytime soon.
There’s no voice acting, but there are little sound snippets to add a bit more personality. I do want to give special mention to the writing though. While the style makes everything seem kid friendly, that’s rarely the case even though it’s not profane.
Honestly, it just makes the characters feel legit. Like these are people dealing with these problems. They swear and are more acerbic than I ever would have imagined. It’s refreshing in a way. While I didn’t like all of them, and certain NPCs could be just a bit too chatty, I felt like I knew where they were coming from.
It’s good stuff. And that kinda sums up Spiritfarer. It’s a good game that becomes great over time. The start may be a bit too slow, but once it shows its hand, I couldn’t help but enjoy it. It’s a truly relaxing game that I found myself lost in for hours at a time.
Soothing in its gameplay, but knowing when to show excitement or have a more emotional gutpunch. I Liked It a Lot, and I have to emphasize that this isn’t a depressing game. It’s uplifting, sweet, and thoughtful until that final goodbye. But that’s how so many goodbyes are, aren’t they? If you’re in for the long haul, and this is a surprisingly meaty game, I think Spiritfarer is well worth picking up.
