Spiritfarer: A Lovely Game About Dying and the Afterlife
About the game
“Learn to say goodbye.” This is the theme of Spiritfarer, a game from Thunder Lotus Games. The game is described by the makers as a cozy management game about dying. Death is something that scares everyone. Death and the afterlife beyond are things that have fascinated people from eons. A popular belief is that when someone dies, their soul leaves the body and moves to another world known as the afterlife.
This game is all about dying and the afterlife. The game features a ferry master – the person who ferries people from the earthly world to the afterlife. The game features animal spirits, the souls of animals that have passed on. When you play this game, you are Stella, the ferry master. You are in charge of the boat that transports spirits of animals from the living world to the afterlife.
Characters and gameplay
The game starts with Stella having to build the boat and upgrade it. The boat has a kitchen and garden too. As the one in charge of this boat, you are responsible for maintaining it. You need to expand the boat and make changes to meet the requirements of the animals that are moving on. This is one of the most interesting and touching aspects of the game.
There are many animal characters who appear in the game. These characters have a problem or baggage that needs to be resolved before carrying on with the journey. They appeal to Stella to help them find a resolution so that they can move on easily to the other world. As Stella, you need to help these characters to move on by providing what the character needs.
For example, a character may want a place to meditate to clear its soul before moving on. You need to build a meditation room in the boat to help that character. Now, to build this room, you need resources like logs, irons, and so on. You need to collect these resources to travel to another place and get them from there. Each animal would have a requirement, and you need to do a lot of things to help meet the character’s requirements.
Another character wants something to remember her family, which is located far away. You need to go there and collect an heirloom to help the character. In this way, there are many activities you can do while playing the game. It is these activities that make this game interesting. As you journey from one place to another, there are many things you can do to keep yourself occupied. Remember that you do not have a fast ship, and it takes time to travel.
You can fish, build a garden in your boat, cook food for yourself and your friends, and do many other things to keep yourself occupied and to take care of your spirit guests. The storyline and dialogues are elements of the game that make it a truly lovely game. Stella has a cat called Daffodil that is a part of the game. You can even make the game a two-player one between Stella and Daffodil.
Death and the afterlife
Once you attain your objective and help the animal get what it wants, it is time to say goodbye. This is the most painful part of death, and it is this aspect of the game that makes it such a sweet one. Stella needs to take the animal to the end of its journey, where spirit animal being would take away the animal to the afterlife, signifying the end of the journey. This is a touching moment in this lovely game.
One of the reasons for the success of this game is that it does not involve adventures with fighting, shooting, and killing. Neither does it involve racing the clock trying to achieve missions. It is a quiet and relaxing game, where you, as Stella, try to help a spirit find salvation. The game is ideal for those who like to play video games to relax and just have a pleasant time.
Some of the attractive features of this game are:
- Emotional stories of animal spirits who want to move on.
- Engage in many activities like farming, mining, gardening, and traveling in a boat.
- Help those who want to move to the afterlife by caring for them and meeting their needs.
- Create pleasant memories of the time spent with an animal spirit and bid goodbye.
Video source: Youtube
