Title: Spiritfarer
Developer: Thunder Lotus Games
Publisher: Thunder Lotus Games
Release Date: 2020
Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One,
Nintendo Switch, PC
Age Rating: T for Teen
Genre: Action/Adventure, Indie, Management Simulation
Format: Videogame
Awards or Honors:
Nebula Award Finalist: Best Game Writing (2020)
Hugo Award Finalist: Best Video Game (2020)
Plot Summary
Perfectly described as “a cozy management game about dying” (Thunder Lotus, n.d.), Spiritfarer follows Stella, who has been named as the being that will escort spirits from this world to the next. As the new Spiritfarer, Stella explores the world, inviting spirits to join her on her vessel. Each spirit has a series of final wishes they would like to complete before passing on to the afterworld through the Everdoor. Learn more about each spirit, their death, and their hopes and dreams as Stella crafts cottages for each being and helps take care of them during this fragile time. When spirits are ready to pass over, Stella escorts them to the Everdoor for a final farewell.
Critical Evaluation
Spiritfarer is a truly beautiful game. With simple, 2D animation and fairly straightforward game mechanics, this is the perfect game for players who enjoy crafting, gardening, cooking, and adventuring. The relationship-building aspect of the game is where it really shines, though. As you meet spirits and invite them to travel on your boat, you are able to build homes for them, cook their favorite meals, talk to them, and even hug them (it’s absolutely adorable). The more you interact with characters, the more you learn about how they lived and died, as well as any regrets they have. This game takes you on a full journey with each spirit and I grew quite emotionally attached to many of them
(Summer, the snake, was one of my favorites). I’ll be honest and say that I cried multiple times when I had to say goodbye to my favorite characters!
While this game is relaxing, it definitely can become repetitive in crafting and gathering materials. Some of the animation scenes are excessively long (such as cutting down a tree or pulling a dish out of the oven). There is also quite a bit of dialogue to get through when talking to characters, some of it relevant to their story, some of it not. The only other critique I have is that there is so much hidden lore that you don’t find out by just playing the game. I looked up many characters to see their full backstory after they passed on and found out so much more information on them just by going to Wikipedia. I wish they had a way to include this information in the game somehow because it gives even more context to the spirit’s lives.
Creative Use for a Library Program
Utilize the library’s makerspace by designing and 3D-printing a mini model of what your cottage on Stella’s boat would look like.
Speed-Round Book Talk
For fans of Animal Crossing and Stardew Valley comes Spiritfarer, a collecting, gardening, and crafting game all about the afterlife. Who are the spirits who join Stella on her ship and what are their final wishes? Find out by traveling the seas and building your relationships before finally escorting spirits to the afterlife.
Potential Challenge Issues and Defense Preparation
Death is definitely a sensitive subject for most people, so I would flag the concept of death as a trigger for teens, especially those who have recently lost a loved one. Despite this, I think this game is still a great fit for these teens because it helps them almost work through the tragedy and feel a sense of calm. There is also smoking (which is done by a deer spirit) and some suggestive language that may be offensive, however, since this is a videogame and the characters that engage in this are not humans, I don’t think it would be an issue. There are no challenges to this item, to date.
Reason for Inclusion
This is a visually stunning and emotionally touching game that I think teens will love, both for the gameplay as well as the story. Spiritfarer has an addictiveness that gamers will be drawn to and is the perfect match for those who love farming or crafting simulation games.
References
Shuratart. (2021, August 15). Found some super cheap canvases at a local dollar store and wanted to see what I could do with it [Image]. Tumblr. https://shuratart.tumblr.com/post/659610552186912768/found-some-super-cheap-canvases-at-a-local-dollar
Syfeix. (n.d.). A quick sketch [Online forum post]. Reddit. https://www.reddit.com/r/Spiritfarer/comments/ij1yhp/a_quick_sketch/
Thunder Lotus Games. (n.d.). Spiritfarer. https://thunderlotusgames.com/spiritfarer/
Thunder Lotus Games. (2020). Spiritfarer [Cover Image]. Retrieved from https://www.academy.ca/2021/spiritfarer/
Wizardessfleur. (2021, April 28). Characters aesthetics (Spiritfarer): Stella and Daffodil [Image]. Tumblr. Retrieved from https://wizardessfleur.tumblr.com/post/649774030255276032/characters-aesthetics-stella-spiritfarer-1
Yetman-Michaelson, A. [@aidan_ym]. (2021, August 31). Very proud to announce my illustration for the cover of @iam8bit 's collector's edition of Spiritfarer by @thunderlotus Such a pleasure [Image]. Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/p/CTPuhewlxmo/
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