Stella and her cat Daffodil, find themselves in the odd situation of taking over responsibilities of Charon. He hands them a rundown ship and plops them in the middle of an ocean that is littered with islands. They must now sail to find spirits who are ready to travel alongside them. That is, till they are ready to be ferried into the gate that leads them to… accepting death. Spiritfarer is a game that defines itself succinctly in a single sentence: “A cosy management game about dying”.
When they say “cosy”, they don’t mean it loosely. The game has no combat. There is no sense of urgency to do anything, really. The graphics are pretty and welcoming. The music is out of a dream, with the underlying constant tune integrating itself very nicely into the tasks in the games. And the tasks are cozy too—I can fish, cook, smelt metal, grow crops in a garden, or just reorganise my ship deck till I am satisfied with the aesthetic. I can also choose to just sail the seas and simply talk to random spirits in each of the islands.
But the cosiness of Spiritfarer is not at the cost of a challenging gameplay, because there is always something that I can do. Management of the ship and its inmates demand Stella’s attention, as they constantly ask for tiny favours. For example—Atul, the frog, asks for fried chicken. Sounds easy enough, till I realised that to procure chicken, I must travel to a faraway, snowy corner of the map. To travel there, I need to upgrade my ship, so it can crack through the icy borders of the islands. To upgrade my ship, I need certain essential minerals. To procure these minerals, I must also upgrade my skills. The task of getting fried chicken is now a 10-hour journey—which at no point feels like a grind, because of the story itself.
The story involves Stella meeting different people who are connected to her in some way in the real world. In this strange plane between life and the beyond, they are anthropomorphic animal versions of themselves, carrying only key memories and behaviours from life on earth. The favours that she carries out for them unlock fresh interactions and information. The story of Spiritfarer is intrinsically linked to the concept of death. Yet they never really discuss the manner of death—it is not a sad, dark game.
Instead, the story made me invested in their lived experiences, their motivations, and regrets. It had me simultaneously wanting to cry, but also feeling very warm throughout. Stella is a comforting presence to them till the end. Through her, we can give the characters hugs and warm food, till they find themselves ready to move on. An absolute 10/10 game. Anyone from beginners to gaming veterans can play it—it is available on the PC, Nintendo Switch, Xbox, and PlayStation.