Of course, one less spirit on the boat means one less mouth to feed, one less body to constantly hug, and a markedly easier job for the player… right? Well, it’s complicated. Obviously, each of these moments feature quite a bit of poignant dialogue, and many of them are extremely emotional. After the player completes a spirit’s main quest line, they’ll ask to be taken to the Everdoor, where they’ll say their final goodbye and then depart. Though Stella’s role as the Spiritfarer is partially about running a happy ship, her main duty is still taking spirits to the Everdoor and allowing them to pass on to the next life. Through its novel framing of familiar game mechanics, “Spiritfarer” teaches the art of maintenance beautifully. And that lesson is applicable in carrying out real-life responsibilities, from doing a job or schoolwork, keeping a living space clean, or maintaining one’s own emotional wellbeing. Playing “Spiritfarer” often feels like a practical lesson in the concentration and care required for constant maintenance. Keeping everything shipshape can be meditative and relaxing in its own way, but more than anything it requires a lot of focus. It’s not hard to see why: an extremely sympathetic group of adorable, charming animal characters is counting on them, so they won’t want to let anyone down. The first thing players might notice about “Spiritfarer’s” responsibility-based gameplay is that they quickly become emotionally invested. After all, most everyday tasks in real life are done to fulfill some obligation, and “Spiritfarer” reflects that reality in order to deliver a poignant message. But even further, the “life-sim” gameplay loop that works so well for games about personal goals is also great for a story about the burden of responsibility. For one, the game’s calming music, bright colors, and charming writing keep the gameplay relaxing. This simple switch in framing changes the game’s repetitive tasks from a means of fulfilling the player’s freely chosen ambitions to an externally imposed responsibility. There is literally a cosmic mandate for Spiritfarers to perform the duty of ferrying lost souls into the afterlife and keeping them happy along the way. The subversive genius of “Spiritfarer” is that someone is definitely telling you what to do. The everyday maintenance of the ship and its passengers forms “Spiritfarer’s” primary gameplay loop. In the meantime, all the spirits need to be housed, fed, and cared for emotionally, and their mood will decrease over time unless the player takes steps to maintain it. The spirits, who each take the form of a specific, symbolically-resonant anthropomorphic animal, all have unfinished business and lingering psychological hang-ups, which are resolved through their individual main quest lines. Of course, it’s not just a simple matter of picking up a spirit and bringing them to the door. Soon, she acquires a ship and starts roaming the ocean, looking for lost spirits to take into their care and eventually into the afterlife. However, his long labor ends at the beginning of the game, and his position is passed on to a perpetually cheerful young girl, Stella, who functions as the player character. Before the events of the game, this important responsibility is carried out by the original Stygian boatman, Charon. When a spirit is ready to move on, they are summoned by a figure known as the Spiritfarer, who guides them to the Everdoor in a magical ship. Credit: “Spiritfarer,” Thunder Lotus Games
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