Calming gameplay but very emotional with well-crafted characters(to a certain point). I really loved this game until I reached the last two spirits that made me feel uncomfortable in a way I struggle to articulate: a person with psychosis or schizophrenia that has no control over her life, and a hospital caretaker who actively despises the patients he cares for including her. The patient character is essentially a vessel for the caretaker's character growth. I understand what the devs were going for with these two, but there are ways to tell stories about people with psychosis or schizophrenia without making them into catatonic caricatures granted zero agency over their lives or even their story (because they're cRaZy). If I ever pick up Spiritfarer again I will be skipping Daria and Jackie's storylines entirely.

Spiritfarer is so enamored with its own dreamy atmosphere and gentle rhythm that it neglects to provide decent gameplay to justify its existence as a videogame. Even if the narrative often uses cheap sob stories in hopes of provoking some emotion, characters can sometimes manage to be sincerely moving through the powerful reflections they inspire, on the regrets and joys of living. That being said, the mind-numbing, sloggish routine of excruciatingly shallow chores players need to endure to get to those bits is crushing.

'Spiritfarer' was put in a hard spot for me, since I had played Outer Wilds earlier this year and it might have just been a bit emotionally stretching to play two hearty games about death so close together, sure enough, this game really got to me, so I'll talk about the easy stuff first.

From a structural standpoint, Thunder Lotus has provided a very systemically sound game here. Forgive the pun, but the onboarding in this game is fantastic, resource acquisition has its tutorialisation tied to the spirits you bring to your ship, which accomplishes two important things; First is that it paces out the rate at which the player progresses both in narrative beats via questlines as well as acquire upgrades—the gatekeeper for making ones way around the map—to most designers in the room, this sounds obvious but it's worth celebrating since this ensures that its almost impossible to get overwhelmed even with all the mechanical uncertainties found in the first 8-odd hours, something games of this ilk struggle to get right. From an accessibility standpoint, this is superb, and means almost anyone can get into the addictive tertiary progression loops which make up the addictive slice of the game. The second accomplishment is the small ludonarrative punch, each avenue of resource gathering or what-not—key components of the progression loops which make up the focal point of the game's design hold—becomes intrinsically associated with a character. That's not just the crusher you got so you could make so and so dust to unlock such and such upgrade or item, that's the crusher Bruce and Mickey made you get! That they taught you how to use. This weaving of progression paths into character relationships is further informed in some more creeping ways—upgrading your ships size because it can't hold the weight of the homes for those you've lost as well as acquiring the new things you need to move on your present vocation—and some other less subtle ways, like activation points for certain previously tutorialised travel events being at the doorstep of the corresponding characters house after they've passed. It is, of course, important to put this praise of Thunder Lotus' work in the proper context, especially as we examine the gameplay loops themselves! Granted, 'Spiritfarer' is far from being as diverse and rich with progression loops as say, 'Stardew Valley', but it's also a significantly more concise game; shorter, with more integral narrative imperatives which would make anything other than it's present level variety feel inappropriate. For you see, this is the balance 'Spiritfarer' must hold, having mechanics deep enough that players will be willing to get sucked into it's day-to-day grind whilst not completely game-ifying it's core concept, therefore failing to treat the subject matter in the way it deserves. This isn't to suggest that depth = immediate 'gameification', but the relationship the player has with any given system can't be blown out of the proportions which the NPC characters related lay down, lest the game lose the balance it has. Perhaps this is why some refer to 'Spiritfarer' as 'boring' but I prefer the term 'restrained', I think the game is good for it. It does however, make the game drag a bit toward the end. I played the game to it's fullest, doing all the update content and it certainly made the time stretch with alternate design avenues for attempts at gameplay depth—like a weirdly tricky platforming section, thanks Daria?—but I was invested enough in the characters at that point that it was no deal breaker for me. Important to emphasise characters there, mind, since the plot itself is pretty on the nose, and I was able to see the ending coming from a continent away but hey, it still made me well up so I won't throw any shade.
(A testament to how much of a baby I am. Oh yeah, and to how well written and designed the game is otherwise.)

So yes, the game systems are addictive and engrossing as far as day-to-day management games go and the dialogue thoroughly weighty and poetic, even if not breaking any new ground, but what most recognise from this game is the presentation and I've really got nothing more to say than what has already been gushed... its fucking fantastic. 'Spiritfarer' is easily one of the most beautiful looking games I've ever played, the animation is so silky and elegant, the character designs so endearing, every inch of the world profoundly majestic. I do not stop playing a game to look at them often, so, fantastic work Jo-Annie Gauthier, Marie-Christine Lévesque, Mathieu Choquet and Simon Nakauchi-Pelletier. The medium's best talent for visuals right here. Oh, and of course, the sounds of whom I listen to as I write this review, Max Lacoste Lebuis, an excellent score so well fit, with spacey production so apt in moments near the everdoor that it will send cosmic chills down all your body's bones.

Alright,
As I was making my way to completion of this game, my grandfather passed away. He was a pretty damn fantastic man, all the way until the end. He had a brief, sharp battle with leukemia, and after hearing the limitations that his life would undertake to treat it, he chose to take his rest instead at 82. He was in no condition to answer questions when I visited him before the end, and so I may never know fully how he felt and thought but I do know that he spent his last day laughing, sitting with and holding hands with his sons, in-laws, friends and grandchildren. My father told me that every time he visited he was "great", sitting in the hospital bed nothing short of satisfied with what he had done. He had accomplished amazing things with his love, and I think he knew that truly when he was surrounded by it's recipients. I've had a lot of time this year to really consider death beyond its base components, and sometimes, in that process, you'll find a piece of art at the exact time you need to. If you've played 'Spiritfarer', I don't think I need to finish that sentence. Death is the contextualiser and the meaning-maker of all the love which we should be choosing to exercise, when we desire to leave things behind, sometimes its so much more than just a 'legacy', and so much easier. Love is the choice we should all be making, life is a journey and death is just us pulling up to port, it's all good. It's all good.

Yeah. Yeah, alright this game is pretty good, eh?

This was a wonderfully emotional game that explored life beyond death. I played this shortly after losing someone that just made it hit a little harder. The characters are unique but many of them remind me of people in my own life which makes the story relatable. The game was a bit long, and I didn't finish all the characters, but I did play far enough to complete the game. Once further into the game, it did get a bit more difficult to get what you needed for passengers/upgrades. I wasn't expecting to have to grind so hard to get the many kinds of resources I needed, which I think took me out of the game a bit. I think the devs could have easily reduced that a bit and made a much more enjoyable game.