Spiritfarer®: Farewell Edition

Worth playing no matter where you are in life; especially so when dealing with death in any capacity. Personally, it aided me in coping and dealing with loss way better than anything else I had tried. It is cathartic and cozy, and, frankly, worth its weight in gold. Just play it, you will not regret it.

A marvelous indie game that will keep you playing for hours. In a sort of “Animal Crossing” on a boat, you will travel across the seas to encounter the “Spirits” and help them along their afterlife journey. The gameplay is based on collecting materials, crafting, building, and cooking. There are also main and side quests to complete. Every action in the game is a different “mini-game,” so crafting won’t be as boring as it might sound. For example, mining is different from wood-chopping, which is different from sewing, etc. And don’t forget about exploring the sea for the next island (it reminds me of One Piece, though…). The main focus of the game is on the Spirits, each of whom has their own story and background. You will get to know them little by little as you learn their culinary tastes, passions, and hobbies. You will become affectionate, make friendships, get emotionally moved, and then cry. Yeah, you will. If not, reconsider. In the end, a real gem of a game. IT’S A MUST!

The game is about building a dream ship for ghosts. Here's the thing: Progression feels like a chore with night cycles. Exploration isn't rewarding at best you're getting certain items. Nothing special. Game could use refinement, for example if you cook food that someone enjoys they could be waiting outside the kitchen telling you how nice it smells. The game is supposed to be a touchy feely kind of journey but the way you get resources and all is a chore and makes it not fun. The navigation system is just boring and you're waiting to get somewhere most of the time or sleeping through the night because there is nothing to be done. For a comfort game it feels like a dull slow chore to me.

As a teacher during Covid times, I'm often really stressed after work. This game is so wonderful that I find myself drawn into it so much that I can feel the stress lessen. The pacing is very intentional in that it won't let you rush through things and this is just what I need to force me to slow down and enjoy just how amazing this game is. One of my games that I can't think of any way to improve (others being Gorogoa, Her Story, and The Cat Lady). Cannot recommend enough

A very emotional, original, beautiful and largely relaxed game that has a few design flaws. I will only briefly mention the two most important ones, which can otherwise spoil the game: 1. You can't get rid of sheep. Therefore, only lure one sheep onto the ship, because more sheep will eat your garden if you don't feed them. 2. You can't get rid of trees either. So only plant each tree once. You probably only need the mulberry tree to play through the game anyway. Apart from that, you should dispatch the characters one after the other if possible, i.e. don't put the ones who get on the ship later before the others who were there before. That's how I reached a dead end and had to start again, but that was before the update.