Spiritfarer Critic Reviews

Spiritfarer excels in every genre it dips its toes in. It’s a joy to see what’s in every corner of the game’s ocean, explore every nook and cranny of the various islands, and play various minigames all while managing your ship and making sure your passengers are happy before you see them off. It’ll make you laugh, cry, and feel terrified all at the same time. It’s one of those games that, after finishing, you immediately want to play again.

Spiritfarer is a beautifully crafted, memorable experience that focuses on the dead trying to find peace upon heading into the afterlife.

Spiritfarer is somehow a game with no risk but all reward. There's no death, no pain, no rush on any task, and yet I don't think I've ever felt this complete. You're allowed to totally take your time, play on your own terms, and even though your tasks are easy, they are incredibly fulfilling. If the game had kept giving me quests, I feel as if I would have kept doing them for eternity, just because I wanted to. All of Spiritfarer's novel mechanical variations kept potentially repetitive actions from ever growing old. Its gleeful little islands got more exciting to explore as new platforming abilities were unlocked. The characters, even small ones with funny little quips of dialogue that you encounter, were friends that I cherished. I absolutely adored existing in Spiritfarer's beautifully animated, compassionate world so much that it genuinely came to feel like home.

Those who will patiently (and happily) put in the time to building their ferries and cooking for their spirit friends will be rewarded with snippets of story that might stay with them longer than they expect.

Spiritfarer is an absolute triumph and easily goes down as the best game that Thunder Lotus has created. It’s no easy feat to juggle a cast of charming characters with captivating stories, a vibrant world that allows for a ton of fun platforming, enjoyable bits of resource management and crafting, and genuinely moving moments, but they have somehow pulled it off. It’s easily one of the year’s most unique games, an incredible hybrid of genres that almost feels like it has something for everyone. It may be a lengthy beast, clocking in at a meaty twenty or so hours, but it’s a rewarding one. Even long after the curtain falls on the tale of Stella and all the friends that they’ve made, you won’t be forgetting this charming take on the afterlife anytime soon.

Spiritfarer is a gorgeous mix of an action-platformer and an Animal Crossing-style town manager that stands out as one of the most unique and enjoyable games I’ve played all year. Its lengthy campaign is full of charming characters with somber, touching stories, even when the tasks between them can occasionally lose their shine. But with little pressure to grind or hurry like so many other resource collecting games, the journey to Spiritfarer’s Everdoor is definitely one worth savoring.

Spiritfarer is an excellent game in its own right, yet its candid handling of death truly sets it apart from its peers. It's addicting gameplay loop is well complimented by its thoughtful story - anyone who likes their relaxation with a side of healthy contemplation will be hard pressed to find a more compelling game this year.

Spiritfarer is a game about saying "goodbye" to our friends. Its management mechanics are only a shield, behind which Stella, a ferrymaster, tries to help souls living a serene departure. But their journey is also Stella's journey, full of surprises, emotion and laughs and Spiritfarer is able to turn a death trip in a boat full of life, sounds and people. What is the afterlife? How we are reaching it? Spiritfarer answers with elegance and smartness. A precious gem.

Spiritfarer is worth playing for the visuals alone, but the mature storytelling and fascinating look at a concept we don’t see explored very often make it well worth checking out. Expect to put at least 35 hours in if you want to see the whole story, more if you’re a completionist.

An amazing and surprising game.

Animal Crossing mixed with Metroid is not an everyday combination, but in Spiritfarer it works exceptionally well. Managing your own boat full of colorful animals goes very well with exploring land and sea freely. The game also treats a heavy topic in a beautiful and sweet way: death.

An incredible game by Thunder Lotus Games who managed to tackle one of life's greatest tragedies with amazing grace. The beautiful storytelling, combined with the slow paced gameplay simply benefit every part of this wonderful journey.

Spiritfarer turned out to be a grand sea adventure of resource management, which added a generous collection of stories through a memorable cast of characters, all of them animated in a most sublime way so to give this game a feeling of pure magic.

Spiritfarer is a wonderful take on the management sim. It creates a profoundly fulfilling loop by rewarding character interaction far more than micromanagement. The stellar production values and writing balance the game's realistic, death-positive message with abundant empathy. Thunder Lotus has really hit the nail on the head with Spiritfarer, achieving its artistic goal with simplicity, style and remarkably few flaws.

Spiritfarer is a poignant bridge between Animal Crossing, Stardew Valley and a ferryman of the dead simulator. It’s lovely, sad, full of emotions, death and management.

With the way it combines genres, Spiritfarer simply shouldn’t work – and yet it works perfectly! It offers a varied and engaging gameplay, introduces you to fleshed-out characters, sounds and looks really good, and has plenty of content. While the story of a girl who takes up Charon’s duties of carrying souls into the afterlife tackles death without needless pathos and affirms life, it does not lack touching moments.

Spiritfarer is a beautiful and unique adventure about death. It might not be revolutionary gameplay-wise, but the way it combines the game mechanics with the storytelling is outstanding.

A clever mix between management, strategy, action and exploration. It’s not only very relaxing, but also has some heartwarming moments.

A thought-provoking and bittersweet adventure that understands that death is part of living.

In the slew of independent video games that exist, we sometimes stumble upon pure wonders. Since the budget established cannot compete with the big productions, the developers had to redouble their efforts to reach us and stand out from the crowd. Whether it's quirky gameplay, beautiful writing, or singular art direction, the emotional impact has to be strong to catch the limelight, and that's what Spiritfarer does. The game of adventure and management shows finesse and generosity. Making death the very principle of the game, wrapped in a cartoon style and while maintaining tenderness and benevolence, was a daring bet. Mission accomplished!