Game of the Month #100 (May 2023) - Spiritfarer

Spiritfarer is a cozy management game about dying. As ferrymaster to the deceased, build a boat to explore the world, care for your spirit friends, and guide them across mystical seas to finally release them into the afterlife. What will you leave behind?
How long is Spiritfarer?
When focusing on the main objectives, Spiritfarer is about 25 Hours in length. If you're a gamer that strives to see all aspects of the game, you are likely to spend around 41 Hours to obtain 100% completion.

Brilliant. I just started this game yesterday, so I'm looking forward to contributing my thoughts this month!

Disappointed Fallout 3 lost, but wow this game looks to be very interesting and the synopsis is right up my alley. Sign me up!

Disappointed Fallout 3 lost, but wow this game looks to be very interesting and the synopsis is right up my alley. Sign me up!

That's the cool part about the Game of the Month. I've discovered so many game throught this in the past few years, games I would have never tried otherwise. It's a great way to make interesting discoveries and get out of our confort zone.

I'm going to check how all of your first thoughts are and then I might unretire the game. I didn't like the characters back when I played it, because they were a bit too whine-y and complain-y for my liking. If first impressions of most people are good, I will try again. There's something about this game that I still want to check out, so this might be a good chance.

I'm very excited this one won! My girlfriend played it a couple of months ago and was very into it, and from what I saw on passing glances to the TV, I think I'll very much enjoy it too. Don't know when I'll be able to start it, but probably it will be late this week or early next week.

I did play a very very short amount of this game before. But it was just one of the minigames for processing materials. My girlfriend hated the wood/planks one so she asked me to do a bunch of it. Hopefully now I'll see the full experience the game has to offer

I can't wait to play this game! It looks amazing from the looks of it.

The synopsis is very interesting. I just know the game is going to emotionally devastate me, and I'm all for it.

welp it just so happened that spiritfarer went on sale today so that's lucky and it was under my threshold for a purchase (fiver) so geuss i'll be joining this months GotM

Played this over a year ago on Game Pass and got 6 hours in, with a pretty big boat. Can't remember why I stopped, it was way before it left GP iirc. Was surprised to see the average playtime at 25+ hours considering how far I remember getting in 6 hours.

A management/farming game is not typically a game I have enjoyed in the past 5+ years but I really enjoyed the rhythm this game got me into.

I saw it was on Netflix games, but after trying it on my iPhone and iPad for a short time my game would not save, and I have seen reports from others with the Netflix version with similar issues. As well as lag when your boat gets bigger.

Was going to stop all thoughts of a replay when it went on sale on Steam. I got the artbook and soundtrack for an extra $2. My Xbox save didn't cross of over to Steam, as it was in their encrypted format, but I felt like if I were to continue from a save I would have forgotten where I was anyways, so I started over and played an hour so far and am enjoying it again, remembering why I liked it in the first place. Still not sure how much more than the 6 hours I played last time I will go, as these games can start to overwhelm me, but unlike last time I haven't been putting games on hold as much.

Heads-up, Spiritfarer is also in this month's Choice bundle!

A lovely relaxing (maybe aside from the emotional gut punches) game, although I've not seen everything as there were some characters added post-launch and after I'd finished.

So I had my first session of the game. Didn't get far but basically got through I think alot of the tutorial and now working to get my second spirit. So far this feels like a much slower game that I'm used to as my main game. I might move this into the podcast game and continue to play horizon. Still it doesn't feel bad but instead rather relaxing. Really enjoy how happy the player character gets when she fishes out an old shoe

Been playing a bunch these last few days. Basically 12 hours in, and even as I'm writing this I want to put a few more hours before going to bed..

It has been very enjoyable so far! It strikes a great between for me between being chill enough to not stress and taking it easy, and having enough stuff to do to not just being plain boring. Kudos for that

For a progress report, I've had a total of 10 different spirits in my boat and 5 of them have already left and I'm pretty sure one is very close to. I've built most of the regular buildings for the boat (missing one I think)

Hope I can finish it before TotK releases, although I'm not holding my breath. Want to make sure I enjoy this game, not just rush through it

What I really enjoyed about Spiritfarer when I played it a while ago, was the meta narrative of the story and how it formed what I consider to be a very elegant and beautiful metaphor for the main character's experiences. I don't want to spoil anything, but linking all of those pieces together really worked for me, and I appreciate how it manages to discuss a topic like death from so many different perspectives and with diverse beliefs in mind. The 'gameplay' / management element was enjoyable enough, but what really sold me on this game was that wonderful narrative and how it did such a good job at telling its story.

— 05/03/2023 10:06 PM
Not sure how I'm really going to give progress for this game with the way it is mainly just management of my ship. It's now big and I have 4 companions. Got a few requests to finish

— 05/04/2023 10:10 PM
Still four companions but I am building up the ship now. Got a forge and went to the deers old home and met the lions turtle friend

— 05/05/2023 11:07 PM
The deer has disappeared I suspect gone back to her hold home.
I built the cottage for the sheep lady and going to pick her up now.
The snake seems to be in a deep sleep so need to go to the shipwright to see what I can do.
The frog just wants food. Feed him pork chops now he wants fried chicken.
The lion i'm trying to help find her past husband... he does not seem to be the greatest from what I've heard from everyone.
Talked to the art collector need to find the hippo who has taken his last piece for an art collection

— 05/07/23 11:09 PM
So the snake and deer have both gone through the everdoor. I didn't get any talks with hades with the snake so suspect that I need to get at least one more person through the everdoor (going by the upgrade path of the boat).
Picked up the eagle art collector, armadillo and the male lion as well.
Built the orchcid for the armadillo as well.
No further updates on the frog don't know where to get fat (no spoilers I'll find it)

-- 06/07/23 at 11:14 pm
The Armadillo is gone now. Damn my nan is being affected by dementia and that whole story really did affect me. Beautifully done
Got the rock ram so more of the area is available to me
I was helping the male lion get some roses and chocolates for his special lady. Doubt it's his wife and she is getting suspicious. Will be keeping an eye on them
Built the eagle his gallary but the woodworker is trying to swindle me for 450,000 glim. Yeah that ain't happening going to tell his "partner"
picked up the bull and bird and built them a home. They want me to improve it now
Still no fat

So EoW I've gotta a better understanding of the game and really enjoying it. Its a management game which isn't rushing but always keeping you busy and allows you leisurely reach it's objectives and some great little stories for each character. It really is celebrating them each as there own with there own wants and faults. Still the game is not perfect I found the building of new building rather annoying as you can't move over buildings while building so you have to have the right amount area already ready when building. The characters at times can also waffle on alot longer I would rather have them and while I think i'm about halfway through the game it is starting to get repetitive

ive been meaning to play it for like a week, but i finally got around to trying out the demo for this game. i didnt complete it yet but from what i played, i really enjoyed it! its got a really cute artstyle, charming characters, relaxing gameplay and some really nice background music. reminds me a lot of stardew valley in some ways, except im already enjoying this a lot more lol. i might pick this up when im finished the demo!

So I have been (mostly) enjoying this game, but I'm with Knalb - I'm around 12 hours in now and there are parts of it that are growing quite repetitive.

There's also the frustration of needing X to get Y, but you haven't unlocked the ability to get X yet because you haven't picked up the right spirit or the right boat upgrade. While this is normally fine there's been times where I've spent ages trying to figure out where I need to go or who I need to pick up to get the right item.

Generally I've been enjoying the more peaceful, laid back storytelling, art and music though.

— 05/08/2023 10:10 PM
So yeah the lion was cheating and I told his wife. In the end the lion left shortly after while the wife hung around for 6 days before moving on.
picked up a mysterious seed and it turned into a child mushroom. He's basically going around asking for attention.
Finally fed the toad his fried chicken he then wanted a big meal with 3 of the other passengers... and then dissappeared
The bull and bird now has a full improved area and now wants to go camping. It is in the mist so I can't get there yet.
The little bird wanted me to build a coco coo tower... well that's what the architecture said in the end built her a small apartment. Now she wants to go get coupons.

So this time I found myself a bit stuck trying to getting silk had to build a new orchard to get them. Basically in this session I spent alot of time waiting and still need to get more ectoplasm but the event is not triggering for me so more waiting. I'm hoping that I can do some over requests while a wait but I think i'm hitting the hard end of the game with these waiting sessions

— 05/08/2023 10:19 PM
So all the spirits I was used to have now disappeared and I think this is basically following all the people that stella met throughout her life. I say this due to the mansion showing up in her memories and a person who looks like the male lion. I feel a loss throughout this as the new characters don't feel a comfortable as the previous ones and I feel this is intentional as most of the previous spirits seemed to of had family connections with stella while the new ones don't have that same connection and closeness

— 05/10/2023 10:17 PM
So the bull and bird, mushroom and eagle have or about to go through the everdoor. Only the little bird is left on the ship now.
She basically keeps going on about a farmhouse and asking for people pictures for the projector
Talking to the hyena now seems a bit lazy but we'll see.
I have met Hades for the last time. I thought Stella was already dead but seems she's just barely hanging on. Seems I'm close to end and looks like it'll end with Stella going through the everdoor

— 05/11/2023 10:12 PM
Not much to add today really Lily has shown up but currently dealing with the berry shanniegians. Only one passenger really left on board over one else has left although Jackie is making requests

— 05/12/2023 10:06 PM
So done three of the lily requests
Elena was brought onto my ship. Asked for a house and gave challenges then left. She was short and concise
Buck has joined and had set up a DnD game and I'm now just dealing with the quest
Jackie is a big arsehole who's barely doing his job and expecting me to do everything

— 05/13/2023 11:33 PM
All lily request our done and that means that stella is ready to leave the boat. I still need to deal with jackie, darla and buck first though. Darla is ready for the everdoor though. Jackie has dissappeared after his temper tantrum and the hospital got better with his absence. Buck has sent me on a DnD quest and now I need to light all the lighthouses. One left. A single shanneigan is also what i'm working on in getting more staff for the hospital

— 05/14/2023 11:17 PM
Just completed Spiritfarer with 100% of requests done. In the end I found the game rather beautiful in how it deals with death and how it praises and humanises a person even the antagonistic of characters. Alot of tearjerkers in here (Standouts for me were Alice, Stanley, Bruce, Jackie and of course Stella). Still it's not perfect and I found the main game loop got stale especially in the end game when you start having less and less spirits on the ship (I basically lost 3 at the same time and was left with just one and the game stayed that way until the end). I'll write up a full review in the coming days

Spiritfarer
Completion May 14, 2023
Main+Extras 33h 19m 17s
Notes 100% Requests
Review
+A well written and bittersweet about accepting death and moving on
+Extremely well drawn and beautifully drawn game
+Cosy little management game which doesn’t rush you
-Main gameplay loop can get stale especially in the end game
-Game slows down a lot in the end game and makes a lot of previous duties obsolete
-Animations and dialogue can take a lot of time when you have already seen them before
Overview:
Spiritfarer is a beautiful and serene game about accepting death by empathising with the characters going through and really humanising a lot of the characters especially the more antagonistic characters. There are many times where I cried at there stories. It does this in a very bright and cosy management game where you build for your spirits as well as feed them in a very relaxing way. The game however kinda petties out in the end in terms of game play as the loop starts shrinking with less and less demands and the repetitious of the loop starts to hurt the flow of the game. It still a game I highly recommend though
9/10

I'm pretty much in agreement with Knalb here. I think the game is beautiful and the story is heartfelt, but the endgame really drags, there are areas of the game where you struggle to progress until you happen to find the right spirit (I'm looking at you, Bottled Ectoplasm), and I wasn't a big fan of some of the characters.

That said, the music and visuals are very chilled, and some of the spirit's stories might really resonate with you. I'm happy to have finished this one up and I think overall it's worth trying if you haven't already and enjoy this kind of game.

Wow, this is cool. Didn't know this game of the month existed. I'm very interested, will be nice to talk about the games I play with others, instead of talking the ears off of my friends that don't play the same games I do.

I don't know that I'll be able to fit Spirit Farer into May at this point since I'm neck deep in Zelda But I'll definitely check in on this list each month going forward!

Soothing. Loving it so far.

Kinda wish the animations were faster. I'm a bit impatient, haha

About halfway through. Definitely agree with what others have commented. Here's what I think so far:

Game is sloooow. A lot of tedious mini-games, back tracking, and sailing. I've actually found it more enjoyable to set sail to safe mode, and alt tab out. I also no longer bother with mundane tasks like watering plants or feeding guests as those tasks seem pointless and only serve to slow down the game even further - the plants still grow (albeit slower, and seeminly no consequences to hungry guests)

I dislike how little guidance the player gets. I feel like 50% of my time has been spent endlessly wandering around trying to figure out what I need to do to progress. The stupid fried chicken request and the ice breaker upgrade had me stumped and until I looked up a guide out of frustration, turned out I was still too early to complete the former, but I had no way of knowing that.

I feel the game relies too heavily on the theme of death and associated emotions to carry it, but gameplay wise it plays no better than a cheap mobile game time sink - minus pay to win mechanics thankfully.

Okay finished the game finally and just in time!

You guys weren't kidding when you said the end game drags. I had two quest lines remaining in my end game that both needed certain amounts of in game time to pass to progress, but I had nothing else left to do so I alt-tabbed out (luckily there is an option to keep game running in background) and played Genshin Impact.

Overall it's a slightly below average game. Lackluster gameplay wrapped in a good story (and characters) and reliant on player emotions to carry it.

7/10

Right. So I ended up retiring the game after 17:50h. I have issues with it.

The game is far too long for what it is. Gameplay wise it ultimately boils down to a hell of a lot of waiting, doing chores in-between, and getting bits of dialogue from your spirits every now and again. There's too much time spent waiting and doing chores in-between segments of dialogue because you constantly get gated due to a lack of abilities or ship upgrades, preventing you from progressing quest lines that you really want do, until you explore more places and pick up more characters to unlock access to where you need to be to pick up more resources, to grant access to buildings which you in turn need to unlock more materials to progress quest lines.

It's interesting enough for the first 10 hours, at least before the good vibe of the game stops carrying the tedious gameplay, but very quickly gets repetitive, as you pretty much do the same thing over and over and over again like it's Groundhog Day but on a boat, only to get a few lines of dialogue. It wouldn't be so bad if you could skip to your destination, which would probably cut down all the padding from a 25+ hour game to a more manageable 8-10 hours with better pacing, but alas you have to set your destination, wait/tab out of the game/do chores on the ship, do what you came to do, set destination to somewhere else, wait some more. You can shorten travel times through taxis located throughout the map, but that makes it even more tedious as you now have to wait to get to the taxi, get off the ship, choose the taxi destination, choose your other destination, with annoying times of waiting in-between. You do unlock upgrades to make your ship a bit quicker later in the game, but it's too little too late. On top of that, your ship doesn't travel at night and you have to go to bed, which annoyingly resets the destination you had set in your ship before you went to bed. It's very tedious and mind numbing. Cue in spirits on your boat nagging you for food all the freaking time. What also doesn't help is that gathering and processing resources is a repetitive process, with processing resources entailing minigames that get boring very quickly and can't be automated. If i had to guess, the game is 60% waiting, 20% doing chores, 10% dialogue and 10% exploration.

The writing is decent enough, but there just isn't enough of it imho to get you to properly form an emotional bond with a character by the time they leave the ship. There were a few memorable ones, but going into the game I expected it to hit a bit harder on an emotional level, or at least do a better job at forming a bond between the player and the spirits. At the very least the high points of the game are the scenes at the spirit door, which I thought were well done.

What I liked about the game were the crisp art style and the beautiful OST. It had good vibes going through a combination of those, but it just doesn't carry the boring, repetitive gameplay loop over the inflated duration of the game.

I'm trying to switch from a 10-point review scale to a 5-point scale, so for me, Spiritfarer scores a 2/5.