SPIRITFARER
Don’t miss the boat on this one
The newest guest on Stella’s houseboat for the dead is a giant snake coiled under a heavy cloak. Only recently departed, she’s already hissing about making preparations for her trip to the afterlife. But ferry-girl Stella knows it’s not the journey or even the destination that matter – it’s the friends we make along the way. So what if hers are dead?
Summer the snake first requests her own onboard meditation space – one with plants and lots of light and even a hammock she can curl up in adorably. After a quick visit to the Shipyard, our sweet old snake lady soon feels right at home. Next on Summer’s bucket list is a trip to the sleepy village of Hummingberg to take in the sights and search for a lost family heirloom.
SAVE OUR SOULS
Journeying between ports takes real-world time which you can spend tending to your garden, fishing, cooking, or even catching lightning for extra cash. Your other shipmates will have plenty of requests, but a good old-fashioned hug can also improve their mood. That said, it takes Gwen the deer a moment to reciprocate our first hug but she rejects a followup, telling us, “Please, Stella… A little bit of space would be appreciated.” The road to friendship is not paved with a boatload of bear hugs, and helping your deceased menagerie find peace is going to take more work than min-maxing an affection meter.
That said, thanks to the exquisite character animation, every embrace is sure to leave you with a case of the warm fuzzies.
Small gestures, from how Summer sways in her baggy wrap-around to how the Raccoon salesman rubs his hands together in greeting, promise a thoroughly charming journey that’s worth the trip.
But, alas, all too quickly our time with the demo comes to an end. Summer tells us she’s ready to move on and her family heirloom, found after a bit of deft platforming on our part, guides the way through uncharted waters. As the final lantern is lit a strange winged creature looms into view. But that’s just one tantalising mystery the demo offers. We can’t wait to climb aboard the good ship Spiritfarer later this year and properly acquaint ourselves with dry-witted Gwen, chase storms with giant toad Atul, and get to know more of Stella’s seafaring souls besides.
“EVERY EMBRACE IS SURE TO LEAVE YOU WITH A CASE OF THE WARM FUZZIES.”