Ask Lemmy

Not the previous poster, but I'll share what I can. And I'm assuming you already know the premise from the store page, but to provide context to others:

Spiritfarer is a chill meditation on the nature of death. Due to random circumstances, the main character (and her cat) take over for the mythological figure of Charon and are now tasked with ferrying the dead. So over the course of the game, you encounter a number of notable spirits, who each have their own stories to learn. But you don't need to bring them to their final destination until they're ready to go, so in the meantime they just kinda join your crew and hang out.

Mechanically, Spiritfarer is a resource management game. You upgrade your boat with buildings that serve a particular purpose, like gardens, a kitchen, a blacksmith, etc. and use resources grown on the ship or found at various islands to craft materials needed for upgrades and some quest turn-ins. Some key upgrades for the boat are needed to progress to other parts of the map, where more things become accessible over time.

In terms of what makes the game appealing, it's almost entirely vibes-based. None of the resource management mechanics feel rushed or stressful, so it's easy for people to proceed at their own pace. It also supports 2P multiplayer, where player 2 plays as the cat and can do everything P1 can. The spirits your encounter provide mechanical benefits to your boat, but also have their own stories to learn that reveals more about who they were in life—often more tragic than one would initially assume. But I think the main emotional gut punch of the game is knowing that the spirits need to move on eventually. You're just trying to help them find closure first. And often, they're ready to go when you're not ready to say goodbye yet.

So I recommend it as a game to play in small spurts, but I wouldn't go too long in between sessions. For me, it made for some good unwind time after some long days of work. And if you have someone else to do couch co-op with, I think it's a good game for couples. But if you put it down and don't come back for a while, it can be easy to forget what things you were working on. It's not a hard game, so probably not too much effort to figure out your way back on track, but it might be worth restarting if you're still at the beginning.