A MOST AGREEABLE PASTIME

Briefly glimpsed in Microsoft’s E3 conference, Spiritfarer is the latest game from Thunder Lotus, the peeps behind the beautifully hand-drawn Jotun and Sundered. And keeping with tradition, Spiritfarer is once again wonderfully hand animated.

It bills itself as a ‘cosy management game about dying’ in which you play a ferrymaster for the deceased called Stella. From the press release:

Build a boat to explore the world, then befriend and care for spirits before finally releasing them into the afterlife. Farm, mine, fish, harvest, cook, and craft your way across mystical seas. Join the adventure as Daffodil the cat, in two-player cooperative play. Spend relaxing quality time with your spirit passengers, create lasting memories, and, ultimately, learn how to say goodbye to your cherished friends.

It’s due out sometime next year for Xbox One, PC, PS4 and Nintendo Switch, and you can find out more on the official website. I, for one, was particularly taken by the idea of a game in which one of the headline bullet points blasted out in the teaser trailer is “CARE” – a lovely antidote to the usual E3 spree of video game murders!