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Spirittea, a mix of Stardew Valley and Spirited Away, is out today on Steam and Game PassGive those ghosts a glow up
Give those ghosts a glow up
Image credit:No More Robots
Image credit:No More Robots
I have fond memories of Spirited Away - it was the film that re-introduced me to anime as an undergraduate, following the traditional early-career middlebrow otaku phase of obsessing over Akira, Cowboy Bebop and Ghost in the Shell while turning my nose up at stuff like Naruto, because it’s “just for kids”. I was on the brink of pitching a Spirittea review, but then our reviews editor Ed Thorn emerged howling and gibbering from the floorboards and asked me to review a 100-hour RPG instead (won’t spoil), so I’ll have to settle for trying the demo.
Spirittea launches November 13 on Steam, Game Pass and Nintendo Switch!Watch on YouTube
Spirittea launches November 13 on Steam, Game Pass and Nintendo Switch!
As with Stardew Valley, Spirittea is about managing a lot of different things at once. You’ve got to board, bathe and feed the spirits, who range in size from ecotoplasmic emoji to huge tiger gods. You’ve got to keep the bathhouse clean and stocked with towels and wood for the boilers, while gradually introducing new furnishings and decorations. You’ve got to visit the shops to buy said furnishings and decorations, which will probably go easier if you make friends with the locals, and join them for recreational activities such as karaoke. And you’ve got to ensure that spirits who don’t like each other don’t end up in the same tub.
The top-down sprite-based visuals (badumtish) don’t have the charm of the Studio Ghibli film, but taking Cheesemaker to task for this feels deeply ungenerous - few videogame artists can beat Ghibli at their own game. VG247’s Kelsey Raynor hasa reviewin which she summarises Spirittea as both a fine time in itself, and a nice way to while away the weeks and months before the release ofHaunted Chocolatier, the next game from Stardew Valley creator ConcernedApe. In Haunted Chocolatier, you enlist spooks to run a confectionary business. Perhaps there’s scope for some kind of crossover story?
Here’sthe Steam page with the demo. I’m not sure how long the demo will be up - Steam publishers often take them offline after launch. Mind you, the game will also be available as part of the Game Pass subscription service.
