 It's rare that I will come across a game that leaves me breathless. Staggered, silent in the face of the skill and art history on display. Spiritfarer is one such title, both beautiful to look at and incredibly comforting to play. It has charming spades oozing out of every minigame and activity, pouring from every character. A little background first. I have eagerly awaited the release of Spiritfarer over the last few months and when I saw it was on Xbox Game Pass for PC, I was overjoyed. I've played one of developer tender lotuses previous games, Yotun, which incidentally was among the very first short form video essays I did when I decided I wanted to examine games through a more critical perspective several years back. After spending a few hours on Spiritfarer, over the last few days I am in a word odd. The animation is staggeringly beautiful, the music touches on your heartstrings and gameplay is an absolute joy to experience, even if this isn't the kind of game you could play for five hours straight. And the characters I have little doubt that are protagonist stellar will be remembered. It is one of the most charming protagonists in gaming for many years to come. As for Daffodil, her cat, he might in fact be the most delightful kitten I've seen yet. And in our cat-centric society, that's saying something. I want you to look at the animations on screen, see how much they tell you about Daffodil, about what he's like. This game is a phenomenal case of show, don't tell, that all-important adage for writers and artists of all creeds. Other game developers should take note. The coolest character I've come across so far might be Gwen, a stylish deerspirit who has a deep connection to stellar. Seems to be her best friend from childhood in the previous life, and is with stellar from nearly the very onset of the game. Her personality is so well presented through animation, as well as of course the dialogue, which is always good fun. Spirit Farrell is all about taking care of others, of making their passing into the afterlife a pleasant affair, of helping them move on. And I suspect I am only scratching the surface of the sorts of minigame-like activities available inside the game. The last thing I did before taking a short pause to make this video was mining an ore that had grown all over the body of a great sea serpent, turning it feral. That looked and sounded pretty damn amazing. This game is my happy place right now. It brings me comfort, and at the core of it lies this concept of coziness, which is something we can all use a little more of, especially in 2020. Just take a look at all these hugs, and tell me you don't feel your heart swelling in extra few sizes. And not because your arteries are plugged up by all the coffee and popcorn you've had over the last five months, you naughty beast. Spirit Farrell taps into the sorts of energy that very few games manage to, embracing a snug feeling that folds over you like a weighed blanket. Some of it is because this title is much more successful at creating characters you care about and want to take care of than, for example, something like Animal Crossing. And though there might be little comparison there at first glance, I would make the argument that this is an innovative spin on the social simulator genre, which large corporations such as Nintendo could learn plenty from. Namely, a lot of heart is at display, and the tools necessary to accomplish resource gathering tasks in ways that do not come across as artificially extending playtime ad nauseam. What Spirit Farrell tells is a beautiful story about the girl tasked with the great responsibility and the kindness with which she takes to it. These first few hours are a remarkable opening to what has every promise of being one of the most wonderful gaming experiences of the year. I'm eager to continue playing it. Thanks for watching. If you enjoyed this video, please like, share it, subscribe to my channel. Let me know in the comments. Are you planning on playing Spirit Farrell? Did I manage to convince you? I should hope so. It's really something special. See you next time. Bye!