asking staff for Spiritfarer personal stories of loved ones to help flesh out the characters that were already in the works. The characters were designed first and then given raw personality traits, such as being attuned with their inner animal or more human in nature. The game itself is described as a construct of Stella's mind and how she develops her views and understanding of death. Guérin mentions that this is also shown in the landscapes of the islands as the game flows and Stella travels the map. Reception Spiritfarer received "generally favorable reviews" for the PC version, according to review aggregator Metacritic. IGNs Tom Marks rated the game 9/10 and gave it the Editor's Choice award, comparing the game to a combination of Animal Crossing and an action platformer. He stated that, while the game "tackle[s] the heavy topic of death and those left behind in its wake", it is nonetheless "colorful" and "feel-good". He called the campaign "full of charming characters with somber, touching stories", though stating that "not all the characters are as impactful as others". He stated that the backtracking got "tiresome" and the formula of the game became predictable, with mundane tasks becoming "repetitive fast" if the player attempted to optimize their efficiency, but that the game forcing beloved characters to leave was emotionally affecting. Rachel Watts of PC Gamer rated the game 85/100, saying that it is a "wholesome life-sim" that "deals with the topic of death and compassion with masterful balance". However, she criticized the "purposeful vagueness" about the nature of the afterlife and its inhabitants as "muddl[ing] the clarity of the characters' intentions". Eric Van Allen of USgamer rated the game 4/5, saying its writing is "warm, funny and charming", and the game is "best enjoyed in small pieces". It was nominated for Games For Impact and Best Indie Game at The Game Awards 2020. It is also a finalist for the Nebula Award for Best Game Writing and the Hugo Award for Best Video Game. Thunder Lotus announced that by December 2021, the game had sold one million copies. Notes References External links Official site 2020 video games Indie video games Linux games MacOS games Sailing video games Adventure games Windows games PlayStation 4 games Nintendo Switch games Xbox Cloud Gaming games Xbox One games Video games about the paranormal Video games developed in Canada Cooperative video games Video games featuring