Spiritfarer will probably make you cry. I say “probably” because everyone I’ve recommended it to has, and I include myself in that count. It’s a game about ferrying spirits to the afterlife while running a floating farm, and that description doesn’t begin to capture what it actually does to you.
I played it during a stretch where I was processing something I hadn’t said out loud. The game didn’t know that. It just happened to be about letting go, which is what I needed to practice.
What it is
A management game where you sail a boat, build facilities, cook meals, and care for spirit passengers until they’re ready to move on. Each spirit has their own personality, needs, and story. You get to know them. You help them. And then you take them to a door and they leave. The art is gorgeous. The music is extraordinary. The emotions are real.
Available on PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, Xbox, and Mobile.
Why it helps when you’re running on empty
Spiritfarer is slow, gentle, and emotionally rich. It’s about grief and letting go, but it handles those things with such warmth that it never feels heavy in the crushing way. It feels heavy in the relief way. The way a good cry does. You’re not depleted after playing it. You’re processing. There’s a difference.
For when you need to feel something. Not be told what to feel. Just feel it.
not sure if this is the right game for you right now? there’s a quiz that matches you to a cosy game based on how burnt out you are. two minutes.
