Spirittea

Release Date: November 13, 2023

RPG, 2D, adventure elements, top-down, indie games, Game Pass, singleplayer

7.6

OpenCritic

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An RPG inspired by Harvest Moon, Animal Crossing and Stardew Valley. Spirittea has us playing as a writer in a small town full of angry spirits. The player must soothe them and take care of their needs.

Videos and Screens

[1:23] Spirittea trailer #3

[1:28] Spirittea trailer #2

7.6

OpenCritic Rating

Game is Recomended by 63% of Critics. There are 11 Critic Reviews.

OpenCritic

Destructoid: 4 / 10 by Zoey Handley

I think the developer, Cheesemaster Games, had the passion and the vision to make Spirittea something special. And, to be fair, one person’s boredom is another’s relaxation. However, all the parts should have been better planned out before they were assembled. Instead of a bunch of complementary systems that build into a satisfying, captivating, and relaxing game, it’s just an inescapable tub of annoyances. After that experience, I really need to take it easy for a bit.

Full Review

Digital Chumps: 7 / 10 by Will Silberman

Spirittea is the farming sim with Miyazaki vibes I've wanted for a hot minute. It doesn't onboard the player in the most intuitive fashion, so it's a smidge hard to pick up to get into the groove. But, once you've managed to parse through the disparate tea leaves that make up its multiple activities and mechanics, it's worth a try. I'm looking forward to seeing how Spirittea evolves in the future while I enjoy its coziness this holiday season.

Full Review

Siliconera: 7 / 10 by Jenni Lada

Spirittea offers the same sort of satisfaction in experiencing daily chores as games like Stardew Valley and Story of Seasons.

Full Review

Spirittea is an RPG inspired by such games as Stardew Valley, Harvest Moon and Animal Crossing, as well as iconic Studio Ghibli movies, such as Spirited Away and My Neighbor Totoro. The game was developed by Cheesemaster Games, an indie studio founded by Dan Beckerton. It was successfully crowdfunded on Kickstarter.

Plot

Spirittea has us playing as a writer, coming to a small town in search of inspiration to finish their latest book. After drinking tea from an antique cup, the protagonist gains the ability to see the spirit world; they also discover the town is crawling with furious ghosts, angry over being forgotten. Our task is to finish our latest work and calm down the angry spirit before they become uncontrollable.

Mechanics

Spirittea makes use of the top-down perspective. We start off by creating our playable character. The primary gameplay mechanic is spirit searching. Where we'll find them depends on the place, the time of day and season. To soothe an angry spirit, we must complete a quest for it, then take it to a special bathhouse at the foot of the mountain.

Since it's the only way to placate angry spirits, the bathhouse should be our priority. Clean towels, food and hot water isn't enough to keep them happy. We must pay attention to our guests' individual preferences, such as the aromatics used in the bathhouse and the place they occupy (we must make sure the spirits only neighbor other spirits who are friendly to them). If we do everything well, the spirits will pay us for our services, letting us spend money on expanding the bathhouse, purchasing more furniture, upgrades, food, clothes and entertainment, such as visiting the arcade. We should also make offerings at shrines and temples to deepen our link to the spirit world.

That's not all, as there are many living inhabitants we should make friends with as well. To establish new relationships, we must help encountered characters with their problems and join them during various activities, portrayed as mini-games. In moments of downtime we can spend time fishing, catching worms, treasure hunting or exchanging figurines obtained from arcades. There are also numerous festivals and events to participate in.