Spiritfarer, announced last year, looks like a perfect panacea for stress. It's a fetching resource management game that gives you a cute houseboat and tasks you with ferrying the spirits of animals to the afterlife, like Charon's nicer sister. You can get a good look at life on and off the boat in the first gameplay teaser, above.
It's a peculiarly comforting game about death, making you host lots of chatty animals until they're ready to pass on. Beyond the boat, you can hunt down resources and gifts that you can then use to upgrade your home and please your passengers. You'll cook meals, build new rooms and befriend the critters, presumably making it bittersweet when it's time for them to leave.
The ferry is essentially a very nice hotel, complete with services ranging from meditation rooms to sheep shearing—it covers a lot of bases. And along with the practical stuff, you can add personal touches by customising your boat, character and Daffodil the cat. Your feline pal can also be played by a co-op partner.
The art style, wholesome tone and occasional platforming reminds me of cooking RPG Battle Chef Brigade, but I suspect that we won't be carving up monsters for snacks in Spiritfarer.
It's due out later this year, and in the meantime you can check out our Spiritfarer impressions from PAX West.
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