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Gamers often use video games for escapism, but recently players have shifted away from purely focusing on the power fantasy of action games and instead towards the warmth and comfort of cozy games. Whether it’s the impact of cost of living challenges meaning that the dream of a relaxed life feels more distant, or a craving for community, there’s something special about these life sims. Enter Spirittea from Cheesemaster Games and No More Robots.
Spirittea places the player in a small rural community full of friendly locals and more than a few troublemaking spirits. Luckily, the player has the gift of being able to see these spooks, and discovers that the best way to calm these spirits is to run the abandoned bathhouse on the edge of town. Aiming to be a blend of Stardew Valley and the industry-changing Spirited Away, Spirittea is a fantastic cosy game that is perfect for the Nintendo Switch.
A Cosy Simulation
It’s very easy to compare Spirittea to the aforementioned Stardew Valley, as on face value the pair seem very similar. The ConcernedApe title is the archetype for the subgenre, giving player agency of exactly what part of the game world they want to focus on, and Spirittea feels similar in its approach. Users can decide whether they want to focus on raising cash at the bathhouse and upgrading it, gaining friendship with the denizens of the town, or simply exploring, fishing, and taking part in other casual activities.
A key similarity is the way that the player’s relationship with other characters can be built over the seasons. This is mainly done through keeping regular conversation with them, finding out what they enjoy doing, and then taking part in activities with them. This could be singing karaoke duets, taking part in drinking games, cooking together at the local restaurant and more.
The game is not quite as deep as what Stardew Valley can provide, and the level of what’s available to the player isn’t quite as expansive, but there’s still plenty here to enjoy. This is particularly true if players consider where Stardew Valley was at launch, and how much of what Stardew Valley has become came with further updates. And already, Spirittea does provide a central gameplay loop of bathhouse management that is very compelling.
Good Clean Fun
Spirittea‘s bathhouse is a great choice of central gimmick. Simply running the bathhouse on a day-to-day basis provides a more dynamic gameplay experience than the farming of Stardew Valley, with more of a focus on time management and customer satisfaction. In terms of comparison, it feels like a less stressful version of running the sushi restaurant in Dave The Diver, although sometimes downtime between jobs can last a little too long in the early stages.
Although putting too much pressure on the play, the bathhouse is about managing different bits and pieces of the overall enterprise. The player will need to keep the fires burning to maintain water temperature, wash and dry towels, as well as other elements such as providing food (after an upgrade) and putting elixirs into the water for extra satisfaction. As well as this, the player will need to watch which spirits they put next to one another, as spirits aren’t always agreeable to one another depending on their season.
Over time, the player will then upgrade the bathhouse from the resident builder in town. This means things like extra baths and other expansions, to maximise how much the player can earn per day, especially as the user recruits NPCs to help them. Meanwhile, the fact that the player can choose exactly when they want to open the bathhouse gives a great amount of freedom, especially compared to the daily requirements of Stardew Valley.
Ghostbusting, Wellbeing-Style
Spirittea may feel close to the cozy game template, but something that helps the title stand out from its peers is the requirement to solve various hauntings around the town. There are lots of mischievous spirits on the loose, completing their own routines that are causing trouble for the locals such as stealing their carrots or moving the skeleton in the school nurse’s office.
By solving what’s keeping them stuck in this cheeky, fiendish loop, the player then finds a new type of spirit to become a customer at the bathhouse. This is a fun puzzle to solve, requiring finding items around the map or hunting around for other clues to give the right answers. It also adds an almost Pokemon-esque collection mechanic to the game, as the diversity of spirits in the bathhouse increases.
This is really something nice that sets Spirittea apart from the other cozy sim games on the market. It’s part detective work and sleuthing, part conflict resolution, and overall, it really adds some versatility to the experience. It’s a great addition to the life sim template, and the variety of the designs of the spirits makes it always enjoyable to find a new friend.
Our Review Score & Final Thoughts
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Spirittea is a fantastic cozy game. It sticks closely to the life sim template with the skeleton of its gameplay, but its main gameplay of bathhouse management and its spirit -finding progression system means that players will thoroughly enjoy what Spirittea has to offer. In addition, it’s even better on Switch as something to be lazy with on the sofa or on a long journey.
Spirittea is out now for PC, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox Series X/S. Screen Rant was provided with a Switch code for the purposes of this review.
