Much-beloved, heart wrenching, and undeniably cute life sim slash Charon simulator Spiritfarer has three big, free updates coming this year. Each update will bring in new characters with their own stories, new quality of life improvements, new buildings to make, and new recipes and resources.
The spring update is called Lily, and it introduces a new spirit: Stella's younger sister Lily, in the form of a swarm of glowing butterflies. It'll also include upgrades to the quality of the co-op system.
The summer update is called Beverly, and includes a new spirit that Stella knew in life who wants to walk down memory lane. It'll also include a special room with an overhead projector and collectibles called Acetate Sheets which is a sentence that probably confuses most people under the age of 20.
The final update is called Jackie & Daria, introducing an entirely new island with a run-down hospital. It has a caretaker and patient, a flowery Hyena and Bat, who have their own problems to be solved. That update, too, will include new boat buildings and resources—but the developers haven't revealed those at this time.
Spiritfarer is a good game, one that has a heady mix of sadness and joy in a single package. It's not often there's a game about death and the afterlife that's also one you can list the best huggers in. We gave it an 85 in our review, and I personally felt it was one of the strongest games of 2020. Rachel Watts said that "Thunder Lotus have managed to create a cosy boat sim that deals with the topics of death and compassion with masterful balance," in her Spiritfarer review.
You can read all about Spiritfarer's 2021 update plans on the Thunder Lotus Games website. As an aside, I'm continually amazed that even seemingly finished, released games have roadmaps now.
