Spiritfarer has been getting compared to Animal Crossing: New Horizons quite often since its recent release last month, but is this snug little game about death suitable for children? While ultimately that is up to each household to decide, this article will go over what can be expected from the game so parents and guardians can make their own educated decision.

Animal Crossing is an island simulation game where players collect various pieces of furniture to decorate their homes and islands. Players can meet colorful characters and invite them to move in, as well as visit other user's islands for a more social aspect. While it uses mechanics like crafting and building and has a short storyline with quests designed to progress one's island, the game is very simple to understand and the vibrant aesthetic is suitable for children 3 years and older.

Related: How Spiritfarer Changes Up Animal Crossing's Formula

Similarly, Spiritfarer also uses the collection of items for crafting and includes a creative, yet smaller, variety of characters a user can encounter. Both games can be enjoyed at a relaxed pace and neither include violence. Players do simple tasks like fishing and have a sense of autonomy in an open, but limited, world. However, Spiritfarer takes on a more mature tone as it deals with deeper topics like death and loss. Its gameplay is also slightly more complicated, though still relatively easy to understand. The Taming Gaming site promotes gaming for children under the belief that games can benefit kids in a variety of ways. They collect both the Pan European Game Information (PEGI) and Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) to rate games, listing Spiritfarer as having a PEGI 12 (age 12 and up) rating and an ESRB rating of T for TEEN.

Spiritfarer Is More Appropriate for Adolescents, Teens, & Adults

Spiritfarer Stella and Daffodil meet Charon

As 12-year-olds are considered preadolescent, and not quite teenagers, parents may have some trouble knowing if Spiritfarer is right for their household. The PEGI 12 rating is due to sexual innuendo and mild swearing, and the ESRB TEEN rating is for language, suggestive themes, and use of tobacco. So what does this look like in Spiritfarer?

While language steers away from the extremely vulgar, the strongest word in the game is probably S—, though its usage is sparse (maybe once or twice). As far as sexual innuendo and suggestive themes go, Spiritfarer, revolving around death and what comes after, does address some heavy topics, albeit in a lighthearted way. To an immature eye, a lot of heavier topics could be easily missed. For example, the topic of suicide is brought up without being flat-out obvious as one character states, "Ending your days in your family house is so cliché to boot..."

Additionally, while not specifically revolving around the LGBTQ community, the game does not discriminate as one character — a snake named Summer — talks about Rose, the love of her life. Another character also finds out her husband in life has been seeing other women in the spirit world. The game also touches on an oppressive working environment, degenerative diseases of the body and mind, and bullying. These are real-life issues and scenarios that the game handles gracefully, and can arguably be a learning experience for adolescents. Oh yeah, and there's a deer who constantly smokes cigarettes — which players later learn was the cause of her death.

So while there are dark themes, there are many coming-of-age lessons to be learned. An overall wholesome experience, it feels safe to categorize the game anywhere on the spectrum between TV shows like Adventure Time to The Simpsons as far as age-appropriateness goes. The eerie mysticism of Spiritfarer can sometimes give a player chills, but there aren't any violent or scary moments, save for perhaps busting up mining ores on the back of a giant dragon during a stormy setting — which the player does to help rid it of a consuming crystallization. With these aspects of the game in mind, parents and caretakers can choose whether or not Spiritfarer is right for the kids in their life.

Next: Why Animal Crossing & Stardew Valley Fans Should Play Spiritfarer