The developers behind the hit indie game Spiritfarer have detailed the inspiration and influences behind the title in a new documentary from The Escapist. Since launching in the summer of 2020, Spiritfarer has become a substantial success and has sold more than half a million copies. The game was nominated for a series of prestigious awards at the end of last year, such as at The Game Awards 2020, and received acclaim from both critics and players.
Thanks to consistent post-launch updates, Spiritfarer has remained popular with new and old fans since release. The most recent update for Spiritfarer introduced a brand-new character called Lily, who comes with a touching storyline and is the sister of Stella, another notable character in the game. Thunder Lotus has also made a number of quality-of-life improvements to Spiritfarer since launch, including an expanded fishing mechanic, new co-op features, and clearer fast travel locations.
Indie development studio Thunder Lotus has spoken about the influences and inspiration behind its hit game Spiritfarer during a recent documentary presented by The Escapist. The team focused on creating a more impactful and narrative-based experience following on from the studio's previous two releases, Jotun and Sundered. Prompted by the question "what if we didn't fear death as much?" developers described how they took inspiration from the Studio Ghibli film Spirited Away and wanted to incorporate the idea of a hotel for spirits. According to the documentary, the developer was also broadly influenced by Greek mythology but took more direct inspiration from deaths each member of the team had experienced in their own lives, incorporating those feelings into Spiritfarer.
While Thunder Lotus has already added one new spirit to the game, the studio is also planning on introducing an additional three in the future. These updates, bringing four extra characters total to Spiritfarer, will be released at no extra cost for players. According to the developer, these spirits will be called Beverly, Jackie, and Daria, although not much has been revealed about their personalities or what their stories will be.
Spiritfarer was undoubtedly one of the best game releases in 2020, and that success may well have been down to the personal stories and experiences of the developers behind it. Knowing that Spiritfarer was influenced by a number of different sources, including the team's own dealings with death and the film Spirited Away, certainly makes sense and comes across when playing the game.
Spiritfarer is available on Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.
Source: The Escapist