Recent reviews by johnwu331

This game held a mirror up to me in the way I deal with death, specifically my dog with advanced liver cancer.

A spirit tells me she has to go, that it's time to sail to the Everdoor. Instead of sitting with how it makes me feel, I self-medicate by doing errands: I tend to vegetables, cook meals, build structures etc. It reminded me of the week I had to put my dog to sleep. At first, I didn't want to face it so I did everything I could to stop myself from feeling the anguish of loss. Then I realized that I had to be there for my dog in his final days, and that it wasn't about me. It was about making him comfortable and being with him before I decide to let him go.

It's funny how my tendency of pushing uncomfortable feelings deeper inside me in the face of tragedy and away from vulnerability translates so well in the way I played Spiritfarer. By the end, I had forced myself to stop fast traveling so much. Instead I would take a long route to the Everdoor and try to spend more time with the spirits and not get too caught up with the sim aspect of the game. It's probably the first game in a long time where I learned the importance of being present in the moment: I made spirits their favorite foods before their trip home, I hugged them as much as I could. It reminded me of giving my dog his last walk in the park, giving him his favorite food, and of course...hugging him as much as I could. Each moment I helped a spirit cross to the other side felt like a slightly less intense version of the moment my veterinarian injected pentobarbital and watching my dog's eyes go lifeless peacefully. Spiritfarer forced me to confront my feelings rather than run away from them.

I'm thankful for what this game has revealed to me.

the characters remind me of my immediate and extended family except way more violent. jokes aside, i hope one day there will be a proper sequel.