Spiritfarer Documentary - A Game About Dying

The Escapist is very proud to present our latest documentary telling the story of the development behind Thunder Lotus' indie-hit, Spiritfarer.
If you enjoy the documentary and want to see even more of them, please consider becoming a Member on KZbin or sending in a donation to support its creation! www.escapistma...
Interviews: Nick Calandra
Editing: Omar Ahmed
Original Soundtrack: James Elsey - jameselseymusi...
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[@theescapist]

Thank you so much for watching our latest documentary. We're really proud to have had the chance to tell this story and hope you enjoyed it as much as we did putting it together. If you enjoy the documentary and want to see even more of them, please consider becoming a Member on KZbin or sending in a donation to support its creation! www.escapistmagazine.com/v2/the-escapist/

[@gavinthomas87]

Thank you for creating and sharing this with us - you really did the game justice

to the lady who hopes she did justice to her grandmother with Alice; you did. You more than did that... she was adored by every single one of us who played this game.

[@Pandemos]

The alice line of interactions has made more grown men tear up than the ending of Toy Story 3.

[@kasugaifox8571]

I loved Alice!

[@pokabrows]

Yes! I loved her, and I think she was my favorite character design out of all of them. She's just so cute and sweet.

[@joshuamariani]

I literally stayed in the beach day outfit + red hat the entire rest of the game after I took Alice to the everdoor, she made an impact on me💕

[@vaskitheinsane3985]

Alice made me into a puddle of tears playing this game. My grandmother had multiple strokes and then had bouts of memory loss, and I helped her around like you did for Alice. When I took her to the door brought back so much and I just broke down. I don’t cry in games this game made me into an absolute bucket of tears. I am thankful for that, a good cry is healthy.

[@gypsydanger1013]

Honestly, when Atul just quietly moved on without a goodbye, i sobbed. I didn't even realize he was gone until I googled where he went. I've never had a game make my heart drop in my chest like that.

[@Guarddog33]

I just did this for the first time last night (I've picked this game up and put it down multiple times since launch but never gotten this far) and lemme tell ya, getting back to the boat and seeing the spiritflower icon, I cried ngl

[@casseroledragon3277]

I sobbed too. Both of my Uncles killed themselves, and having Atul do essentially the same thing and leave with no goodbye really broke me for a while. It was cathartic, but also made me walk away from the game for a bit because it reopened that wound of grief.

[@jelmnop]

Whaaat noooo.. 😢

[@ruudhollenberg]

Sad that nobody talked about the soundtrack. That was such an addition to the greatness of this game and my favourite. I would play minigames just for the music. (Edit: great documentary though

[@littleforalot]

I agree 100%.

[@ShadowSliph]

It wouldn’t be half the game it is without the soundtrack. So many big emotional moments really hit home _because_ of that fantastic orchestral swell.

[@yardmanharris]

Im guessing they didn’t have permission to use it so would have been hard to discuss it. Such a shame!

[@shimmerngspirit]

Omg me too! The music is beautiful.

[@adrianbuelna1]

Absolute blast, what will you leave behind has become my favorite song

[@FlameLOGNET]

I hope we never stop talking about spiritfarer. The impact it had last year needs to be honored for everyone who experienced it.

[@christophero3869]

Just her talking about Alice made me tear up all over again. Dammit lol

[@wisemage0]

A hedgehog character with impaired mobility. Absolutely brilliant.

[@Petitephysiquebarre]

Right???

[@Imnoonewhoareyou]

Same

[@danmur15]

i was fighting back tears a few times during the documentary ngl

[@deebzscrub]

You know you're looking at a deeply emotional game when just watching clips of some of the animations makes you tear up.

[@christellebailey9743]

Seeing Summer again almost made me cry xD some of these characters touched my heart so deeply and I love them so much.

[@shampoo.bottles]

same oh my god every time they appeared on screen i felt this dull thud in my chest esp with summer and atul

[@abbynelson4663]

This game has helped me come to grips with my father dying from lung cancer. He isn't gone yet, but he gets closer to leaving with every day that passes.

[@alexroberts2328]

I am so sorry to hear about your father. Sending you strength during this difficult transition period

[@HmmIdontknow]

Same. My dad from stomach cancer and this game came out a few weeks after he passed away. It helped me so much from falling apart.

[@mxvrdahegaouwu7577]

I wish for him to leave peacefully with you by his side

[@abbynelson4663]

@@mxvrdahegaouwu7577 Unfortunately, he passed away from his lung cancer this time last year. But thank you anyways.

[@fgxraven]

@@abbynelson4663 my sincere condolences Abby. I lost my mother over 5 years ago also because of cancer. It's like a part of you has been ripped out since one of the most important human being in your life for so many years with you is now gone for ever. But I can say on thing he is always there for you and watching over you. Remember the good times of lot of laughs and joy. I wish you all the best. Stay strong and dont lose your Smile! Be blessed 🙏 La vita è bella

[@ShadowSliph]

I properly ugly cried a few times playing Spirtfarer, and even this doco has me tearing up a bit. Thank you ThunderLotus, and thanks Escapist.

[@wmhfv992]

I knew absolutely nothing about it going in. Realizing that Atul doesn't let you take him to the Spirit door and he just disappears broke me. I had to put the game down for a few days to get over that.

[@AdjustingLight]

@@wmhfv992 Same I don't remember crying harder in recent memory

[@malakaththered1286]

Thunderlotus recreated my Dad with the character Atul, and it gave me the chance to finally get a proper goodbye, cause irl I didn't get that. I was a state away when my Dad died. Thanks for this Doc Escapists.

[@aSUGAaddiction]

I am a LTC/hospice nurse and Alice has my whole heart. I cried so much more over him because I have heard those very words from residents. I have loved every resident that has passed, and yes, you did your grandmother justice.

[@sinagolab4872]

This was my 2020's goty. What an emotional roller coaster

[@Rincewindl]

Could be your 2021/2022 when all the updates are out ;o

[@KesSharann]

It was the perfect game for 2020.

[@sinagolab4872]

@@KesSharann It's not always that I emotionally connect with a game, or a movie for that matter, without feeling manipulated. We lost one of my uncles who was a labor union leader to my country's oppressive regime years ago and my grandmother has been dealing with Alzheimer's for sometime, so just talking to some of the characters brought tear to my eyes. And with covid lockdowns, I couldn't really meet my loved ones as much as I wanted let alone hugging them so this felt like the most important game in years for me. And I was a beta tester for it, so seeing my name in the credits is one of the things I'm really proud about in my life.

[@thelifesampler]

Ori and the Blind forest and Ori and the will of the wisps opened this beautiful world of indie games for me. Spiritfarer is great and I suggest you to play both Ori games too.

[@sinagolab4872]

@@thelifesampler Personally I don't think Ori and Spiritfarer have anything in common. One is a platformer/metroidvania title and the other is a management/seafaring game and their narratives may have some common ideas but aren't really that similar in the way they are presented.

[@Rathbaume]

This game is still an absolute 12/10. Ugh. You often hear about people saying they wish they could forget a game and go back and have another first playthrough of it...this is the first game that ever made me feel that. Bravo everyone involved and thank you Escapist for making this doc exist.

[@bexxyboo96]

I can't tell you how much I cried about Alice the hedgehog. The whole game is beautiful

[@gorkie6998]

gwen got me

[@firebat9664]

Cried so much. I really loved this game. Every character had a huge impact on me, specially Alice and Stanley. Definitely want to play this game again

[@amandaiams4187]

I absolutely bawled when it came to Alice and Stanley. I've cried for all of them but those two I had to stop playing the game after taking them to the Everdoor. Absolutely emotionally exhausting

[@cjp39]

Can't tell if the artists were close to tears at some points or if it was just me projecting.

[@theescapist]

Definitely were. It was a heavy documentary to do interviews for.

[@Rhys-Lightning]

It was actually Yahtzee's review that made me buy this. Pretty much everyone I've known since I was born are still alive. My nan is over 100. I don't have much death in my life. I've lost an aunt but never never really experienced the feeling of grief or loss. I miss places and things, but I've never missed anyone. I've had a lot of abuse in my life so I'm pretty emotionally walled off. It's hard for me to trust people or take them at their word. I've never felt like I could really rely on anyone. I've done it all myself. Despite all that; all that emotional unavailability, this game still hit me. I remember when Gwen left, I was like "That's really nice" and smiled but then thought that'd be about the peak of any emotions I'd hit. Summer was kinda there. I liked her but she didn't hit as hard as Gwen. Then Alice came along. Whooooh! When her dialogue started going funny I didn't think much of it. But when it clicked that she had dementia, this wave, like a chill, just washed over me with the sudden realisation. I had goosebumps from head to toe. Letting Alice go was tough. I loved her. She felt like a real person. Genuine. When I was walking her to the rowboat hand-in-hand, I could feel the bubble in my throat. When we got to the Everdoor and Alice said goodbye, despite having seen Stella's running-and-hugging animation twice already with Gwen and Summer, I still broke. I cried. There were real tears trickling down my face. I hadn't seen those in decades. When I got to Atul disappearing, I thought it was a glitch. I reloaded and it happened again. I looked it up and when I read that the person who Atul was based off of just up and disappeared in real life, I felt that. Like, that happened to a real person and real people were affected by it, and Spiritfarer is them telling me the story of their life. And the way it was pulled off, that feeling of confusion we had when it happened, had us experiencing the same emotions these real people did. This game was the tipping point for me. I found myself opening up to certain people, I found myself letting my emotions out bits at a time, especially with games (Ori and the Will of the Wisps got me good!... TWICE. And the anime series Violet Evergarden). I wish there were more real games like this. You can't just tell the player to be sad. That's been done and it doesn't work. This is a real game made by real people about real people. Thank you, Lotus Games. I've already got Jotun and Sundered but I had no idea they were by you. I'm off to play them now. Thank you for your heard work, and I look forward to playing the two new spirits once they're both out. Again, thank you

[@revzsaz9418]

Nick, you've been saying for a while now how proud you are of this piece. I just wanted to say that you should be very proud indeed. The piece is very well crafted through and through. It was great to hear the devs' perspective on what they were trying to do and where they wanted to take their audience. This piece has a ton of magic in it and it was very touching. Thanks to all who took part in making this for us 🙏 Cheers all!🍻

[@kitsinthewebs222]

After watching this, I can surely say this was such a genuine experience for literally EVERYONE involved, including the devs, the artists, the players, the streamers, the critics, everyone who shared and lived this project. I really hope the TLG staff continues creating different things with their talents, but also their hearts. Thanks so much for this doc, Escapists

[@xiongkuniu]

Immediately after completing the game I searched for more insight into why the devs chose to work on such a unique game and if any of the characters were inspired by true stories. This documentary was exactly what I was looking for and then some. Spiritfarer is one of those games that will stick with me for an extremely long time. As someone who has experienced loss in life as well, it offered an emotional connection that I have rarely felt across any medium, let along video games. Thank you, Thunder Lotus for tackling issues that most people are too afraid to approach.

[@otterpoet]

One of the most important games of this generation. Not only affecting, beautiful, and poignant, but also saved me during the darkest time of my life. Such a wonderful documentary for such an exquisite work. Thank you.

[@gibs7320]

spiritfarer was the game that made me resolute in my decision to study game design. i have nothing but adoration and appreciation for everyone who worked on this game and this documentary has made me realise it even more so. just an utterly amazing, beautiful, genius piece of art that i am not going to forget soon

[@yayitserik]

I'm a nurse and I was very caught off guard by the twist at the end of the game. Thank you so so much. I feel like you guys have created something that feels so special to me in a way that I am having a hard time describing without writing enormous paragraphs. You guys have made this nurse feel very proud of their profession and feel seen in a way that I was certain our society would never be capable of.

[@nealm2562]

Before Spiritfarer I can honestly say a video game had never made me cry.

[@tarynbentley1265]

I actually bought this beautiful game because of Yahtzee's recommendations. And now I've realized that the game had been preparing me for my grandfather passing away today. Thank you, Thunder Lotus, for creating Spiritfarer, and thank you, Escapist, for this documentary.

[@marycaspiticas]

I love Thunder Lotus so much, you can clearly see the love they put into their games. Spiritfarer hits even harder knowing that the spirits are based on real people, also Alice is one of my favorite characters, they did an amazing job with every single part of that game, definitely my favorite of all time 😭

[@purlpup]

I originally played Spiritfarer a year ago, my friend bought it for me for my birthday. It was only maybe two months since my grandma had passed away, and her passing hurt me a lot. In her final days, she could not remember her son, my dad, but she still accepted his kindness. Alice was the character that most reminded me of her, she openly talked about her family and how she was a caretaker, but desired to go on adventures. She was just like my grandma. It hurt me knowing I wasn’t the nicest to her right before she met her end, and it haunted me. Alice made me cry, but she showed me that my grandma never held my actions against me. She showed me that my grandma always loved me in her heart. I miss her so much, but I know she’s with me. I will always treasure my memories with her. Thank you Thunderlotus for helping me through my sadness. Grandma Jo, I love you so much. Someday I will move through the Everdoor to see you again, but no matter what, we will always be together, my friend. ♥️

[@Godzeller3143]

Anyone else intermittently weeping uncontrollably throughout this documentary?

[@juliathefast]

yes, me!

[@AndrewFranges]

Even this documentary made me cry.

[@shawnwalker4936]

Alice and Astrid both got me to absolutely bawl my eyes out. And I’ve got no shame in that. This game was an absolute art piece, and it made me feel all sorts of feelings

[@TheLittleNoobThatCould]

My best friend died September 5, 2020. I had bought Spiritfarer prior to that event. I knew exactly what I was getting myself into by playing this game, but I knew it was for the best for me. I found myself dreading each the moment I had to let another character go. Thunder Lotus managed to make me cry for every new constellation in the sky, even for Elena and Mickey whom I didn't really like having around the ship in the first place. I've said it before but I'll repeat it until I light up the sky too, Spiritfarer is simultaneously the happiest, saddest, easiest, and hardest game I have ever played.

[@cristyzinn1712]

I found gaming late in my life and had only played two other games through to the end before I played Spiritfarer. I’ve played this twice through now (along with a whole lot of others) and I cry every time. It’s an incredibly soothing, moving and cathartic experience. Thank you for creating it.

[@shadowraven4967]

I just beat the game and every single time I had to say good bye to the someone I cried , I seen my self in some of the people and especially Jackie sometimes I find it hard to really understand my feelings, and I just what to say thank you for the game you guys did wonderful and I am a really big fan and supporter now.

[@xdjrockstar]

Phenomenal video! The folks at Thunder Lotus really created something special, and I'm glad I was able to see some of the behind the scenes to how this game came together.

[@Captainflake99]

God Damn I should have known this documentary was gonna get me 😢 every time I think about or even see Alice and the fact that the character development behind them makes it even more impactful

[@Imnoonewhoareyou]

Alice is by far my favourite spirit. She reminded me so much of my Nana also. Not to be too bold but I feel you did your grandmother justice ❤️

[@DaanPabo]

@Thunder Lotus Games Me and my wife loved the game so much. We played through it entirely together, sobbing. It is beautiful, thank you for our hearts! ❤ Thank you for this documentary The Escapist. Beautifully done as well, it's lovely so see the faces of the devs behind this game.

[@cassiecastillo1980]

The grandma character was captured perfectly. Reminded me of my grandma who raised me who I lost in 2020 but I was also her caretaker so Stella having to help her walk well that’s a lot of what my real life used to be. I’m quite new to gaming this is the first game I’ve had such a strong love for. I just finished it but I plan on replying this it was so great.

[@gamepapa1211]

I got feels for every minute I spent playing the game. I'm glad I picked up this game on a whim. Best impulse buy of my life.

[@berryfoxfields]

Great documentary! This game has such a special place in my heart and I’m sure it does for many others as well. My grandmother passed away during COVID and I couldn’t fly to see her, and this game gave me a chance to say goodbye in a way. I love it with all my heart and it will forever be one of those games I cherish with fond memories

[@hellokitty3214]

Thanks for the documentary! The thing that stuck with me was the stars in the sky. Sometimes I'd go and look at them on the top of my boat when I'd be waiting for something and just the small happiness seeing them there really stuck with me

[@hipolitoalanis443]

A really good interview! And I like how they describe the idea of tackling death as "cradling" you in the gameplay to make it soothing. It's an important topic, and everyone handles it different, but at the end of the day I respect a lot the thought put into this game.

[@con4dsabao]

As a nurse, it's just as important to cure cancer as it is to help people deal with it during the process and after, and this game did it just as good. Don't think you are less. You all did a wonderful jobs. Congrats.

[@sophiecharron5186]

Amazing documentary for an amazing video game. I've been in the field of psychology and care for 8 years and this game made me believe that you could also heal people through games. This game made me want to change career and become a game developer.

[@SophieTetreault]

I hope you've pursued that dream! Psychology and gaming intertwine so wonderfully together, games can be so much more than just shooting things

[@sophiecharron5186]

@@SophieTetreault So funny you'd say that. I'm now studying game development in college! I'd love to work for Thunder Lotus too!

[@sophialore7958]

@@sophiecharron5186 I’m so happy for you! It’s a really interesting career, never a dull day! Best of luck with your studies 💕You never know where life might take you, crazy enough… I start at ThunderLotus on Tuesday 😊

[@sophiecharron5186]

@@sophialore7958 Hey congratulations on that! I hope you get to enjoy your time there! And who knows, we might end up meeting too, indie dev in Montreal is a small world!

[@janinnas.4632]

I've played this game over and over the past 2 years and man, nothing compares. I've been trying to find a game that would give me similar feelings as this game but nothing comes close huhu.

[@groundflowers]

This is absolutely beautiful, I literally can't even fathom the amount of depth that went into this game. Not only is an absolute joy to play, but the genuine level of care and affection in all of it is stunning.

[@vaskitheinsane3985]

This game made me sob and cry about how beautiful the journey was and the little characters that made a profound impact. I keep playing this game and crying all over again in the sheer appreciation how wonderfully, and thoughtfully made this game is made. It will forever stay in my memory, i recommend this game to everyone i see.

[@lianapilar224]

Thank you for making spiritfarer! It’s one of my fave games, I’ve luckily haven’t experienced much death in my life but i feel like spiritfarer has taught me many lessons and I look forward to sharing it with my future children!

[@Sara-kr8uc]

Spiritfarer is my absolute favorite game, it is a comfort game for me and I love it so much, it is so special to me and so special to hear more about it. I tell everyone I meet about it, thank you!♡♡

[@BS-gk2cb]

I’m like 5 hours in to the game now. I’ll be back once I finish. Really looking forward to finishing the game and capping it with this doc.

[@Shizukomi]

Prepare tissues

[@Odragonel]

Well, easy one of my favorite games ever. I bought it on launch day, I playied more than 60 hours, cried every time and loved every second of it. Thank yoo all for this experience!

[@hexxidelux6224]

While I can appreciate the Spirited Away inspiration, I feel like it needs to be pointed out that those spirits in the luxury hotel were *not* dead. The luxury hotel was a place for creatures of Japanese folklore to go and have a relaxing time, separated from the human realm because, if you look into Japanese folklore, those same spirits were almost always malicious towards humans.

[@Wolfmaedchen]

I am not much of a game player but spiritfarer has captured me so much. I was especially surprised by the very intelligent, witty and moving dialogues and character backgrounds. Some of the spirits had so many details to their personality they felt more like real people than all the super-realistic characters I’ve „met“ in other games. My favorite one was Astrid. She brought me to tears the most.

[@HurricaneDPG]

Thank you Escapist for the documentary, and thank you to ThunderLotus for the wonderful game. After the loss of a beloved family member, this game helped me to understand my grief and inspired my pursuit in a hospice/palliative care career.

[@Terranigma23]

It would have been nice to have more behind the scene about the music, but as a whole, it's a really good documentary about this fantastic game. 😁

[@Asalieri2]

I simply cannot play this game without tearing up. It's a testament to these brilliant game creators that just the mention of certain characters, remembering them makes me well up. Truly a unique game that I wish had a lot more renown.

[@georginakaye1021]

I'm teary AND smiling watching the doco. So excited to purchase this game tonight. Thank you!

[@teri_akimoto]

On top of touching stories that feel so personally real, I love that the management gameplay is on purpose not too fast paced. It makes you accept that life should be enjoyed and not rushed. The soundtrack and visuals help a lot though, they are AMAZING

[@WildfireX]

I loved this game. It's hard to really compare it to anything else I've ever played, but it seemed to find me at the right time & I keep trying to get more people to play it. It's just so good, & much like how I'm eagerly waiting for the next hollow knight game, I'm now hoping for something similar to this in the future...or at least I've got other games from this team well on my radar. Arguably one of the most beautiful games I've played from the artwork, to the music, to the whole story & just how it made me feel. Love it

[@samanthavang1564]

Atul hit me the hardest.... Just disappearing out of nowhere with no closure.... That is my life. My life is full of accepting hard situations without closure.... Moving on with an empty, heavy heart with no closure. I am currently working through this unhealed part of my heart and playing this game is giving me more of a drive to continue to walk on the path of healing, no matter how much it hurts.

[@lowry1889]

Keep your head up. Things will get better.

[@warlord19937]

I finally sat down at watched this, and I'm not to proud to admit, that at 2:47 am i cried a little at the end, thank you for that.

[@seanberry433]

Amazing, its brilliant to get a look at the design process behind one of my favourite games. Such an important piece of media for me and I'm sure lots of other people too. Would love to see more docs like this in the future!

[@theescapist]

More are coming! Best way to support is through our Memberships Program here on KZbin as they take a long time to make and the algorithm sometimes doesn't pick them up!

[@Gabi-ik4rt]

I just finished the game and came right here. This game is so… so different from anything I’ve ever played. They could’ve just made it a farming sim, but they didn’t. I cried more than I’ve cried any other game I’ve ever played. This game is so beautiful and so heartbreaking. It is an art piece, a story, a song, a museum of treasures. Love it.

[@SolaScientia]

I'm another one who bought the game because of the ZP video and I love it. The accumulation of quests got to me with Atul's dinner party food requirements (the tuna...) and Giovanni's running around, so I had to take a break, but I'm back into it now. I saw Giovanni off last night and Astrid's reaction and complicated feelings makes perfect sense to me and it was conveyed perfectly. What shocked me was Atul just vanishing. I didn't get to take him to the door. I didn't get to say goodbye. He was there and then he wasn't. I just sat there for a bit after I'd talked to Astrid. I've had a few family members pass without me getting to see them; in most cases it had been years since I last saw them because of living so far away from them (plus the pandemic in the case of the most recent death). Atul just vanishing brought it home to me that we don't always get to say goodbye; that people will just disappear and we won't realize how important seeing them one last time might have been. I knew about Alice already, but I still teared up. Gwen was the first one I brought to the door so she's the one I actually have cried over. Adding in that "nobody gets nipples" is great. I need to go into their house to see it. I've honestly been avoiding those 2, because of their attitude. Well, it's mostly the hummingbird who's being the jerk, which tracks for hummingbirds, lol.

[@roblinov]

Thank you so much for this documentary. I've had many touchpoints with the game but never really decided to give it a go. Your documentary alone made me feel what it is about. Understanding how much love and personal stories went into it, convinced me that I want to experience it myself. Thank you for this and also a very emotional video that really touched me.

[@shampoo.bottles]

spiritfarer is hands down the best. game ive ever played, and i dont think it'll ever successfully be topped. honest to god cried at every goodbye. this game means so much to me more than i could ever fully express and watching this, seeing the amount of love care and dedication that went into it feels like a love letter itself. so glad yall covered it, thank you from the bottom of my heart,

[@arielbabierra2019]

This might just be the game I NEED NOW. Will definitely download this game before the day ends. THANK YOU FOR THIS 🥰🥰🥰

[@jordirapper]

I like how not bombastic the game is. Don't get me wrong, I like games where you hunt beasts and fight gods or whatever, but this had such a chill vibe and writing that didn't read like it was written by an angsty teenager who thinks they are deep. I feel the game doesn't force itself to be deep and as a result actually is deep. A great game that I actually would recommend to anyone and the devs can be proud of themselves. This impacted me more than any assassins creed game, proving thousands of people and millions of dollars don't get you talent.

[@Cdv3_]

I can’t wait to watch this after finishing the game. This is easily one of the best story/character focused games I’ve ever played, and I’ll fully admit to crying multiple times while playing. Update: Just finished this game, and it truly is a masterpiece even through to the end. Easily my GoTY pick in a year with a ton of incredible games.

[@minias1444]

I need to call my grandma... God above this game is art. Well done on the documentary.

[@CaseyMitsch]

Thank you Thunder Lotus for this game. Such a cathartic and unique experience to play this, especially after having lost so many loved ones and seeing them in these characters.

[@shimmerngspirit]

This game is a masterpiece. It made me bawl my eyes out, but I loved it. Astrid and Giovanni ❤️❤️❤️

[@zegan_audio]

Thanks for covering this game. One of my favorites of all time, I always love to learn more about what happened behind the scenes! Well done

[@86fifty]

I'm so glad I got to see this documentary, thank you for putting it up on YT! 42:20 - Ooh, exciting! I've never heard of them before and this would be an amazing resource for me personally. Thank you so much for adding this bit of the story in! I joined Spiritfarer after several months into 2021, after the Lily update, even, so I wasn't impacted by this controversy. The devs did several things right here - you saw and acknowledged the mistake, you apologized publicly, and worked to correct it. The older I get, the more I feel like that IS the most important part - apologies should happen, they should be short and clear, and they should include next steps for future action. Which ThunderLotus DID! So really, that is the best outcome in the end. :)

[@Viewtifulchief]

Nice job with the documentary Nick and Omar, and a special thanks to all the devs and artists who opened up and shared their experiences. We need more content like this in games media. Very appreciated.

[@johnstruman1520]

God, what an extraordinary game. Fascinating to pull back the curtain on the inner-workings of this one-so many great gaming elements overlapping and one of the most compelling narratives in any form of media I’ve experienced. Thank you for this documentary!

[@ACloudCat]

I loved spiritfarer and I loved this documentary on it, and both made me cry ❤️

[@SpoopyChicken]

Fucking masterpiece, I've never cried more times in a row in my life since my grandfather passed, and I'll gladly relive every tragic, happy, and fond memory this game brings me after the final December update.

[@niamhmurphy9497]

This game is my favorite game in the whole world. It’s means so much to me and changed my whole grief journey, I’ve 100% completed the game and I’m replaying it now. My granny had dementia and Alice’s character really helped me come to terms with the loss. Even when I lost my dad earlier this year this game brought be such comfort and made me feel so much less lonely when grief is such a lonesome thing. Just wish I could thank all the wonderful people for the gift and savior this game was to me in my life ❤️❤️❤️

[@SnuSnuDungeon]

Well done you guys. Every moment of effort and care comes through in this video. We appreciate all of you at the Escapist for your hard work and dedication on this channel in an industry that is more often than not soul crushing. Your growth is apparent and I look forward to continuing this journey with all of you

[@jackcall3815]

This game was just incredible. I was on the fence about buying it but I decided to pull the trigger. Put in 80 hours and got the platinum trophy on PlayStation. I’m praying they make a second one or add dlc. Thank you for this documentary :)

[@calebhasimportantacademicw4738]

A friend of mine died this summer while I was on my way to live somewhere very far away. When I got settled, I replayed this game (I played it for the first time when it came out.). It was quite a comfort to me, especially since I was in a new place and didn't really have anyone to mourn with.

[@somerandomguy___]

Man this game means so much to so many people and to me it is one of my all time favourites not only because of the absolutely awesome, relaxing, soothing, cozy and at times emotional soundtrack and artstyle and what makes this game go from great to awesome is the story and what makes it go from that to a masterpiece/one of my favourites is the message it'd trying to tell/what you can take away from it as a person. The message of the game, at least how I interpreted it as was something along the lines of "We're gonna die sooner or later so let's make those last few days count and get to say a proper farewell with smiles on our faces" and overall spiritfarer I'd the most beautiful game I have ever played and when I say beautiful I mean that both literally *and* metaphorically And this documentary was also awesome and insightful and I loved it and if you loved his documentary of the game I reccomend the digital artbook for the game after you've completed it because it too has a lot of interesting insight though also spoilers I wish everyone at TLG success and good luck with their next project and it would be amazing if this sort of collaboration between you guys at the escapist magazine and TLG would happen for their next project

[@KashewKiddo3826]

This made Yahtzee cry so that means you achieved something great

[@crisis8v88]

Thank you for making this!

[@Hilde_von_Derp]

No game I've ever played has pulled me apart, but held me together like Spiritfarer. So much joy, such deep sorrow, so many indescribable moments. How such little pixels show the vastness of the human spirit is something beyond me.

[@littleforalot]

This was excellent, it's so cool to hear from the talented people behind this incredible game. I have to say though, in this game, the soundtrack stole the show for me, I would have loved to have heard from the composer about his approach, because the soundtrack is insanely good...

[@theescapist]

This was originally planned as a 20 min mini-doc because of the logistics of doing this project remotely. It's a lot easier to do when we can just get everybody at the studio etc, so there's definitely some things we missed.

[@Randompersonnumber3]

I am not a crier. Even sad close deaths only had me cry a handful of times. My spouse asked me how the game ended as I finished and I just started bawling. Such an emotional and impactful game.

[@SaladXIV]

Beautiful game from a beautiful team. Thank you for the documentary on this masterpiece

[@Bleached0]

I will never not be upset with the way atuls story ends. He was so kind he didnt even want stella to see him go.

[@wolfschadow6399]

Spiritfahrer is the game that so far touched me deepest. I have only recently lost the last of my grandparents. It is very hard to say goodbye forever. It is extremely hard to do that. I have said goodbye to Gwen and there are others ready to depart. To let them go however is not about them being ready. I have to be ready.

[@ottertotter5932]

24:47 I'm so glad that this was the real intent. When I encountered people who had played the gamr and they mentioned the repetition and said it was a downside. I always said "I completely disagree, the animation and sounds of it, it's relaxing"

[@asiagov6996]

I discovered this game Nintendo direct last August. Saw a trailer, bought it the same day and was stunned. The animation, stories and soundtrack made it an instant classic. By far the best game of 2020 imo

[@blackdaimond2123]

Very excited to see this. SF helped me through the lock down in 2020. A beautiful story. I love the lead character js a brown woman, she has a cat, and feeding people is her love language...very relatable 💖

[@alwayshome2610]

I truly do hope this game isn't forgotten, what it was able to do with it's gameplay and writing and how it was able affect people needs to be remembered from the second I started playing it, I knew exactly how it was going to end, and yet it still destroyed me I hope all the people at Thunder Lotus know what an incredible job they did with this game

[@pedrogabriel9710]

I wanted the video to be subtitled for Brazilian fans. I love this game, it is among my favorites.

[@cincin7691]

It is one of my favourite games, I cried a lot, but it really helped me to accept 2 family members of mine who died due to the pandemic. Thank you 😢❤

[@sternentreu2451]

I played the game last year and from the first moment on I was thinking "This game is made for me!" I loved the characters, the design, the music (I hear the soundtrack often), the stories, the gameplay. And the names of the main characters Stella and Daffodil are sooo adorable! I'm happy that in 2022 there are a few more characters to play so I can have this amazing experience one more time. Thanks to Thunder Lotus Games and Escapist for this absolutely beautiful game and this nice documentary. This game will stay in my heart forever!

[@natnotgnat4364]

This game means the world to me. I found this game about a month before my grandmother died, the first relative I ever lost and this game made it 100x easier to get through everything. I was in the room when my grandfather called my mom (a retired nurse) on the phone begging her to call an ambulance, telling her my grandmother had collapsed and he was doing CPR and the ambulance hadn't arrived yet. I was there while they checked her into the hospital, my entire family rushed there to help in any way and be with my grandfather. I got to see her one last time, unconcious on life support in the hospital bed, cold and pale. She wasn't herself, and it was the hardest thing I ever had to do. But my mom always told me she heard me, despite the fact she couldn't respond. And when I saw the ending of the game, Stella asleep on the hospital bed, being able to hear her family speaking to her while she was asleep made me cry. The feeling it gave me was indescribable, it helped me believe that my grandmother did hear me one last time before she passed. This game helped me feel better about the fact that she passed. She wasn't sick anymore. She was happy and healthy in a better place. The day after her funeral I played this game for most of the day, and I played while she was in the hospital, I played the night she died. This game helped me cope with her death, and I feel much better about death as a whole now. You don't want to lose people you love, but it's better for them. And you'll see them again one day. Thank you, Thunder Lotus for making this amazing game. You've comforted and helped countless people through this game, including me

[@dbannor]

Thank you for this game. It's beautiful.