Ever wish you could just relax to some nice beats while you work, study, game or simply just exist? Well, if that's the case then read on, I think you’ll enjoy this game very much.

Spirit City: LoFi Sessions is more than a game, it's a whole unique experience that grabs your attention from the start. In reality, it has been described as a gamified productivity/focus tool, although for the sake of this review, I’ll just call it “game”. The game was created and published by indie company Mooncube Games. It’s an experience for those that enjoy listening to music from LoFi Girl, or just have some nice beats in the background while they do their activities. There is no story but the game does possess some nice assets to keep players entertained for hours on end.

 Customization Options 

Spirit City offers the player a chance to really emerge themselves by providing character and room customizations. Yep, as soon as you load in, you can choose to go to the character creator/editor where a wide variety of options are awaiting, making sure there is something to fit everyone's taste. Want a cool ‘do? You got it! How about some horns? Available too! If you’re the type that loves constant change, then no problem. You can edit your character as many times as you like and there are even some unlockables along the way.

Then we have the setting. The game takes place in a cozy room that the player can also customize and edit to their liking. There is a small catch though, most items the player will have to unlock by “paying” for them. Don't worry, no real transactions are made since everything purchased in game comes out of rewards the player gets by completing different tasks and leveling up.

 Companions 

Wondering why the game is called Spirit City? Well, this is when the companions show up. They aren't ordinary companions but spirit ones. At the very start, you'll be able to equip a kitty. This is a special kitty though and comes with some fur color variations. As you progress in the game, do different activities and explore with ambient varieties, other companions will appear. The player can choose to change their companion at any time. If you want to collect them all, you'll need some patience and eye to detail, since there are usually some clues when one is about to pop up. With each new discovery, the Spiritdex fills up with cute information regarding that Spirit. 

 Leveling up 

As I mentioned earlier, the game rewards players for doing certain tasks and usually those tasks or objectives also lead to a level increase. So what happens when a level increases? Simply put, more Spirits become available to find and there are some coin rewards given that, for now, can be used towards purchasing new clothes, skins, decor or wall colors. Some example tasks could be completing a timed session, or spending some time in a specific area of the room.

 Area/weather changes 

To make the experience more immersive, the game offers “time of day” lighting options and under the sounds, the ability to choose some weather changes like rain or thunder. There are currently four main areas to spend time in: the bed, the desk, the fireplace and the window. Each area has some specific activity and Spirit just for it too. It would be epic if the game gathered the player’s location to display accurate lighting and weather changes in real time.

 Choose your playlist 

With amazing music prepared by Homework Radio, Spirit City is sure to have something to fit each player’s musical appetite. If the options available aren't to your liking then you can choose to play something from YouTube instead right from the game. I tested this feature out and found some lovely music for Ghosts and Witches on the Homework Radio page. The regular playlists are also very lovely and catered to what the player might need, whether it is to focus, rest or just unwind to some nice and soothing music.

 To Dos, Journal and Timer 

When being productive is of utmost importance, then Spirit City offers the player a place to organize the things they must do and the ability to cross them off as they’re doing them. If needed, there is a journal and scheduler or habit tracker that the player can use whenever they need to. There's also a timer with which the Pomodoro technique could be used. This technique centers on doing work for a specific amount of time then resting for a bit and coming back to it, in order to avoid fatigue.

 Rating:      

 (On a scale of 1-5, being 5 the absolute best)

What can I say? I honestly got hooked on this game since the demo came out. The attention to simple details, like having rain or the sound of the fireplace as white noise really sold me. Not only that but collecting/unlocking adorable Spirits that will keep you company? Amazing! The visuals and aesthetics are super cute, and I loved making my character and room look as mine as possible. The sounds are superb and you can even adjust how high or low you want the music or the sound effects to be. I wasn’t expecting the levels though, so that was a pleasant surprise. Why compare it to a game? It is a gamified tool and to me, it reminded me of idle games in which the player is usually a spectator while the action or story develops on the screen.

The only things I wish could improve would be: (1) to give players the ability to preview items before buying them, both for clothes and for decor, (2) having an option to create your own playlist from the music already in the game, and (3) more customization options like more hairstyles, accessories, decor, etc.. Silly wish but even creating some Spirit fashion that you could put on your Spirit, like a scarf or a hat! 

The tool is amazing and does an amazing job at keeping something that could be tedious, like working or studying, fun. The customization is also a genious idea and works tremendiously well. In my case, I went for a witchy decor and a character design that would look similar to me. While the game is fully released, it is still being constantly updated so I hope that in the near future we get more playlists, more customization options and who knows, perhaps even more areas and Spirits! The sad part is that the game is only available for PC and I want to take it everywhere with me so a mobile version would be heaven sent.

 Available now on:
Steam