My name is Rachael (grade 11), and I would rate Spiritfarer 5/5.
Released in 2020 by Thunder Lotus Games, this side-scrolling management game stars Stella, a recently deceased girl tasked by Chairon to be the next Spiritfarer and guide the souls of those she had known in life to the Everdoor, where they can pass on. These souls take the form of animals, which Stella travels with on her ship. This game boasts a beautiful and vibrant art style, engaging gameplay loop and deep characters backed by excellent writing, which makes traversing new islands to collect new materials and spirits a wonderful experience. Like so many management games, these resources can then be used to improve the ship, allowing new items to be crafted and new areas reached. All of this is required to fulfill the requests of the spirits you pick up, who you will gradually get to know through conversation. Once their requests have been completed, a spirit can be delivered to the everdoor so they can pass on. At which point you will likely spend a half hour crying in the bathtub because of how heartbreakingly sad it is. Seriously, while the game is low-stress, some of the final speeches before the spirits cross over to the other side are nothing less then heartbreaking. This means that despite the game’s bright art style and calm gameplay, its overarching theme of death could be disturbing for some children. A full play through will likely take around thirty hours, or 50 if you want to truly see everything it has to offer. Overall, Spiritfarer is a touching and narratively brilliant game backed by fun mechanics, and it will be enjoyed by any audience mature enough to handle its themes.