Spirittea

I really wanted to like this game because of themes and tea. I like tea I like minigames, the problem is that the game is too rough and too filled with annoyances for me. Like for example using tools is annoying, you have to open the bag, select the item and render it usable. This makes you able to press shift key to use it, but also makes the item easily droppable and while you collect fishes, bugs etc your backpack spaces shift and when you put away the item from use you have to reorganize the bag. If you need to switch the tool or item you have to reopen the bag. Even the standard farming game convention of having a row usable with number keys would have alleviated the problems. Talking about collecting bugs - some jump towards you and if you mess up a couple of times with any bug that bug disappears. I hate this minigame. Drinking game is also annoying to pour on keyboard. The bag and journal are combined so you have to open it and switch a couple of times and then back. You can't just make duck eat seaweeds and go busy up with towels or wood - you have to wait until duck finishes. Towels dry 4 a time but you wash many more. The bike made game a bit easier but you have to move…

I love the atmosphere of the game. The pixel art is adorable and the cycle of taking care of the bathhouse and doing things in town is fun even after playing a full in game year. I enjoy collecting items and spirits , but I personally had to rely heavily on the games wiki and forums for guides. Regardless, this game is fun, cozy and relaxing.

I mostly wanted to try Spirittea because I love Spirited Away, so the whole spirits and bathhouse thing immediately caught my attention. I ended up really enjoying it. I like exploring the town, meeting all the different spirits and slowly figuring out what they need. It has a really nice atmosphere and there's always something small to do, which makes it pretty easy to lose track of time. It definitely has some rough edges though. Some quests aren't very clear about what you're supposed to do, and there are a few things that feel repetitive or a bit clunky. But for me, the atmosphere and the overall concept make up for most of that. If you like cozy games, Japanese folklore, or just want something relaxing to play, I'd say it's worth giving a go.

I really wanted to love Spirittea. I loved the idea of running a bathhouse and getting to know the people in a small town. I finished the main story because I wanted to see it through, but I'm not sure I'd return to it. My biggest issue was how often I had to look up guides to complete villager quests. I'm not against using guides, but I found myself confused about how to complete an action or progress often, which felt more intense than I expected from a cosy game. I also wish there was more opportunity to get to know the spirits. Once you've completed their quest, there's no ability to interact with them beyond managing the bathhouse. I would have loved to build ongoing relationships with them, like you can with the villagers. I loved the concept, the town, spending time with villagers, shopping, and building up and managing the bathhouse, and I still really want to root for this game. I just didn't get on with it.

So I just finished getting all the achievements. All in all, a pretty enjoyable experience! I don't know if I would say it's worth its asking price of 20 freedom funbucks, through. As a good chunk of the playtime I did near the end was just a whole lot of waiting for the right time to get the things I missed during my casual playthrough of year one. Makes me kinda wish there was still an "eh" option between recommending it or not, so I have an option for games that made me think "Yeah, I enjoyed it. HOWEVER-". But let's take a look at the positives first. [h2]THE GOOD:[/h2] - The gameplay loop! Running the bath house is frantic but fun, getting even moreso as you upgrade the place and unlock things like the outdoor baths and spirit formations. And while not all spirit unlock quests are equal in enjoyability, the designs of each spirit are fun and had me looking forward to which ones would be revealed next. Downtime is comfortable, being able to do your usual cozy game fare like fishing and bug catching. But I also genuinely enjoyed just being able to explore this little town. - The characters! Well...most of them. Wonyan is a great side-kick, and befriending him over the course…

Honestly I have some complaints with this game - the main premise is fine, the bath house is fine - it's how vague some of the quests are and how PRECISE you have to be to see the scenes, there was one ghost in a boat I spent about 30mins searching for until I ultimately looked up a guide to see I had to be stood in an area where I could barely see the boat in a fixed area someone kindly drew, that's outrageous! Stupid even. The quest indicated no such marker to me, there was no indication it had to be this specific vague spot other than players actively helping one another out. The Story's great! it's a real winner, it's Stardew Valley Vibes but running a bath house like in Spirited Away by Studio Ghibli. I love that, I love everything ABOUT that, I love that I can have a Bike and ride around - the game is FANTASTIC but there's some aspects that are just garbage. I shouldn't need to spend 30mins looking for an "appropriate spot" where there's not a single indication, at least put some marker there, something that indicates "X MARKS THE SPOT".