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"We got Yathzee crying." Put that in the store front. You've earned it.

Something really pierced through Yahtzee's cold heart... 2020 doesn't cease to amaze

Spirit Passenger: Hey, I'm starting to get a little tired Me: Oh no 😢

Yahtzee a year ago at E3: "Bored the shit out of me, your kids might like it" Yahtzee now: "I cried. I actually did"

I haven’t seen him praise a game like this since that black and white game made by the same dude from papers please. Lucas pope, also can we make him the saint of gaming?

I think this is the first time I've ever heard Yathzee NOT make a joke about crying. No "I almost thought about maybe shedding what could be considered the afterimage of a tear." Or something. Love that character growth. Stanley was the one that got me by the way.

"the hedgehog made Yahtzee cry, god I have to see this for myself." Don't do it, it hurts.

How to be a game Yahtzee actually likes Step 1: Have a boat in it

Well I'll be damned, Yahtzee cried at a videogame. I thought he long replaced his tear ducts with thousand island dressing dispensers.

Dear god, not only did he feel, he _recommended_ this game. Every person that watches this channel is going to get spiritfarer now!

I already wanted to buy Spiritfarer, but my wallet disagreed. Eventually my wallet convinced me to watch Yahtzee's review, because surely watching him tear the game to shreds would dissuade me from buying it. WELL THAT BACKFIRED

I know I'm really late but after finishing Spiritfarer myself, I personally disagree on the "Doesn't stick the landing" front. Putting my explanation under a read more bc spoilers A lot of the game is about accepting that things end. The most obvious one being accepting death, since you're helping other spirits do so and needing to go take your friends to the Everdoor yourself. Odds are that if you still stuck with Spiritfarer even past Gwen's departure then you're probably the type of person that's engaged with either this type of game, the story, or both. The gameplay is cozy and relaxing for some people, but it might not be everyone's style, so likely only people who go for so long are really engaged. So when it's discovered that Stella herself is not only dead but has fully lived out her life in the real world, that final quest of "Take Stella and Daffodil to the Everdoor" lingers in your quest list the entire time, never going away. But since there are still likely more quests to do, more of the map to explore, more spirits to help, you're probably not going to do that right away since you're already so engaged. In doing the final quests, in holding off the inevitable, it only adds to the "accepting the end" theme for both Stella and the player. Stella because (since it's implied that the game is like a dying dream for her) she doesn't want to pass on quite yet and relive her memories, and the player because they're so attached to the game/world/both that they search for literally anything to prolong that final quest. Hell, during my time I thought there was more of the map to explore because of the lighthouses and the dark mist, but nothing came of it, I was just grasping at straws. Then when you've exhausted everything there is to do, it sinks in that there's nothing left, it's both Stella and the player that has their "it's time" moment like so many of the other passengers. The reason I think this is because of the final moments of the game, Stella and Daffodil's lone trip to the Everdoor. Normally with another spirit there's a bit of dialogue of them reflecting on their life to pass the time, but here it's completely silent, no inner monologue from Stella or echoes of the past. That silence is for the player and Stella (but more specifically the player) to reflect on their time in this world, coming to terms with the fact that their time is ending and looking back on everything they've done. In the game's final moments, you go through the same experience all the spirits before you have done. That "accepting the end" theme, whether you recognize it or not, has been implanted in you as well. I will agree on your other points with the animations and long lines of dialogue, but compared to everything else I don't think they're much of a big deal. Either way, thanks for recommending this game dude, it was a ride.

Currently looking like my game of the year, but the phrase 'cozy management game about dying' is basically a tailor-made pitch for me.

Did he say "dedicated hug button"?

Calling it from the surface of the moon: we're gonna be seeing this at the end of the year.

Ok, fine, Yahtzee. I'll go into this one blind. No post-ZP for me. Will report back.

Getting to play as the cat sounds like the best multiplayer option ever included in a game.

Looks like Yahtzee's heart grew three times that day.

i'm surprised yahtzee never mentioned the title spiritfarer: you're literally ferrying spirits around it's simple, it's obvious, it works, it's what we need more of

"and i cried, i actually did, fuck you" well that should've already given away that this was gonna be his goty, shouldn't it

2020 needs more games with a dedicated hug button.

"Stella can't navigate in the dark" *Angry celestial navigation noises*

I'm amazed to hear that someone used the night period for sleep. I used it to try and claw my way back on top of the crop cycle.

I also bawled like a baby for about 10 minutes when the hedgehog with Dementia died. Mostly because she reminded me of my Grandmother who also had dementia and forgot who I was.

"Always be weary when the cruise operator asks to be paid up front" That's actually just really solid life advice in the form of a Yahtzee quip.

Beverly: "We were neighbors." Me: 😢

I became so attached and invested in the character Astrid during this game that I deliberately avoided completing her final quest so I could spend more time with her. Not to mention her relationship problems with Giovanni are never fully resolved, which I found refreshingly realistic.

Couldn't really believe he cried and bought the game. Welp, bawled my eyes out way before him when I took the very first passenger to the everdoor.

When the slug said " I'm tired boss" I got instant Green Mile flashbacks and shed a tear. Congrats yahtz, you made me cry

"Reminiscent of Subnautica" On the wishlist you go.

You had me at "And I CRIED.", but you had me again at "The dedicated Hug button."

Yahtzee I know I'm REALLY too late, but you can instantly end dialogue by hitting B. So accidentally selecting 'talk' instead of 'buy' doesn't lock you into nothin'

Real talk: Alice the Hedgehog made me cry too. Her and Summer really hit me in the feels.

I got to a point where I looked around my boat and thought “where did all my friends go?” Then I remembered… and stopped playing.

I had a feeling Spiritfarer was going to be the next Stardew Valley/Undertale/Other indie game that absolutely everyone loved, and now Yahtzee's _relatively_ positive review confirms it.

ill tell you one thing, that hedgehog reminded me of my dearly departed grandmother, her developing problems and all. so when it came her time to pass on i got emotionally destroyed like ive never been before by a game.

Astrid was the one who made me cry. She just wanted to spend her life helping people, having adventures and didn't want to he forgotten. I fucking sobbed.

I come to you five months in the future to tell you that I also bawled like a preschooler when it was time to say goodbye to the hedgehog. I had not one, not two, but three grand and great-grandmas who suffered dementia. It was hard not to cry.

The aesthetic of this game elicits a very specific emotion that I'd felt when watching Spirited Away or Howl's Moving Castle as a kid... Kind of a combination of beauty, sadness, bittersweetness and forlorn reminiscencing. Im not an anime person, but those are so well done that they transcend the genre. This game brings forth that strange alien sadness/beauty solely based on its themes and art style. I haven't played it for the same reason I refuse to be Shanghai'd into watching movies like The Farewell ot Coco by my wife...im SURE they're exceptional works of art, but the emotion of "balling in the fetal position" is NOT an emotion I actively seek out. In fact, I react like a kid with truly disturbing horror films...like I'll even flee if I realize Im about to experience something like that...so as much as I am interested in Spiritfarer, I have actively procrastinated playing it because I fear it'll hoodwink me into sitting through some heartrending gentle old grandma death or some traumatic "lovers separated too early by death" plotline. I love sims, particularly unique sims like this, but I legitimately avoid bittersweet/sad content like a 6yo avoiding horror films. Hopefully ill grow a pair and just play it. Idk if anyone else hesitates like this before this sort of experience(in games, TV, film, etc), but I'm super nervous in case I get slammed with a "sad cute grandma peaceful death" followed by being blindsided by a "he sat in their spot every every night for 80 years after she passed"...like the "sad-stuff" genre occupies the spot that horror does for most people

I like how Yahtzee's dog is showing up in more of his reviews and project videos.

This is the first time I feel like yahtzee hasn't verbally murdered a game , only lightly spanked , this means it's got to be good

I refer to the game as "Animal Crossing Over". You have a bunch of animal friends that you give gifts to and give you gifts and you improve their homes and do little tasks for them and they tell you secrets about themselves and then you realize that the dragon is Cancer and you just start crying.

Another wonderful game I'll never play precisely because I don't want to feel things.

And I shall cause all of the Spiritfarer players to weep with one word: Stanley

"We made Yahtzee cry" is a really good selling point

I just finished this game tonight. The ending hit me a lot harder, as I was nearing completion of all the achievements, and the one I was missing was built around you starting an event much earlier in the game. It takes like 7+ in game weeks for the event to resolve, so it was just me and the final spirit alone on our ghost boat for many hours of real time, which I mostly spent playing Mario Sunshine while waiting for night to come, so I could at least skip that portion of the day by sleeping. By the time I got that final achieve, I was worn out and ready to see the final character off, which is the exact emotional state you expect for an end of life moment. Beautiful.

It's strongly implied that Buck, the last passenger that you can't send on, is actually Charon, returning from his rest to let you move on. 1. His constellation is already present in the sky at the start of the game. 2. Said constellation looks just a BIT like a man in a hood. 3. When you meet him, he's already in animal form, unlike the rest of your passengers who start off as ambiguous robed figures.

I still have mountains of coffee beans I grew for Gwen. And I keep seeing the damn things every time I go through the cooking menu. I just wanted to play something nice! :(

did he forget about the Mushroom boy who you grow in your garden and now just gives you drawings and acts like an overall 8 year old who will make you sad when he tells you of his mother?

Loved the nod to Triplets of Belleville - definitely worth watching if anyone appreciates animation :)

Dear yahtzee, Thank you for recommending this game! I just finished it three days ago, and the ending had a different effect on me. I also wanted to 'get rid' of those last two characters that were just distant and cold. I walked the deck of my ship feeling tired, tired of the grind, tired of trying to please some very ungrateful passengers. I made me want to go through the neverdoor. It made me, as the main character, want to end my life. It made me understand why all of my favorite passengers WANTED to end it forever! It made me feel 'being tired of this existence'. And when I finally ended the game properly it was all the more bittersweet to me. So thank you! And I hope you'll find another game like undertale or spiritfarer in the near future, because BOY do we have a similar taste in games, that make you feel!

I cried like 3 times playing Spiritfarer, holy shit

While watching this review I thought to myself, "Yahtzee must be exaggerating, there's no way that hedgehog can be that sad." Boy was I fucking wrong...

"How it differs from subnautica is that you carry your base around with you..." As a Cyclops fan, I take issue with this statement

I only just started playing but I think Yathzee nails what drives it home. Like, I knew that my new found friend was dying and I was going to have to escort them to their end eventually even as I did each quest they asked me to do and yet, it didnt make the final passing easier. The "growing for crops and things" of the person who just died was 100% my first thought after my first passenger left. I resolved the feels and then set about the next days tasks to harvest and cook etc and then realized the thing I had been making was only something they liked. It made me immensely sad again. Takes a lot of small parts to make a game really evoke emotion but this game nails it. Art, music, dialog, customization, and the big key is those small teaching interactions as your friend teaches you how to make something new or shows you how to gather something. You remember "Oh, they were afraid of these" even after they are gone.

I’m so glad to see you reciprocate my feelings of the game. I’ve been meaning to review it for weeks but it’s been so difficult because the quality of the game clashes with the effect it has had on my heart. Stunning experience, even if the game could be better.

I know this is coming late, but as far as I can tell the new (free) DLC wraps the ending up better than when it was originally released. And there will be 2 additional spirits as free DLC coming. Just for those getting into the game in 2021

Yahtzee you don't actually have to sleep at all. If you busy yourself with other tasks, or just wait patiently, time passes normally, and your boat actually starts moving earlier in the day (when the clock actually says it is still night) than if you went to bed and woke up mid-morning.

Rest in peace Alex.

Its wierd hearing an actual sound on Yatzee's videos. That bell scared me!

“Yahtzee cried” touts the blurb

I finally got around to playing the game, and by going into completionist mode from the beginning I was able to get everything possible done before the big reveal. I only had a small handful of passengers left after that, including one who I intentionally held off on because I knew he'd just disappear overnight without saying anything. That made the end game less of a slog and gave me time to get every interaction out of every passenger. It still didn't make it any less emotional. I'm glad I played it, but I doubt I'll play it again any time soon because it's going to hurt.

Woodland critters ride-share euthanasia is lovely, really enjoying it so far

Game of the Year. Congratulations Spiritfarer, you made Yahtz shed tears. Now go join To The Moon in the special place he hides from his fans where he allows himself to feel stuff. Don't worry. We'll pretend we don't know about it. But thanks all the same.

I would love to see him review A Short Hike as part of an indie double feature. It’s super charming with retro graphics

'get a job, peasant' God I look forward to the day when your value to society is not measured by whether or not you slave away for 8-12 hours every day just to be able to survive and feed yourself and your family

Looks like this game is the winner of Yahtzee's annual "The One game that didn't suck this year" award. I think that makes like 8 or 9.

Hey, me and my sister like the multiplayer option. It makes juggling tasks throughout the day more efficient and it's a great game to bond over.

Franco belgian cartoons that takes me back. Time to take trip up to the attic and rummage around in boxes.

Play with a friend, if you can. It helps to have someone to share the big moments with, and when all the spirits have passed on, one of you will have to be the one to say "enough fiddling with the boat, it's time for us to go."

The moment I heard Yahtzee say he cried was the moment I was sold

I was expecting at least one "Spitfarter" joke. You disappoint me Yahtzee.

"A second player can also play as Stellas cat." Well, I guess that's the least information I've ever needed for purchasing a game

I've started this game in part because of this review and I love it. It's very addicting. Thanks to this review though, as soon as Alice arrived on the boat, I went "oh shit, it's the hedgehog". Right now I've just bid farewell to Summer and I finally got the zipline ability. I do like the exploring to get stuff I need to further build stuff on my ship to explore more aspect. Looking after the crops and such is nice and easy as well. I don't usually use the sleep function when the ship stops moving at night. I use the time to cook up a bunch of food, saw some logs up, use the foundry, etc; partly because cooking takes ages when it's not coffee, tea, or popcorn, so it's easier to set something cooking and go do something else until the timer goes off. I've easily spent hours playing without realizing how long I've been playing it. I've gotten the smithy built, and yes, it's annoying. The crushing one makes my right thumb start to hurt from repeatedly mashing square to crush up whatever I've thrown into it to make a powder or oil out of. I'm also slightly obsessed with checking the damned windmill to make sure it's actually working and hasn't stopped yet again.

I miss Summer's snoring so much!

Yahzee: "This game made me cry." Me: "FUCKING SOLD"

Ooo! Any praise from Yahtzee is high praise buzz buzz!

The little touches in the animation are my favorite part. When the zebra ghost also turns to cast a judging eye upon Gris, I lost it. These reviews are amazing.

That burger serving frame though, lmao

As the owner of a hedgelord that was put down earlier this year, I felt a pull on my heart strings during the opening paragraph. Well done Yahtzee.

I always get nervous watching Yahtzee review I game I really enjoyed, thinking he'll point out something I overlooked and turn my opinion. But nope, pretty much hit the nail on the head right down to the hedgehog tears.

Finished the game today, and I had to rewatch this. *Now* I appreciate this review ten thousand times more. And yes, Alice got me, got me bad. .. due to unforeseen circumstances, I left her all night at the prow, waiting. I felt horrible, I would not leave her side until the next day rolled over..

Yes. I knew this would be the number 1 for Yahtzee's 2020 Best Game. And all I can say is I couldn't agree more with the rating, this review. This is also my GOTY - don't care what anyone else says.

I'm late to the party, but I'm buying this game right now because of you, Yahtzee! Edit, spoilers: Astrid was the one to get to me when I ferried her away. When she said she couldn't see any more and asked me if I was still with her, and then I automatically ran up to her and hugged her. She looked shocked, at first, as always, but then reciprocated, and then in a flash of light, she was gone.

Ah damn, actually made me spit take laughing at the bit with the pickle on the dog

I think every single one of us who played that game, cried when we got to that part.

"it made yahtzee cry" may be the most effective advertisement i've ever heard

4:34 I know this is a bit too late for you, but you can press cancel to exit out of conversations you didn't mean to enter. (Unless it's a cutscene ofcourse.)

spoiler of The Good Place visually Spiritfarer looks kind of like Spirited Away based on the spirits seen in towns and on your ship like the sprits Chihiro sees in the bathhouse and along the way to Swamp Bottom on the train. In terms of story though it made me think of the final episode of The Good Place, Whenever You're Ready. Stella is effectively Janet. She gets things for the spirits when they ask, she helps them to make them happy, and when they say they're ready to go Stella and Janet both bring them to a peaceful location with the door, where they pass through and are gone. But Janet and Stella both remain with the memories of those they knew who are no longer there

That last under pants joke got a hearty laugh out of my. Thanks for that

I just finished this game this week and it also did something I’ve never done with any piece of media: shed tears of sadness. Thus this shot up to one of my all-time favorite games.

I'm guessing that the impact of Gris is more felt by those who have or are experiencing loss. As well as those who are dealing with things like PTSD, which is where Gris really hit me in the soft bits. Repeatedly.

I actually really like it when Yhatzee genuinely enjoys a game. It's refreshing.

seems like Yahtzee never noticed that you could exit most dialogue (especially shopkeepers) whenever with a single buttons, that sucks

Something about 3:57 really cracks me up, the combination of smiley face, starry eyes, and big mitts is absolutely hilarious to me

So Yahtzee cried when Alice the Hedgehog passed on. How about you? I cried...when Astrid the Lynx cat passed on.

Damn, guess I should keep an eye on this one.

Love this, so true! I just got into Spiritfarer and I'm really enjoying it!

The writing in this episode is really well done. I loved the jeapordy bit