Steam's latest free game is Stardew Valley meets Studio Ghibli

Eversince I laid eyes on the captivating magic of Spirited Away, I’ve wanted to run my very own bathhouse for the spirits. It’s a big dream, one I never thought would come true, but thanks to one of Steam’s free demos, I’m able to turn my dreams into a reality, albeit digitally.

Spirittea is a soon-to-be-released RPG and life simulator, beautifully rendered in pixel-art. It immediately invokes memories of Stardew Valley or Octopath Traveller II, which, for cosy game fans like myself, vastly increases its appeal. Yet, not wanting to simply rehash a generic story, Spirittea attempts to refresh the genre by including cutesy spirits in need of help.

Prepare for your Ghibli-esque adventure by watching the Spirittea trailer!

It’s giving Studio Ghibli vibes in a big way, further adding another big, green tick against the game before it’s even released. Furthermore, it offers comfort, a key component of any cosy game worth its salt.

This year has been exceptionally brilliant for cosy gamers, thanks to Fae Farm, Moonstone Island, Sea of Stars, Dave the Diver, and Planet of Lana; they’re not all sim titles, but they each ignite that warm glow that only the most devout and authentic cosy games can. Take it from me, the self-professed queen of cosy games. One of the best to achieve this sensation thus far is Moonstone Island, which I recently reviewed for GAMINGbible with all the glee of a small child; it delivered exactly what I hoped for, but, sadly, left me hungry for more.

Now I see that that hunger is destined to be sated by Spirittea. In truth, I could end up disappointed, but from what I’ve seen in the trailer and the free demo so far, I highly doubt it. Delicious foods, cuddly spirits, decorations galore – it has everything to meet the high expectations I hold for wholesome video games.

Although the demo is only available at the moment, Spirittea will launch on 13 November on Nintendo Switch, Steam, Xbox, and PlayStation.

Topics: Steam, PC, Microsoft, Xbox, PlayStation, Xbox Game Pass, Nintendo Switch