Publisher No More Robots has announced that cosy rural life RPG Spirittea will be launching on Switch, PC, and Xbox (along with Game Pass) on 13th November 2023 after a long development cycle.
Developed by Cheesemaster Games, Spirittea has been in development since at least 2020, and brews up a mix of Stardew Valley, Studio Ghibli's Spirited Away, and other spirit-focused anime and manga.
After accidentally drinking from a mystical pot of tea, the lead character finds that their rural vacation — which they're using as an escape to help inspire their next book — overrun with spirits. And instead of relaxing, you then become the caretaker of a mystical bathhouse.
The lengthy release date announcement trailer goes into a lot of depth, so why not watch it above, and then we'll jump in.
The pixel art has an EarthBound-like charm to it, and the spirits are inspired by all sorts of different cultures. Plus, there are lots of quests to undertake, activities to steep into, and friends to make along the way. And plenty of tea, of course.
While Spirittea is about spirits, you'll actually be helping out the humans — many of whom have forgotten about the spirits that live in the area. You're the only person who can help repair relations between humans and spirits, while solving both sides' problems, too.
You'll befriend many spirits, and as you do, they'll start to visit your bathhouse. You need to keep the visitors happy and maintain the bathhouse to earn money, which you can then use to buy stuff and explore more places.
You can build relationships with the people in town and track them using the Friendship Bar. To do this, you'll need to complete quests or take up hobbies with your friends. From cooking, fishing, and karaoke, there's plenty to dig into.
It's safe to say, Spirittea is jam-packed full of goodies, but like any good brew, it sounds like it's going to be a cosy, warming experience. We spoke to the Lead Designer of the game, Dan Beckerton, last year to get more on the game, so if you're curious, check out our interview below: