If you have a knack for finding disgruntled, dirty spirits and thought Spirited Away‘s Chihiro was absolutely daft for wanting to leave Yubaba’s bathhouse, then Cheesemaster’s upcoming Spirittea is probably your kind of game.
Playing as a writer who moves to a new town while trying to finish their book, you quickly discover this quaint hideaway has some serious problems. It’s almost like the gods have a grievance with the place — because basically, they do.
The town you move to is plagued with a host of angry spirits, beings forgotten by the locals, no longer worshipped, and seriously displeased by the fact. After you drink some tea from a special pot, you find you can see these beings, and it’s in your best interest to calm them down.
That’s where the bathhouse comes in. These spirits like their baths, tea, and proper respect, and they’ll reward you for taking good care of them and fulfilling their requests. Each one has different needs and affiliations, so you’ll always be kept on your toes as you try and manage your bathhouse, find new spirits, and get to know the local living people too.
Spirittea has a day/night cycle, seasons, festivals, a tea-gathering mini-game, and, of course, fishing and bug catching. Spirittea proudly wears its Animal Crossing, Spirited Away, and Harvest Moon/Stardew Valley influences on its sleeves and seems like it’s set to combine all these things into a unique blend all its own.
Spirittea has a Kickstarter campaign running until the end of the month and aims to enter Early Access in 2022. Though specific platforms are still up in the air, Steam, iOS, Android, and itch.io are some of the main emphases right now.
This is one we’ll be following closely, so stay tuned to GameSkinny for more Spirittea news as it’s brewed up.
