Spirit City: Lofi Sessions is the definition of aesthetic with a soundtrack full of Lofi songs and soundscapes and a matching environment that creates the perfect peaceful experience. If you’re looking for a way to make meditation and concentration activities more fun and interactive, it may be just the game for you!
The Best Lofi Music Collection
Spirit City: Lofi Sessions is all about the best Lofi music, and it gives you multiple playlists to choose from. There are four playlists full of songs from varying artists. These cozy anthems create a space for the focus time you need while completing a task. If you’re a seasoned Lofi music fan, it’s also a great way to discover new songs to add to your collection.
You can play these songs the whole time the game is open via your music bar. Shuffle through all the playlists to pause, play, or repeat one song you love. It’s like a music app filled with only good Lofi beats but in a more fun and interactive environment. Plus, you get a list of Soundscapes to layer on top. Choose from aesthetic sounds like rain, thunder rolling in the distance, or the fireplace crackling. All of these succeed in setting a calming mood.
One of the best parts of this music selection is that you can even play your own music. If you aren’t enjoying the options, open your Music menu and scroll down to the Web Music Browser. You can choose from other songs on the Homework Radio YouTube Channel or search for any song you like on YouTube. It will play the song directly in the browser, so you can enjoy it with your personalized Spirit City background.
While there are plenty of songs to play, my only complaint is there need to be more Soundscapes. I want more aesthetic white noises, like a washer running in the background, a fan circling overhead, and waves rolling on the beach. So many other noises work to create a cozy space, but we’re limited to very few right now.
Plenty of Options for Personalization
I love character creation and am probably guilty of spending way too much time with it. Most of the reason I love it so much is because it allows the game to be more personalized. In Spirit City, you use the avatar to portray different activities around the environment. You can appreciate peaceful scenery while you complete your own concentration tasks. It’s even better when you can have your very own customized character doing so.
The experience offers plenty of personalization options along with the music and sounds. You can create your own unique character by changing their hair, body shape, and appearance details. You can choose to make them look like you or make them whimsical. For example, create a fairy by giving them purple skin and horns or make a cat with pointy, furry ears.
Along with the character features, there are many clothes to dress them in. The game succeeds at being interactive, allowing you to level up Spiritographer levels and earn points. These points unlock more clothing and accessories to put on your character. This is an incentive to keep using the tools Spirit City: Lofi Sessions gives you and complete tasks to level up. By doing so, you can unlock a whole collection of customizations.
You also get the chance to change up your background. This is your virtual bedroom. You can customize your furniture, place different decor around, and make the space look how you like. Just like the clothes, you can unlock more options by earning Spirit Coins. Plus, change the lighting to see the room transform. Set it in the golden light of sunset or the moon-bright glow of night.
Once again, my only complaint with this aspect of the game is that there needs to be more. I understand it’s aiming for simplicity and ease of use. However, I would especially like to have different background options. Allow us to venture out of the bedroom to other cozy settings, maybe a cafe or outside for a picnic. There are lots of different scenarios that could work and tie in with the desire for some extra soundscapes.
Tools for Healthy Meditative Practices
The whole point of Spirit City: Lofi Sessions is to create an inviting and fun space that motivates productivity. I think the game drives that goal home with all its helpful tools to get you started. You can make a list of To-Dos, set timers for calculated sessions, keep track of healthy habits you want to keep up every day, and even journal your thoughts and feelings.
I especially appreciated the journal section. The journal allows free writing, where you can express your feelings however you want. You can also pick a prompt question if you like. These questions are simple: “How are you feeling today?” or “What are my top priorities for the day?” They can get you thinking and make you feel more accomplished and organized with all your essential activities.
The timer is another great feature in the game that keeps you focused on the task at hand. If you’re working on completing homework, you can set a timer and keep working steadily throughout. The time will stop at intervals where you can take breaks between work. The on-and-off time will make you more productive and maintain a healthy mindset toward your goal.
These may all be simple tools you can get anywhere online or in person. However, Spirit City brings them all together, making you want to keep using them. Combining the fun animated backgrounds and peaceful music makes it a whole experience, rather than just a simple button to press on your phone. I found myself getting caught up in all the journal prompts and filling out the To-Do just for fun. It inspires productivity and a healthy lifestyle where you take time to think things through and feel peace. And it proves that it doesn’t have to be boring to do so.
The Most Adorable Spirit Companions
I can go on and on about how Spirit City makes productivity interactive, but the part that makes it the most interactive is the Spirit companions. You can also collect companions idly while completing various tasks and using the productivity tools.
These companions chill with you during each activity, and you can give them a little pet now and again. They resemble a bunch of different animals and creatures, from a spider made of yarn to a firey hedgehog. And they each come with little lore descriptions in your Spiritdex book. However, to collect these Spirits, you have to find them based on hints.
The hints will tell you where the critter is bound to be and what lures it out. Changing up the room activity, lighting, and sound will lure the critter out of its hiding place. One critter might like sunset and the fireplace, whereas another likes morning and birds chirping. Once you find the right combination, it’s all about waiting patiently as you concentrate on other tasks. Eventually, the Spirit will show itself and allow you to add it to your collection.
I do feel like Spirit City: Lofi Sessions missed out on some potential with the Spirit companions. While luring them is fun, they don’t serve much purpose in the game besides just looking cute. They could have added a few more features, like allowing you to take care of the pet by feeding it or grooming it. This would give you even more incentive to visit the game each day to take care of them and continue your new productive lifestyle.
Spirit City: Lofi Sessions — The Bottom Line
All in all, I love all that Spirit City: Lofi Sessions represents. It gives you a quiet, aesthetic space to stay focused on your work and track your goals and feelings. I appreciated the interactive twist on productivity tools by giving you options for personalization and a challenge to collect all the Spirits. My only downside is — I want more. More background options, more soundscapes to choose from, and more activities to do with the Spirits. If the developers add more content like this, I think Spirit City: Lofi Sessions could be a 10/10 experience that I would use on a daily basis. Either way, I would recommend it to anyone who’s looking for a cozy productivity tool, Lofi music hub, and collection game all in one.
Pros:
- The perfect relaxing playlist of music and soundscapes
- The option to play your own music
- Customization that allows for personalization
- Interactive activities that lead to adorable critter companions
- All the tools you need for meditative relaxation: Journal, timer, checklist
Cons:
- Need more background and customization options
- Need more soundscapes to enjoy
- More activities to complete with Spirit companions
