Title: Spirit City: Lofi Sessions 

Developer/Publisher: Mooncube Games

Release Date: April 8, 2024
Platforms: Microsoft via Steam

Reviewed on: Steam

Price: $11.99 

Introduction

I love to-do lists. I love the satisfaction of writing things out and then checking them off one by one. 

Produced and published by Mooncube Games, Spirit City: Lofi Sessions is a productivity boosting game. Set inside an attic bedroom, your virtual avatar completes various tasks while you do the same on the other side of the screen. 

Merriam Webster defines cozy as “enjoying or affording warmth and ease and marked by or providing contentment or comfort.” For me, both of these statements perfectly summarize the feeling of Spirit City: Lofi Sessions. 

Because it embodies the idea of cozy so well, this game has additional benefits beyond its announced productivity boosting. As I was playing, I realized that the game is also uniquely designed for gamers with anxiety or other mental health conditions. It can create a virtual safe space for them and provides some additional benefits to boost mental health.

How you may ask?

Let’s take a look! 

Analysis: 

At its core, Spirit City: Lofi Sessions is a game that is made to help boost productivity. Based in an attic bedroom, your custom-made avatar can participate in various activities that can compliment what you’re doing in real life. 

Other options include finding the right combination to unlock new spirit friends and add them to your Dex. Different things can trigger new spirits and exploring all that the game has to offer will take you closer to finding all the new friends who inhabit the same space as you. 

Character Creation 

When you initially start playing, not all of the character creation options are available. You unlock them with spirit points that you earn by doing various tasks during different sessions. 

But there is plenty to offer and you can have your character look as normal or as fantastical as you’d like. For me, I made her closer to how I look in person because it was almost as if I was visualizing being in her bedroom. 

Once you get enough points, you can quickly unlock more clothing types and further customization options. 

One fun thing I found that rather amused me was that sometimes the game doesn’t quite know what to do with the animations if you choose to leave your character barefoot. Sometimes the feet just disappear, leaving the legs cutting off right at the ankles. 

It wasn’t a problem for me, it was just humorous. 

Productivity Booster

I love the potential that Spirit City has for boosting productivity. In order to unlock new items, you need to gain experience points. You can gain experience points by creating a to-do list and checking items off. 

One of the ways I tested this system was by setting up a writing session. Taking my current writing routine, I was curious how I could add Spirit City in.  For the experiment, I spent some time outlining a few chapters in my latest project. 

This enabled me to try out the to-do list feature inside the game. For me, part of the joy of the to-do list is being able to check things off. For the sake of this experiment, I was very vague with my items – mainly insisting that each chapter get a rough outline. 

It looks like this is built for more simple items which is the style I prefer. With a click, you can check items off and the game even provides a satisfying ding to signal you completed an item. 

With my computer setup, I have a double monitor and adding Spirit City: Lofi Sessions was simple enough. I can either have it up front or in the background of my second monitor while I work off the first. 

In approximately a half-hour, I had a rough outline for several chapters and felt that it was a productive setting. 

Another feature is that there is a built-in timer. I’m a huge fan of writing sprints, especially during NaNoWriMo. In case you’re not familiar, NaNoWriMo is National Novel Writing Month and takes places every November. 

One of the tools to accomplish your goal is to do a writing sprint – essentially you set a timer and you see how many words you can write before the timer ends. This game seems to be built for that, it even encourages breaks between timer periods. 

I’m excited to experiment more with that in the months to come. 

Music

Normally, that isn’t my style of music. I’m a pop and showtunes girl. But there was something soothing about the music that they cultivated for this project. It’s smooth jazz, someone might mistake it for elevator music. 

For me, the distinction comes in how it makes me feel. Elevator music is there for filler whereas this is soothing and simple. It fits the setting like a glove and compliments the game. It’s the kind of music that you hear in guided meditations, on the slower side. But, also not the kind of music that I wanted to fall asleep to. 

According to Mooncube Games, the playlists were carefully curated and they created themes for every mood. 

And it shows. There are many playlists to choose from. While I did try out a few of the others, during my experimentation, I did tend to gravitate towards the original playlist that launches when you start the game. 

I’ve noticed that sometimes after playing this game, I’ll grab that style of music when I’m at work or somewhere else and put it on while I take care of tasks. I think that it’s mindless enough that it occupies the part of my brain that needs noise yet soothing enough to smooth over my anxiety. 

Which leads me to my final point. 

Benefits to Mental Health 

Spirit City: Lofi Sessions is labeled as a productivity game. After playing the game and reading others react online, I believe that there are mental health benefits which spring from the very nature of the game. 

Boosts Feeling of Accomplishment

For me, making a to-do list is a form of self-care. Once I make that list, I have clear expectations for what I hope to accomplish during a day or in a setting. 

Then, I get to check things off one by one. And with every line crossed and every task accomplished, I get to enjoy a small win. And sometimes there are days where I desperately need those wins. 

This game takes that idea and gamifies it for you. By making sure you check off an item at least once a session, you earn points towards items for your room, cute outfits for you, and even customization options for your new spirit friends. 

I love that this allows me to have the to-do list on the computer if I’m in a situation where I can’t have a notepad handy. It’s a feature I look forward to utilizing more. 

A Sense of Calm

The elegance of Spirit City: Lofi Sessions is truly in how simple it is. The game exists in a single room and how you interact with the room as you go about your tasks out of the game is up to you. Do you alter every last detail? Do you end up with a favored spot? 

Sometimes, my character’s positioning matches what I’m working on.

Am I doing research for a project? 

Then she might be on the bed with her computer open just hanging. 

Writing? 

There’s an option where she sits at her desk and does the same. 

Reading an article? 

She might be over in the corner by the fire enjoying the ambiance while I enjoy the music. 

But because it’s so simple, it creates a sense of calm. You’re vibing in the room with a character while you get things done. As someone that’s so guilty of getting stuck inside my own head, I’ve noticed that this game has the potential to help soothe my racing thoughts. 

Final Score

I love the concept of this game, I love how it functions, and I love what it can do for both productivity and mental health. 

Within the scope of productivity boosting games, this is the best one I’ve seen. In that field, it is truly a 5/5 experience. 

While the team at Mooncube Games set out to create a game that would help people with their productivity, they ultimately created a game that manages to also become a haven for gamers to escape to when things get a bit much. 

If you’re looking for a way to get things done while helping lower your anxiety, whether we’re still in Mental Health Awareness Month or not, I do recommend that you check out Spirit City: Lofi Sessions. 

Photo Credit: Mooncube Games

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