Death is an incredibly heavy subject. It's a natural thing that people are naturally afraid of, but must be talked about. Spiritfarer is built on classic Greek mythology about the river Styx that flows between life and death, and the journey spirits make in this intermediate state.
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The protagonist, Stella, takes over the role of the ferryman, carrying spirits on this river all the way to the afterlife, helping them deal with the realities of what they're facing. While the game is partly about death, and players see a lot of different stories revolving around the death of a character, the gameplay itself focuses on what comes after. Through this abstract and beautiful journey, Stella meets a number of spirits whom she must help to ease into the afterlife, most of them being relatives of hers, or friends.
SPOILERS AHEAD!
11 Elena
Elena is the last character players unlock, and a very stubborn one. Players will have a hard time connecting with her and will have to use everything they've learned throughout the game. In life, she was a teacher and was always disappointed in her students.
Because of this, she will constantly try and teach Stella, viewing her as one of her students, although one with potential. Her character is very interesting, but her backstory and journey don't have a big arc like the others. Her character is more important during the journey, her tory being left in the background, mostly.
10 Giovanni
Giovanni was Astrid's love, and a serial adulterer and smooth-talker. He lived a life full of all pleasures found on Earth, with only one motto "carpe diem." His main motivation was to charm everyone, even if that meant crossing lines and acting shady.
While he's definitely one of the least likable characters, his demeanor surely hit a sore spot in everyone's mind, but his parting words and final enlightenment let players know once again, what this game is all about.
9 Atul
Atul is not only pivotal for the story, but informs the players of the obstacles Stella faces as well. Atul is always happy, the most friendly and careless character in the game. His past relations with Stella are complicated, and they remain complicated after his disappearance from the ship.
A part of Atul's life was never resolved for Stella, leaving her always wondering. Her life was deeply altered by the role Atul represented in her life, and his disappearance from the ship never resolves this issue, him being a spirit that Stella never takes through the Everdoor.
8 Buck
Buck the lizard is the only character in the game who doesn't need to be taken through the Everdoor. He died before Stella came through, and has already gone through the gate, meaning he can't twice. He's mostly there as a guide for Stella, to be with her until she herself is ready to go through, being sort of a secondary Spiritfarer himself.
Also, he's the only character Stella doesn't recognize. She thinks he could be someone her sister talked about, a person who dies in Stella's sister's teenage years. His story always fascinated Stella, and she reckons this lizard is his spirit.
7 Summer
Summer was a huge part of Stella's life, inspiring her entire career and motivations. On the boat, Summer struggles with her past love and the sickness that took her away. While on the journey with Stella, she tries to teach her about spirituality and meditation, still trying to pass on knowledge.
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Her character offers deep insight into losing someone to chronic sickness, leaving players speechless with her knowledge, spirituality, and overall take on life and death. Her backstory and journey with Stella hit a home run for everyone who's lost someone to cancer.
6 Gwen
Gwen is the very first spirit Stella meets when embarking on her journey. Gwen's character is not only riveting and memorable for players, but has a huge task which is to set the tone of the entire game. While on the boat, Gwen works through her dysfunctional family situation, and her complicated relationship with her father.
In order to move on, she must face her family and let go of what's holding her back. Her backstory and the way her journey ends is not only very touching and thoughtful but states the overall purpose and tone of the game.
5 Bruce & Mickey
Bruce and Mickey are brothers who do everything together. Players will soon realize that the hummingbird, Bruce, is the one that does all the talking, and not long after they'll realize why that is, and the answer is heartbreaking.
Mickey the buffalo is actually in a coma after being shot in a car chase. The fact that Bruce insists on talking on his behalf is because he just can't face the truth which is that his brother is not there anymore and is beyond salvation. Their story is heartwarming, yet tragic, leaving players in shock when realizing the sad truth.
4 Alice
Alice's character is deeply moving especially for those who've watched someone suffer through dementia. Her backstory is touching, but the true depth lies in what happens on the boat. With her forgetfulness taking over, she slowly dissociates from life, making her journey heartbreaking even for those who haven't gone through this journey with others.
She was a big part of Stella's professional life, and her story has a lot to tell for players about what it's like to slowly lose connection to oneself. A lot of players feel heartache over her story, needing a little break after her journey to digest this message.
3 Gustav
Gustav has a very unique story and character. He was a brilliant art curator, with enormous knowledge about seemingly everything under the sun. But early in his life, he developed a disease that physically paralyzed him. This could explain why he's a bird in the afterlife, flying free.
He has very unique ideas about the world, life, and death, and can sometimes come through as a snotty intellectual, but after getting to know him, players love him deeply. He's one of the more memorable characters in the game with a moving Everdoor scene.
2 Stanley
It's easy to forget the depth of Spiritfarer with its colorful backdrop, lovable characters, and fun gameplay. But Stanley's here to help remember. Stanley is tragically young, reminding players that death can come at any time, and spirits come in all shapes and forms.
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He's incredibly wise for his age, and surprisingly happy and energetic, which makes the whole process that much more heartbreaking. His story and journey are the greatest examples of how magical this game actually is. Without saying the tragedies out loud, players instantly understand the underlying, heartbreaking truths in the gameplay. Even the most lighthearted moments have a touch of seriousness and depth.
1 Astrid
Astrid is one of those characters who have a lot to tell. Her story and her journey are very deep, and it's a wonderful thing that the game talks about such tragedies. Her story starts with her being a child and hiding Jewish children during World War II. She has possibly the biggest arc in the game.
She has strong political views that she acts upon, possibly because of her involvement in WWII. But if that doesn't hit close to home for players, her character also embodies the struggles of being in an abusive relationship with a serial adulterer. Her struggles to forgive and forget impacted her life and even her journey after death, greatly.