Spirit City: Lofi Sessions (2024)

Focus and productivity are the buzzwords all the more, in this age of limited attention span. Among the influencers' videos and podcasts on those topics, having a game-like software for a focus tool can be considered a freshly broken ground. Imagine Lofi Girl in a 3D app, where you can customize your own avatar, decorate your own room and have the avatar carry out different activities to included Lofi soundtracks. Besides such cosmetic interactions, there are tools like the journal, to-do list and timer with pomodoro settings to run while you are doing actual work.

Besides going on spirit hunt by finding correct room settings, this game isn't much for gaming than it is a tool for shaping your productive environment. If you ever wanted to define your own Lofi girl (or boy/queer etc.) mode to try new productivity methods or even follow through, Spirit City is worth its price to give a test to see how it works. As for me, I have unlocked all spirit and tried a few functions while I'm gaming or doing chores (Even doing pomodoro while writing this review). For now, though, I haven't stuck enough to use it much for my usual chores, so I can't stress enough that this app is for a certain audience who are exploring the productivity area.

Difficile de commenter Spirit-City Lofi Sessions comme on le ferait d'un jeu vidéo normal. En effet, on a davantage affaire à un soft de productivité avec un fort aspect de ludification.

Le logiciel propose un éditeur de to-do list, un tracker d'habitude, une minuterie pomodoro et un journal ainsi qu'un lecteur audio. Ce dernier propose une demi-douzaine de playlists lo-fi développées tout spécialement ainsi qu'un navigateur permettant d'importer ses propres playlist YouTube.

Ce qui différencie le logiciel de ses concurrents c'est son concept: en travaillant vous faites monter votre jauge de niveau, celle ci permet de débloquer des indices pour trouver des animaux virtuels appelés spirits.

Comme votre avatar et votre chambre, ceux ci sont personnalisables, ce qui vous permet d'avoir en plus d'une petite musique sympa et de vos outils de productivité une petite boucle d'animation sympa sur votre écran secondaire.

Personnellement, collecter ces petites bestioles m'a vraiment poussé à faire des sessions de travail, c'est juste un peu dommage que le jeu comporte encore assez peu de contenu. Enfin, l'équipe a déjà sorti une mise à jour (Fin Août 2024) donc peut être que ce problème s'arrangera vite !

I got this game on a whim due to seeing it pop up on my Twitter timeline quite a few times, where they showcased the creatures you can collect and the character creation. It advertised itself as a "Study Buddy" of sorts, which initially made me hesitant since the usual motivational games for chores or activities haven't worked for me. I tend to get impatient or unmotivated due to stress or focus problems. However, I gave this game a try, and I have not regretted it one bit.

I'm currently using it as I type this, using the built-in Lofi player and timer. The game also supports a To-Do List and Habit Tracker, which I've been using to stay on track with personal projects. The game comes with a lot of customization, between your avatar, the color of your companions who you unlock through the game, and your room. While I believe there is more customization to be desired, the game still has planned updates regarding customization abilities and options. This game's primary motivator and appeal, hence the name, would be the spirits you collect through patience and having the game open. While each spirit requires certain conditions (which I think is cool but can impact what I want my character to do at a given moment), you can have a spirit friend of your own accompany you. My personal favorite is Chapterpillar because he'll actively read while with you. I wish more of the spirits did activities like this.

TLDR: Long review aside, if you like cutesy graphics and need something to run in the background while you do other hobbies or even homework, I can't recommend this game enough. It's motivating to see my character working alongside me. Just remember this is NOT an active game, as it's meant to run more in the background.