Be cute, be queer and crash concerts with Spirit Swap: Lofi Beats to Match-3 To
Spirit Swap: Lofi Beats to Match-3 To is a game that I didn’t know I wanted, but now know for a fact that I need. It helps that the game is body inclusive, something which big triple-A game developers still fail to include, queer as hell, and developed by a worker-owned indie game studio that isn’t just full of white folks.
Honestly? I love to see it.
Spirit Swap: Lofi Beats to Match-3 To from Soft Not Weak LLC is an action-puzzle game that combines some excellent Lo-Fi beats with a narrative-heavy, lush world full of creative and colorful characters. It even has a froggy that you can see jam out to some excellent beats.
Cute froggies aside, Spirit Swap: Lofi Beats to Match-3 To follows an even cuter young witch called Samar who is extremely kind but isn’t afraid to speak her mind.
In this game’s story, Samar has been working the spirit-swapping night shift, but lately, there have been more and more spirits crossing over, absolutely ruining the vibe of her job. What’s worse, stans of the band 5SOME are on the way thanks to the band’s big comeback tour in Demashq – and who wants to deal with stans and spirits? And that’s not even considering that Samar’s got a pizza party to plan and plenty of people she wants to get to know and smooch…
It isn’t all just work for Samar, though. While players will need to move through various hot spots to ‘clean up’ where different spirits have crossed over, you’ll also get the chance to meet up with Samar’s many friends. Such as: Mo and Leon; the two too-cool-for-school kids with soft centers, Dio, Cleo and Theo; a polycule of very hot people, Pookie; a quiet, but determined lover of everything pizza, and Iskandar and Lulu; a beefy flirt and a sweet baker.
The more Samar talks and deepens her relationship with her friends, the more you’ll unlock unique dialogue, spells and items. Not only will it make you feel all gooey inside at how cute everyone is, but you’ll be able to earn keepsakes from your friends and use them in your match-3 strategy. That and it’ll make Samar’s room like more homely!
This isn’t just a single-player game, though. While you’ll be able to enjoy the game’s Story Mode by yourself just fine, Spirit Swap: Lofi Beats to Match-3 To has a competitive local VS mode to let you play with all of your friends.
Other features involved in this game include:
- Match the beat – reassemble lost spirits, and enjoy a custom Lo-Fi soundtrack from artist Meltycanon.
- Cast powerful spells – players will arrange spirits into special patterns to unlock potent powers
- 5 unique game modes – including Time Attack, Score Attack, and Survival.
But what we really love about Spirit Swap: Lofi Beats to Match-3 To is its world. If you’re looking for a glorified, white fantasy then you’ll need to look elsewhere as this game is a fresh, positive look at Middle Eastern and black fantasy by creators from the region. The city of Demashq is inspired largely by Levant, and as such, will be based around the coast.
We also just appreciate a game that involves body types that isn’t just plain skinny. That it involves trans characters, a polycule… That they just exist without the question of how. The answer is obvious: because.
Spirit Swap: Lofi Beats to Match-3 To is currently on Kickstarter, but have already smashed their goal. That said, if you’re like us and need this game in your life, you can still go ahead and support the game and its developers by pledging. Alternatively, you can also wishlist the game over on Steam.
For more information, check out the game’s official website.
If you’re looking for other indie games to support, check out our coverage of indies with our Gayme of the Week column.
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