Spirit City: Lofi Sessions Review

As I sit down to write this review, the vibes are immaculate; relaxing sounds fill the air, from the soft pitter-patter of rain to the cosy crackle of a fireplace, and a warm cup of coffee rests on my botanical-themed desk right next to an adorable spirit creature called Hedgelog. Okay, well, I’m not necessarily describing my office (it’s actually sunny outside and, to my knowledge, no spirits are afoot), but thanks to Mooncube Games’ debut title Spirit City: Lofi Sessions, it definitely feels like I’ve been transported to that rainy virtual sanctuary and I’m more than ready to begin typing.

Spirit City is best described as both a game and a focus tool, as it gives you a fully customisable virtual room and productivity tools to help you set the vibe and get organised — a combo that I called “magical task-management alchemy” in my preview. Prior to its full release, my pre-work routine usually involved searching for ambient sounds on YouTube, opening a to-do list app, scrawling out half-formed ideas on a notepad, and, if we’re being honest, procrastinating — a lot of procrastinating.

But the nice thing about Spirit City is that everything I need is conveniently in one spot. Now, my pre-work ritual begins with using its built-in to-do list and looking at my habit tracker to remind myself what daily items I’m trying to complete. What’s been a big game changer for my productivity is definitely the session timer; this allows you to choose how long you’ll work for and set your breaks, a method known as the Pomodoro technique. I’ve tried that strategy in the past by setting timers on my phone, but Spirit City makes it so much more enjoyable to use, and the less I have to pick up my phone, the less likely I am to begin doomscrolling on social media. Additionally, if you love multi-tasking on your PC like I do, you’ll find that it works smoothly with a dual-monitor setup, as you can have it on one screen and do your work on the other. And for those with a single monitor, don't worry, you can run the tool in windowed mode, minimize it, or alt-tab to another window easily.

While Spirit City has helped me become more productive, it’s also a great tool to practice mindfulness. I’ve used the timer to meditate, stretch, and practice my breathwork, for instance. There’s even a journal where you can jot down your thoughts, and if you find yourself drawing blanks on what to write, there are prompts that encourage you to note things you’re grateful for, how your body feels, or what you did to have fun during the day.

Aside from its built-in tools, another main draw of this title is the ability to feel like you’re in your own custom Lofi YouTube video. I often start my work session by choosing a vibe from its menu of atmospheric moods, which includes morning, afternoon, evening, and night. As their names imply, each one changes the lighting and time of day with a simple click, allowing golden sunshine to stream through your window or switching out sunny skies for a moonlit starry night. Once the atmosphere is just right, you can choose where your character will hang out and what type of activity they’ll do while you work, such as knitting by the fireplace, relaxing on the bed, drawing at the desk, and more.

Tailoring your soundscape also sets the mood, as the game/tool gives you sliders for various sounds, including, but not limited to, falling rain, night critter hoots and chirps, singing birds, white noise, and, my go-to, soft vinyl noise. You’ll notice that some sliders change the visual scene outside your window, too. For instance, if you turn “Soothing Wind” all the way up, you’ll see the green trees outside begin to move, and “Rumbling Thunders” will darken the sky. The music is also as chill as it can get, with several Lofi songs to listen to. My favourite, by far, is the Rainy Day Incantations playlist, which offers dreamy background music that allows me to tune into my work and feel stress-free while doing so. It’s very similar to the low-key beats you’d find in Coffee Talk.

Beyond adjusting the sounds and time of day, you can now decorate your room as well, which is a new feature that wasn’t included in the demo; I was pleasantly surprised to see how many ways you could customise your virtual space, from changing the room’s wallpaper to placing new accessories on your desk. I also enjoyed choosing my character’s style for the day. Whether you want to pull on a cosy hoodie or a rainbow beanie, the wardrobe has a lovely range of clothes to select from. The hairstyles, on the other hand, are a bit more limited, but you do get additional head features, such as horns and antlers, which allows you to get pretty creative. With a wide selection of colours, you can even change your look to match the scheme of your room or spirit companions.

That said, there are many extremely cute room decorations and clothing items locked at the start — those you’ll have to purchase with your well-earned Spirit Credits, which are given to you for logging in daily, using the built-in productivity tools, and gaining EXP to level up. This reward system is one of the main reasons I’ve enjoyed using Spirit City when I need to get some writing done or even when I just want to read and vibe. The best reward of all is collecting spirit companions in your Spiritdex. These hidden creatures only come out when you set the right sounds, activities, and lighting, but they take quite some time to appear, which encourages you to keep working.

With every spirit you collect, not only do you get a new cute friend to chill with you, but you also get EXP and, thereby, more Spirit Credits to spend every time you level up. My only gripe is that you can’t preview what you’re purchasing. If I wanted to see what rainbow leggings would look like on my character or check out a new colour of window curtains, I’d have to buy them first. A preview option would go a long way, as I often felt like I wasted credits on something that didn’t fit the aesthetic I was going for.

All in all, Spirit City: Lofi Sessions is a delightful and cosy interactive tool that injects positive vibes into your day. Whether you’re sitting down to finish a challenging task, studying for an exam, or simply reading your favourite book, you can do it in the great company of an adorable companion by your side. If you’ve tried productivity apps to no avail, you might just need this spirit-filled, stress-free virtual space.