Free RPG for Windows
Spiritrest is a free RPG for Windows by developer Warkus. In this game, you’re a female character who needs to explore dark environments in a quest for spirits. However, your spirit won’t rest in this exploration game because you’re constantly on the move, trying to acquire spirits that come in different orbs.
You guide your character in 3D environments from a third-person perspective, much like Sonic The Hedgehog 3D and Peeb Adventures. However, unlike those games, Spiritrest has heavily pixelated graphics that give it a distinctive N64-style retro vibe. The game mechanics are also a homage to that era of gaming.
In Spiritrest, you spend your time trying to collect spirit orbs, which are necessary for the story to progress, but also to unlock different sections of the game. You do this by running, jumping, and swimming. There are no enemies, and the only difficulties are delivered by the environment.
Classic platformer
If this sounds a bit boring, think again. Even with an overlying dark theme, levels are very detailed and varied, and the platform action is surprisingly entertaining.
Beautiful art and game design
Spiritrest truly feels like a forgotten Nintendo 64 title released in the mid-1990s. The graphics look very dated but are perfectly designed to convey a unified art. Your character and the environments look like they were made for each other. Other indie titles like this are often a mishmash of concepts.
The levels are well-designed and offer enough challenges to offset the lack of enemies. That said, there are no clear indications of what to do, which can be very frustrating until you get the hang of things.
A great throwback to a bygone era
Spiritrest is simplistic and won’t appeal to anyone looking for an action game since there are no enemies. Others, intrigued by the premise, will walk away as soon as they see the graphics. For the rest, this title is a good try for a relaxing time in front of their screens.
The idea is well-executed, aside from some minor bugs. The platforming is surprisingly fun even though there are no enemies and levels are sparsely populated. However, some ideas could be expanded upon, such as explaining to players what to do, and providing a bit more background on the intriguing premise.
