Spirit Swapis an upcoming game that combines match-3 mechanics set to lo-fi music with narrative storytelling told through the eyes of the demon witch named Samar. As friendships progress, the match-3 gameplay can change with the help of keepsakes from Samar’s closest companions—they can even have romantic relationships with their friends. A demo forSpirit Swapis available now, but the full game is currently in production and being funded viaKickstarter.Spirit Swaphad one month to fulfill its goal, but instead, it surpassed the initial goal in 35 hours.
Spirit Swapis being created by a worker co-op development team, Soft Not Weak, and is a team full of queer, trans, non-binary, POC (People of Color.) Though not all of the game’s characters have been revealed yet, there’s already a wide array of identities, personalities, and body types that can be seen in the character roster. In an interview with Game Rant, creative director Alex A.K. discussedthe inclusivity and in-game loreofSpirit Swapand the intent behind those decisions.
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Spirit Swap’s Inclusive Character Roster
Right now there are 9 characters revealed on theSpirit SwapKickstarter page, but others have been announced or revealed via Twitter. Every character outfit design fits into the aesthetic ofSpirit Swap, but each character also has a unique body type and style of their own. Each character also has an astrological sign listed alongside their birthday, which is a fun detail to learn about each friend and potential love interest. When asked about the inclusivity of the characters, Alex’s answer was quite simple:
It’s not like we were like “we have to make this as diverse as possible.” We were literally like, “We want to make this look like us. What do we look like? What does the team want to see?” And the team wants to see a bunch of trans and non-binary queer People of Color of different shapes and sizes.
If theKickstarter being fundedso quickly is any indicator, it seems a lot of people want to see the exact same thing in a game. Having a roster of characters who are POC, queer, and trans in a low-stakes environment isn’t done very often, unfortunately. A lot of the time games focus on addressing the trauma that comes with these identities rather than the positive aspect and joy members of these communities feel. Unfortunately, trauma often gets the attention that’s needed to educate about these identities, but there’s nothing that really explains beyond that point.Spirit Swapis about the joy found in these communities and told by people who are queer, Black, trans, non-binary, and/or POC.
I think I would honestly use “self-indulgent” instead of “authentic.” I like “authentic,” but I think we shouldn’t shy away from “self-indulgent.” One of the big missions of our studio, Soft Not Weak, is just joy—like queer, POC, Black, joy. That’s what we want to bring to the table, that’s who we want to talk to.
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Spirit Swap’s Location and Lore
In the world ofSpirit Swap,everyone is a witch and demon, so everyone has some form of magical powers. In Samar’s case, she works nights to “spirit swap,” i.e. players match-3 to lo-fi music, but how everyone got their powers is described with a bit of lore. Alex explained that the magic everyone uses is plant-based and came about around the time that our world would have had its wireless revolution. Everything is still wired in the world ofSpirit Swap, but the characters can charge their electronics by dropping a phone in water or putting it in the sun.
Plants are reallythe source of everyone’s powers, and it’s also where the adorable in-game companions, known as FamiliarZ, get their power as well.Spirit Swapis set in an area called Demashq, which is inspired by the cities of Damascus and Beirut. All too often these areas are depicted in a negative light, especially in franchises likeCall of Duty. The developer hopes to show off Arab-Levant culture, food, and architecture in an “idealized fantasy world,” which lines up well when players remember how everyone is a demon witch.
It’s kind of an homage to how I remember my country, as opposed to maybe how it is now or how it was growing up. Just like this marriage of the sea and mountains and nature, and this kind of chaotic human touch. But in this world, nature is holding it together and making sure that no one is getting hurt. Just all kinds of people playing in a fictional Levantine-Arab fantasy that is hopefully distant from the usual orientalist or “terrorist” depictions they see of it. That’s what I’m really excited about.
Spirit Swap’s Kickstarteris still going on and reaching for its push goals. Anyone who’s interested in an inclusive, aesthetically pleasing match-3 game is highly encouraged to check outSpirit Swapand its developer, Soft Not Weak. Though the game won’t be available until next year, at least, the demo may be able to tide over some of the more impatient players.
