Spiritfarer Includes A Gentle Animal Crossing Joke

The indie game Spiritfarer has gotten a warm reception this week, including on Nintendo Switch. But the relaxing management game also features talking animals, and so it included a bit of lighthearted fun at the expense of fellow anthropomorphic chill vibes game Animal Crossing.

As Kotaku notes, one of the shops that provides important crafting materials is called Raccoon, Inc., run by a shady raccoon named Theodore. He attempts to price-gouge the player, prompting one of your companions to chastise him with some harsh words. Afterward, Theodore feels contrite and drops his prices.

Tom Nook has gained a reputation as a meme for his sky-high prices for housing loans, and somewhat unscrupulous manner of surprising you with a mortgage you didn't realize you were signing up for. (To his credit, his loans are interest-free; try getting that from an actual bank.) So it only stands to reason that a business tycoon raccoon would be a hat-tip to Nook.

"All of Spiritfarer's novel mechanical variations kept potentially repetitive actions from ever growing old," Hope Corrigan wrote in GameSpot's Spiritfarer review. "Its gleeful little islands got more exciting to explore as new platforming abilities were unlocked. The characters, even small ones with funny little quips of dialogue that you encounter, were friends that I cherished. I absolutely adored existing in Spiritfarer's beautifully animated, compassionate world so much that it genuinely came to feel like home."