Spirit Swap Dev Discusses Inclusivity and Game Lore

Spirit Swap Dev Discusses Inclusivity and Game Lore

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In an interview with Game Rant, creative director Alex A.K. of Spirit Swap discusses the game’s inclusive character design and in-game lore.

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Spirit Swap Dev Discusses Inclusivity and Game Lore

Spirit Swap is 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 for Spirit Swap is available now, but the full game is currently in production and being funded via Kickstarter. Spirit Swap had one month to fulfill its goal, but instead, it surpassed the initial goal in 35 hours.

Spirit Swap is 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. discussed the inclusivity and in-game lore of Spirit Swap and the intent behind those decisions.

Spirit Swap’s Inclusive Character Roster

Spirit Swap Dev Discusses Inclusivity and Game Lore

Right now there are 9 characters revealed on the Spirit Swap Kickstarter page, but others have been announced or revealed via Twitter. Every character outfit design fits into the aesthetic of Spirit 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:

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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 the Kickstarter being funded so 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 Swap is 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.

Spirit Swap’s Location and Lore

In the world of Spirit 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 of Spirit Swap, but the characters can charge their electronics by dropping a phone in water or putting it in the sun.

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Plants are really the source of everyone’s powers, and it’s also where the adorable in-game companions, known as FamiliarZ, get their power as well. Spirit Swap is 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 like Call 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 Kickstarter is 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 out Spirit Swap and 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.

Spirit Swap is currently in development for PC.

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