The “lofi hip hop radio” YouTube stream is evolving once again. The latest project taking inspiration from the popular productivity aid is Spirit City: Lofi Sessions, an upcoming Steam title that will gamify good study habits.
The setting of Spirit City will look familiar to longtime listeners of Lofi Girl‘s instrumental hip-hop streams: Each playthrough begins with a relaxed anime girl studying by the window as her animal companion looks on. Players can then customize their avatars, rooms, and pets to meet their personal preferences.
Those choices are not merely aesthetic. “Explore different combinations of room activities, soundscapes, and decor options to lure out the mischievous Spirits that populate the world,” reads the Spirit City Steam page. “Discover and collect them as you focus on your tasks. You’ll never be alone with a Spirit companion by your side. And yes, every Spirit can be petted too!”
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Based on that description, you may think that Spirit City is more of a time suck than a time saver, but the game includes built-in productivity features to keep its players on task. By utilizing to-do lists, pomodoro timers, and habit trackers, Spirit City denizens can complete productive study sessions, earning in-game experience points in the process.
Spirit City‘s developer and publisher is Mooncube Games, a Montreal-based studio whose games “promote positive and uplifting experiences that align with our core values of kindness, empathy, and inclusivity.” Mooncube’s latest project is clearly inspired by the Lofi Girl universe, but the record label of the same name did not provide the game’s soundtrack. Instead, Mooncube teamed up with Homework Radio, which supplied Spirit City with chill beats.
Lofi Girl has embarked on plenty of exciting ventures of its own. In recent years, it has leveraged the popularity of its viral streams to hand out college scholarships, collaborate with other hit channels, and launch new characters (Lofi Guy made his debut last year.)
The fans who have supported all those initiatives may be curious about Spirit City. Mooncube’s game/productivity tool has a planned release date of April 8.
