I am two months late for Pride, but here is a CIS dude trying to get it.
Today’s game is Spirit Swap: Lofi Beats to Match-3 To. On the surface, this title is exactly what it says on the box (there is no box): it’s a puzzle game, and, in the Puyo Puyo tradition, you match various colors/shapes so as to make the lil’ dudes disappear. Lofi beats are provided, and the whole “arcade” experience may get hectic (as any competitive puzzle game can), but there is a vast emphasis on being chill. Blocks show up, you match them, and the day is saved. Videogames are supposed to be relaxing, right? This is a pleasant way to let your mind unwind after a long day of dealing with The Horrors.
But if you need something a little more complicated than Candy Crush, Spirit Swap: Lofi Beats to Match-3 To does have a story mode. You assume the role of Samar, a young witch that normally swaps spirits (the blocks are spirits. I probably should have mentioned that) outside of town in the dark of night. But when spirits start appearing in the city during the day, Samar has to get out there and start spirit swapping to save her home. And since all these colorful characters occupy the neighborhood anyway, each level in story mode features a new friend for you and Samar. Well, a new friend for you, at least. Samar knows and may possibly have dated a few of these people. And you can date them, too! After completing story mode, you can explore a light dating sim where these dudes and ladies are generally available for smooching. Matching the vibe of the puzzle sections, this is no Tokimeki Memorial, and a bomb will never explode to destroy your hard-earned relationship progress. You are welcome to enjoy your time with this eclectic cast of characters, and the worst that can happen is you failing to match-3 as fast as your opponent/date.
We really need to be clear on that “eclectic” cast, too. This is not “there’s a blonde and a redhead.” The only character in the default gang that I would claim is remotely “typical” is Lulu, and that is mostly because she looks like a(n admittedly Dark Stalkers-esque) succubus. And I play a surprisingly high number of games that involve demon women! After that, we have a beach jock that may have gotten fashion tips from Tidus, a fanboy drama club devil that is not going to let grunge die, a big-bellied skate bird ‘n dude, the smartest deer lady, and “what if Pinkie Pie only had two legs” (but with Fluttershy’s rabbit, and Rarity’s drive to please). Kanon the Seraphim almost wraps back around to something “typical”, but that is only if you can still remember El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron. Metrosexual angels are less common in other adventures. But those other adventures? They all feature white heterosexual men with dark hair, and I am pretty sure there is no one matching that description in this cast. Not a single AAA blockbuster star to be found!
To state the obvious, this is 100% by design. According to a 2023 article in Gayming Magazine, the cast of Spirit Swap: Lofi Beats to Match-3 To is based on ideal persona ideas provided by the production staff, and “is for our queer extended family”. So, surprising absolutely no one, when you do not design game characters to appeal exclusively to the men aged 18 to 34 demographic, you wind up with some quantifiable diversity. In a relatively small cast (this ain’t no RPG cast of 108 luminaries, but this would be a decent roster for a fighting game launch) you have quantifiable skin tone, body shape, and sexuality diversity. And, thanks to the engaging story mode, you know more about these characters than “Kedsi cannot match her sneaker colors to save her life.” These may be people with spikes growing out of their skulls, but these are people. You will be immediately endeared to the cast after it is confirmed that floating on a cloud and having a snake familiar does not mean you can avoid the pain of a messy breakup.
But, as a cisgender white dude that is mostly straight, I can say that it was a completely chance comment made in Spirit Swap: Lofi Beats to Match-3 To’s story mode that actively changed my outlook on issues. Here is the moment my worldview changed:
To set the scene a little further, this is an early bit of story mode where our heroine Samar has decided to visit The Polycule. The Polycule functions as three separate entities in story mode, but for gameplay purposes, The Polycule is a three-in-one that operates as one character. Theo, Dio, and Cleo all have their own interests, but they are one level, and one location. And that makes sense! I have known a couple of polycules in my day, and I have thought nothing of saying “hey, let’s go over to ‘their’ place,” like they were a local restaurant or similar singular entity. But what struck me as unusual here is the description of The Polycule’s home: it is illustrated (verbally and visually) as perfectly split between the three occupants. Theo has a luxurious library, Dio has the roof to rock out, and Cleo has a garden going for gracious greenery. They are a polycule, and their living space perfectly matches their relationship.
And, pedantic nerd that I am, my first reaction to The Polycule’s home was to shout at my TV, “No, that’s not how it works!” This is a game about angels and demons playing puzzles games to eliminate magical blobs, and I had an immediate, visceral reaction of, “No! That’s not real!” to interior design.
I have known people in polycule relationships. I currently know at least one polycule that lives together, and I even sent a preview of this article over to a pair of their members (and, incidentally, that is why this sentence says “their members” instead of “its members”. I’m learning!). And, in cases where I have visited polycule homes… Well… I have opinions on what happened. I would love to describe “an impressive mash-up of the three (or however many) partners,” but it is my experience that that is not how it works. What I have seen is a situation where someone in the polycule has an established home, and then other people move in. I do not know a polycule where a space was purchased or rented together, it has always been “That’s Ann’s place, and now more people are living with Ann.” And you can tell! Like, there is stuff from other people in the polycule, and there are usually some haphazard attempts to accommodate everyone (like a Gundam model that now just lives in the guest bathroom), but the notable thing is that it is random. Nothing wrong with that! It is just my experience that this is what happens due to no greater reason than it is hard to coordinate some kind of considerately split living environment. “We have been meaning to do something about that couch” is reality. The idea that three people have perfectly melded their living space to equally accommodate their separate personalities is an absolute fantasy.
And it was right about when that thought crossed my mind that I realized that was the point.
From an interview in Game Rant, it was stated that the world of Spirit Swap: Lofi Beats to Match-3 To is meant to be “a fictional Levantine-Arab fantasy that is hopefully distant from the usual orientalist or ‘terrorist’ depictions [players] see of it.” This universe is not meant to be a representation of reality, it is meant to be a place where reality doesn’t suck. Similarly, depictions of people in various stages of relationships (whether that be “committed monogamous relationship”, “polycule”, or “still getting over it”) are treated to an environment where everything just works. The Polycule has a perfectly organized and blended home, because that is what it would be in a universe with infinite wealth and time. The woman that is going through a difficult breakup has a friend come over with a sympathetic ear, because that is what everyone needs. Even low-impact conflicts do not exist, like how people can just unapologetically hang out and work through their hyper fixations in coffee shops without getting kicked out because “a paying customer thinks you stink too hard.” Shut-up and let me write my blog post, Becky! This fantasy world is a fantasy not only because problems can be solved through matching three similarly colored spirits, it is also a fantasy because the biases and troubles that we all face daily simply do not exist. Pookie is rocking a fishnet mesh over his “overweight” bod, and nobody in this ideal world is going to “helpfully” recommend he try a salad. It is not just a power fantasy for straight, dark-haired, AAA men, it is a power fantasy for anyone that ever wanted to live in an ideal world with their partner(s).
And that is all anyone wants.
Look, I conceptually knew it, but Spirit Swap: Lofi Beats to Match-3 To helped me understand it on a deeper level: people just want to enjoy their lives. Being rich, famous, and all that rigmarole is considered some universal goal, but most people would be content with the basic things. Friends that support them. A home that accommodates everyone that lives there. A job that is satisfying, and means you can afford to have a home and relationships. Absolute nonsense of the day like, “your kid cannot play sports,” “you are not allowed to have a life with your partner,” or even, “choosing a bathroom is going to have legal consequences in this state” do not exist in this fantasy, and should not exist in this reality. People just want to have fun with their friends, accomplish their goals, and live a life where they can be happy. That is all. That is all so many people want. And it does not matter if they are gay, straight, trans, poly, white, black, or anything across the spectrum of possible combinations thereof, we all just want to be happy. The most obvious villains in this world are the people who want to prevent that.
So let’s see if we can work together to get to that “fantasy” world where people can just be happy being themselves.
And maybe match-3 to some lofi beats while we’re at it.
FGC #742 Spirit Swap: Lofi Beats to Match-3 To
- System: So the Wikipedia article for this one lists PC, Mac, and the Xbox family. But I played this on Nintendo Switch. I know I played this on Nintendo Switch. I am holding a joycon right now. So maybe it is on Playstation, too? There is no way of knowing.
- Number of players: Two, and this is one of the rare situations where I have actually played it with someone else. Cassandralyn of Even Worse Streams stopped by for an afternoon, and we matched-3 against each other. Our win/loss average was roughly equal, which speaks to the universality of matching-3 (or I am really bad at this nonsense).
Maybe actually talk about the game for a second: I never feel like I have the right experience to talk about action puzzle games. Like… they all kind of blend for me? I could tell you the exact reasons that BlazBlue and Guilty Gear are different, but ask me why Tetris and Dr. Mario aren’t just the same game, and I get confused. That said, Spirit Swap: Lofi Beats to Match-3 To is kind of like a fighting game, with multiple characters and different “special moves” that impact gameplay. So there is variety! And matching-3! Bah! I do not know what to write here. You can only move spirits horizontally, but never vertically. Is that a gameplay feature?- But you do like playing it? Yes! It’s like a good song when you are not a musician: I do not have the words to delineate why I enjoy this gameplay, but I definitely enjoy it.
- Favorite Character: In looking across the roster, The Polycule wins for having a random-type magic effect. Nearly 750 articles into a random-based gaming writing challenge, I may admit that I enjoy random select. Runners-up include main character Samar, who has a great spell effect, but feels like too basic of a choice for favorite; or Kedsi who has a “freeze time” ability that would be really useful if I was a super genius (but I am not, so here we are).
- Favorite Hidden Character: I have not played enough of the complete Story Mode to say if these guys ever appear, but there are additional characters that can be found by switching portraits on the character select screen. They all look… neat. I guess. I don’t know much about them, but Lolite seems cool. Big “Orange Hulk” vibes, but I’ll take it.
- It’s a Cozy Game: If you are going to have loading screens, they may as well include cute phrases and references to contemporary forms of waiting for someone to order a coffee. Even when the competitive puzzle aspect gets two people on the couch riled up, a gentle reminder that this is all fun and games on a loading screen can be helpful.
- Further Coziness: You can decorate “your” room. Look, I put in my hours on The Sims, so I am done with decorating virtual spaces. That said, I appreciate any game that allows you to customize something to make your playing space more homey.
Did you know? Creative Director Alex Abou Karam of Soft Not Weak LLC has stated that Spirit Swap: Lofi Beats to Match-3 To was developed in response to the cancelation of Sailor Moon Drops, a mobile title with similar gameplay. Of course, I am only assuming that it had similar gameplay, as Sailor Moon Drops was released in 2015, and shut down in 2019. So, sorry, that makes it another lost media Sailor Moon game.- Would I play again: Absolutely. I am very happy this game is loaded on my Nintendo Switch (2), and that I have it handy to play by myself and friends. I am likely going to ignore the dating sim aspect of it forever now that the story is complete, but I will definitely match-3 again for ten-minute spurts in the future.
What’s next? Random ROB is not so randomly choosing a title to match our Sonic the Hedgehog marathon… Tails’ Skypatrol! Sail the friendly skies with Tails! Please look forward to it!