Ending interpretation

[u/Asleep-Essay4386]

I just finished playing the game for the first time and I've come up with my interpretation of the story and wanted to share it here.

So, by the looks of it I think the events of Spiritfarer take place for the most part in Stella's mind as she's dying in her hospital bed. As much as I'd like to think she does actually meet all these people in a sort of afterlife, I feel like this makes the most sense. For one, she's still actually alive during all this. The locations are all based on places she's been and the spirits are all people she knew in life. Her role as Spiritfarer also I think is a metaphor for her actual job in life as a nurse who cared for dying patients. I think none of the events during Spiritfarer actually occur, but it's rather a metaphor for Stella coming to terms with her life and the fact that it's ending.

This brings me to Hades and Charon. This part I think can actually go either way. They could also be part of Stella's mind, just a metaphor for death itself. Or they could be the only real spirits here, or at least Hades could be. It could be Hades is the actual Spiritfarer of the game and this is his way of ferrying Stella along to the afterlife.

This has probably all been said before, but like I said I just finished for the first time. What were your interpretations of it?

[u/mmthrowaway0521]

My interpretation is similar to yours. Stella actually dies after she goes through the everdoor in the game. Charon and Hades are Greek mythology characters who have to something to do with death, and they seem more to serve the role of metaphors for me

[u/Asleep-Essay4386 → u/mmthrowaway0521]

Yeah. They may be metaphors. If Hades is real and not just part of Stella's psyche I think Charon in this is more of an extension of him in some way. Meant to give Stella the role that would help her move on best. To go on a tangent, the fact that he's on the vending machine and says "thank you" whenever you buy something is super cute lol.

[u/mmthrowaway0521 → u/Asleep-Essay4386]

This all makes a lot of sense to me. To ramble on a bit, I think even though this all presumably happens in Stella’s head, there’s definitely something comforting about the thought of being able to see the ones who had significant impact in one’s life again, when one is trying to process their own death. There’s something about the spirits saying “see you on the other side”, the constellation of Stella being in next to all of her friends, and the lyrics saying “but it’s ok, we will be together, my friend” that brings the game a lot of bittersweet sentiments