Spirit City: Lofi Sessions - All Aboard! Review

Before I begin my review for the latest DLC, I’d like to catch up any unfamiliar reader with Spirit City: Lofi Sessions! Developed and published by Mooncube Games, this title offers various features to help you when you need to get in the zone, like to-do lists and a Pomodoro Timer. As a reward for using them (and even just for logging in and staying on), you get Tickets, which can be spent to buy furniture, clothing, and pet costumes. The things you can buy with that currency don’t require microtransactions! It’s all just furniture that comes with the base game or DLC. Check out the game’s review for more information!

Now, the kind folks at Mooncube Games sent me a key to try out before launch so I could share my thoughts with everyone, and I can’t believe how much I lucked out that the Spirit City: Lofi Sessions - All Aboard! DLC released as I reached level 100. It's a great way to begin a new in-game chapter! But enough yapping — here’s how I felt about it because it turns out that it’s more than just a train ride.  

This new expansion pulls players out of their cosy homes and into a train… or so I thought. It turns out that Spirit City: Lofi Sessions - All Aboard! has more to offer than what I expected. Mooncube Games outdid all my expectations by allowing the player the flexibility to customise their vehicle with various themes, including steampunk. Whether you want a regular train, a ship, an airship, or even (to my excitement) a spaceship, it’s possible!

Just like in the previous DLC, Spirit City: Lofi Sessions - Cozy Kitchen, there are two areas the Avatar can be in. In this case, it’s the Interior and the Exterior. On the former, the character sits peacefully at the cabin with various activities, such as gaming, reading, or working alongside their Spirit companion.

Thanks to their positioning being at the sides, the scenery takes centre stage, offering a breathtaking view that feels downright cinematic. This is the setting I will be spending most of my time at when trying to get into the zone.

On the latter, the Exterior, has a few new actions, such as admiring the view or taking pictures. The character and pet can either sit at the back on a bench or at the forefront, becoming the centre of the view.

The close-up became my second favourite place to be at because it makes my Avatar and Spirit companion so visible, with the decor and landscapes at the back! It completely flips the scene’s focus, which offers a different vibe. Ironically, I found myself taking the most screenshots there because it's so aesthetically pleasing. I loved being able to get a closer look at the companion (I’m obsessed with them; help!).

My only gripe is that there weren't that many new furniture added: many of them are from the base game, reworked to fit in with the new area. While I do love seeing them updated to account for the vehicle's movement, I would've liked to see more items that fit the new themes — such as steampunk, sci-fi, and nautical — so that I could really get hands-on with decoration.

The lack of customisation felt most noticeable in the Exterior because the Interior’s focus lies on the scenery. In the former, there’s enough space to add more decorations, and what items are available feel repetitive or a bit uninspired (especially considering the themes available for the vehicle). 

I wouldn’t have minded more items being brought in from the base game, such as lamps or more of the plants and flowers; this would’ve offered more ways to customise the area and less empty space. I love having different setups in the presets for various moods, but I couldn’t quite get that feeling in All Aboard!’s Exterior zone. 

Weirdly, I found that it emphasised the lack of co-op, too. While it was okay for me to be at the cabin with my Spirit companion, whenever I was in the Exterior, it felt… empty. Almost sadly so. This might not apply to everyone, as I just love spending time with my wife and best friend, but it would be incredible to see them in the cabin when I zoom out, sitting beside me, or just hanging out at the tail end of the vehicle. Considering this is the first time we’re at a public space, it made the loneliness more evident because we’re not in our homes.

When it comes to the landscapes, however, Mooncube Games nailed it, as the vistas are full of details and depth — they’re downright breathtaking! My wife and I watched the plains for a while, admiring the visuals, and she noticed that it's not a repetitive loop — thanks to the various layers that get mixed, it feels nigh endlessly unique!

There are various scenes to choose from, and they're all immediately available to use. This is when I noticed Mooncube Games had strayed from its train theme the most because I was euphoric to see space. Together, the scenery, each zone, and the three new soundscapes really work well to make an immersive scenario, whether you want a sub or steampunk airship.

That said, the lack of clothing options that reflect the same themes available for the vehicle was evident. While I usually find the outfit I like and stick to it (my main enjoyment comes from decorating and collecting pets), I was so enamoured by the various sci-fi and fantasy options that I wanted to tie them all together.

It felt weird to have a steampunk airship or a spaceship while my getup looks so normal. It made my Avatar stand out awkwardly, diminishing my ability to immerse myself in the various scenes I wanted to create that weren’t in our regular world. 

As for those who are more concerned about the companions… well, I’m happy to admit that I was over the moon with these new Spirits. Just as in the previous DLC, there are numerous new ones to discover, including variants of some of the base game ones. In total, there are 11 new Spirits, each one with up to six recolours, that add up to a total of 59. 

While the base game and Cozy Kitchen have fantastic rosters, Mooncube Games blew me away in All Aboard!. It’s gotten to the point where there are so many adorable Spirits that I wish we could hang out with more of them! I’m either constantly switching every few minutes or anxiously clinging to whichever one happens to be my current favourite.

Overall, Spirit City: Lofi Sessions - All Aboard! offered more than I anticipated in many areas. I was pleasantly surprised by the ability to customise my vehicle to be more than just a train, matching it with the stunning backdrops to create a sci-fi or fantasy scene. The new Spirits are a highlight, too, as they’re precious. But I do wish that there were more furniture to decorate the Exterior section and clothing items that fit better with the various new themes (like the new companions do).

If you’re looking for even more cosiness, I highly recommend it: the cabin and the forefront area of the Exterior zone do a phenomenal job at offering cosy nooks to work in. If clothing options and decoration are more important than the scenery, I’d think it through first