Space Funeral

Lore & Background

Space Funeral centers on Phillip, a perpetually crying purple boy in pajamas, who visits a wizard in Scum Vullage. The wizard tells him his world is corrupted and directs him to find the City of Forms, the origin of all things. Phillip soon meets Leg Horse, a horse made of severed legs, and together they travel through areas like the Blood Cavern and the City of Thieves. The game's plot reveals that the corruption was caused by Moon, an artist who sought the City of Forms for inspiration but found it so perfect she lost her purpose, leading her to corrupt the world to create again. After defeating Moon, the game's graphics revert to default RPG Maker appearance, though a corrupted house remains.

Reader's Guide

Space Funeral received positive critical reviews for its unusual art style, music, and setting. Filipe Salgado of Kill Screen rated it 75/100, noting its 'messiness' contrasted with typical game closure. Quintin Smith of Rock, Paper, Shotgun called it 'Final Fantasy directed by Alejandro Jodorowsky,' praising the 'disturbed' art and 'awesome' music. PC Gamer included it in 'The top 50 best free PC games.' The game gained a cult following, partly due to attention from YouTubers and streamers. Developer thecatamites declared two fan-made works—Space Funeral 2 and Space Funeral: The Legend of Earth Birth—as canonical. The game's focus on corruption versus perfect graphics was used by the developer to critique a perceived modern classicism for 1990s RPGs, arguing that breaking tradition makes RPG Maker games more interesting.

Did You Know?

• The game was developed in about a month by Stephen Gillmurphy.
• The art style was inspired by the 'weird chunky pixel gore' from Monster Party.
• The 'Mystery' function in battles resembles 'praying' in Earthbound but with a greater narrative focus.
• Only the original Space Funeral and its official sequel by thecatamites exist; no fan-made sequels have been declared canonical.