Capsule Review: Wanderstop
A cozy narrative game designed to heal the soul.
Wanderstop is a character-based narrative game with some life sim elements. The mechanics are about running a tea shop, most centrally by brewing drinks but also through simple meditative chores like farming drink ingredients and cleaning and decorating the shop and surrounding area. The story is mainly delivered through dialog between the player character and the shop’s customers, occasionally requiring you to fill a drink order before things will progress further.
It’s clear that a lot of thought and effort went into making the game frustration-free. There is never any time pressure, and while there are a lot of dialog choices there aren’t any incorrect ones. Sometimes customers won’t tell you exactly what they want and you have to figure out the right drink based on clues, but giving someone the wrong drink just gives you the chance to try again, and if you are ever stumped there is an in-game hint system that tells you exactly what to do. You can also engage as little or as much as you like with the optional content; there are a lot of decorations you can fiddle with and the player character and shop owner have reactions to a lot of different drinks you can make.
So the mechanics are gentle, the pace is relaxed, and the player has few constraints. The game is also beautiful and well-animated with a great soundtrack. Add it all together and the vibes are super cozy. A lot of work must have gone into this and it’s very effective, but ultimately it’s just stage-setting. It creates a safe space for you to take in the game’s real payload: its characters and story. They have the emotional depth and truth I’ve come to expect from Davey Wreden, but the scope is more ambitious than ever. This game is about burnout and self-care, trauma and recovery, coping with fear and finding peace. It’s by turns hilarious and heart-wrenching. And shop owner Boro is my favorite character in a long time.
This isn’t a game for people looking for excitement or challenge. But I think a lot of people would find it therapeutic.
I Stopped Playing When: I finished the game (with all achievements, though that doesn’t mean the same thing here that it usually does).
Five Stars: Favorite. This is one of my all-time favorite games that made a significant impact on me or that I've returned to time and again.