izigame.me

Who needs therapy when you can just play whatever Davey Wreden makes?

Wanderstop is the debut title from Ivy Road with writing and direction handled by Davey Wreden, he of The Stanley Parable and The Beginner’s Guide. From an aesthetic and mechanical standpoint, Wanderstop is a major departure from Wreden’s past works in the “walking simulator” genre, going for a far more cartoonish and whimsical look with the mechanics of a cozy game, but the underlying philosophy and narrative elements of Wanderstop are totally in line with Wreden’s sensibilities and tendency to use video games as an inventive method of exploring player interactions with games and inner turmoil.

Wanderstop is a difficult game to analyze because to review it in my normal fashion is to overlook a lot of the game’s nuance. But it’s also not appropriate to let my criticism slide because of the game’s intentions, as I feel that is unhelpful to anyone wondering whether it’s worth playing. At a fundamental level, this is a cozy game and I think it’s a good one at that. It’s mechanically detailed enough to allow for a lot of player customization and flexibility while keeping its core elements simple enough that everyone can keep up. But things can feel repetitive past a certain point as the game goes through its motions. That repetition though is very clearly intentional and is integral to the game’s narrative structure. So you can see what I mean about it being difficult to assess. At the end of the day, the relationship you form with Wanderstop will greatly influence your feelings on it.

The game has a fascinating relationship with its mechanics. There are no timers, there are no metrics, and there’s no major win state. You can serve tea, clean around the clearing, decorate, garden, etc. Practically every interaction in Wanderstop is optional. The only action that will propel the game forward is completing the tea requests from patrons. But the game honestly couldn’t care less if you decide to play along. It literally encourages you to goof off and do whatever you feel like. You can literally do nothing for hours and the game is happy to oblige. You won’t run out of time, you won’t be punished, you won’t be pestered. You can even run out into the clearing or try picking up your sword as many times as you like. You’ll hit the same wall every time, but the game is more than happy to let you try. Whether or not the player chooses to engage with the game’s laisez-faire approach to interactions is what will probably dictate their appreciation for the game. If you bee-line your way through the tea requests, you’ll find the game monotonous, unengaging, and sluggish. But if you choose to take your time, tend to little tasks you’ve set for yourself, and move at a slower pace than in a game like Stardew Valley, you will have a far more enriching experience.

There’s a lot of customization. You can decorate within the tea shop with plants, pictures, and knick knacks you acquire. The clearing is large enough for the player to really decorate it as they see fit and there are many different plants you can place around. Plants are dual-purpose, acting both as visual flavour and also as the way you acquire most ingredients for making tea. This ensures there’s a mechanical purpose to grow them while also including a benefit for players just wanting to decorate their area.

Players can also take on tasks like clearing leaf piles and bramble patches, feeding animals, and returning lost mail, but these are all very simple tasks that are more present to feel like little victories. The tea making mechanics are where the majority of effort went in. There is a general process you go through every time, but this process is both subverted for some requests and involves player choice. You can toss in as many ingredients as you like, with each additional ingredient affecting the look of the tea. Sometimes patrons want specific flavours, sometimes it’s up to you. You can also toss in other materials, further adding to the bizarreness and flexibility of the tea-making system. Aside from the patrons, both Boro and Alta also can drink the tea and they both have countless responses based on what they drink. There’s no mechanical benefit to doing so, you simply get to learn more about the main characters and connect with them more.

That feels like a good segway to talk about the writing. I view it as the strongest aspect of the package. Alta is a very aloof and cold character, but she has a lot of depth as you progress and learn more about her motivations, her passions, and her struggles. I found myself really caring for her as I ventured deeper into the game’s narrative. Boro is a really wonderful contrast. He’s silly and upbeat with a lot of compassion for those around him. The way he interacts with Alta is really smart, as it acts both as the game directing the player on what they should do while also acting as a springboard for discussing burnout, stress, anxiety, motivation, etc. Side characters are also a lot of fun. Each one is bizarre and unique with their own challenges and quirks and they act as vehicles to further explore Alta’s healing journey. I honestly just wish we got more closure for most of the characters. I recognize that it’s fully in-line with the game’s philosophy, but I was sad to realize many characters did not get a proper finale to their stories.

I should also mention the visuals and music. The game is relatively old-school from a technical standpoint with some lower quality textures and effects than you would normally expect from a 2025 title, but a lot of that is ignorable given how great the game’s art direction is. Its use of color is lovely with saturated pinks, blues, and greens punctuating the scenery. The plants all look beautiful and the character designs are really strong. The music by C418 is phenomenal. It’s silly and cute when appropriate but can quickly shift gears into being more quiet, yet emotional for those tender moments.

I will admit that I found myself tiring of the game towards the end. It felt like the game was repeating itself past a certain point and while it continues to further develop its characters, the mechanics don’t evolve, resulting in a pretty static experience from a gameplay perspective. I focused more on tea requests because I wanted to progress the story and wrap up my experience. The game also has some unusual jank in places. Once or twice, items would despawn or get permanently assigned to a shelving spot. Textures in spots look off, like when pouring the tea, which is a bit jarring given how often you do it. Characters also do nothing other than walk around and sit, which feels a bit lifeless given how kooky they are in conversations.

This is all to say that Wanderstop is a game far more focused on developing a connection with the player, rather than simply being a good game. It is a good game, but it definitely has its limitations, and if the player fixates on simply finishing the game, they’re likely going to find it underwhelming. But if you slow down, take in the game’s style of lounging around and moving slowly, and focus more on exploring its themes and characters, you’ll likely find an experience that’s at least memorable, if not really compelling.

It’s clear that Ivy Road have far greater ambitions than most developers and want to use the medium to develop experiences that cannot be captured in any other format. And for that alone, I believe they’re worth commending. I think that anyone who sets their expectations appropriately before going in will be happy they gave Wanderstop a shot, even if they’re left wanting more in certain regards.

I’d score it 8/10.