Wanderstop

Not good.

Chill and soft… I choose this game after a burn out… This game was like a therapy for me … sometimes it was hard for me to continue to play because it touched my heart and soul deeply.

"I keep trying to rest, I swear! I keep telling myself to just settle down! But I can't. She doesn't let me. Even relaxing feels like a job." - quando eu li isso eu me senti como se tivesse sido observada. Wanderstop, em termos de mecânica, é um cozy game/cooking sim como qualquer outro: você pega os pedidos dos clientes, faz a combinação correta, entrega e é recompensado. Só isso é legal por si só pra dar uma distraida (não é a toa que já joguei vários jogos assim), mas o que marca esse jogo na minha memória é a existência de uma protagonista facilmente identificável, a Alta. Se eu comprei esse jogo após terminar a demo, não era porque eu estava interessada nas combinações possíveis de chá, mas porque eu queria acompanhar a jornada dela, uma guerreira que quer ser a melhor de todas, mas o corpo e a mente não conseguem acompanhar esse desejo, já levados ao limite. A sensação de paranóia, frustração, culpa e esgotamento mental trazidos pelo "desejo nobre" de querer ser produtivo acima de tudo é TÃO bem feito e passado através da história da Alta, que se você estiver passando por algo parecido e conseguir se conectar o suficiente, pode conseguir uma sessão grátis de terapia através da gameplay. Recomendo!

Davey Wreden had done it once again with Wanderstop. Like his previous works, the game conveys a metamessage, though unlike his previous works, the expression of the commentary is slower and less whimsical. The message is expressed through this cozy game. This game's message is ultimately about change, though more specifically, it is about how one addresses the issues within one's life: for the protagonist specifically, it is about addressing her burnout. Unlike many modern games, this game's UI is very minimal; for instance, there are no clear objective markers for many requests in the game, there is no minimap, etc. This is also reflected in the gameplay in that you don't have to do many objectives to progress the story, but the game will not tell you which ones will, and at the same time, the game also tells you that you can just do whatever you want -- including and up to just idling and relaxing. The game also will only tell you, minimally, on how to do certain things but not others. The achievements in the game do not have clear descriptions: they will randomly pop as you progress through the story, and their own text is to have an additional metacommentary layer on top of what is already going on within the game. The hands-off approach is meant to express on how one can self-heal -- if even with a little bit of guidance. Almost everyone else in the game struggles with their own issues, and game explores or lightly hints at various angles to look at one's self and future. The game itself has come onto an interesting point of my life since I went through a layoff, so I understand how the protagonist feels. I, myself, am in my own forest, and I contend with what to do and what direction I must go when I leave my own Wanderstop. But for now, as the game suggests, I should also relax for a bit and take my time.

This game is beautiful, and hit me at a thematically good time. Thank you, Boro.

This game held up a mirror to my mind, and asked me if I wanted to talk it out over a cup of tea.

Music by C418

Дыши. Всё будет хорошо.