Wanderstop

This game was sometimes janky, slightly buggy and the ending was a bit abrupt. But I love it. As someone that suffered from Burn-out in the past (and was close multiple times) the story way extremely relatable. I've seen me so many times in Alta. And Boro is such a lovable character. I finished it in about 13 hours but I took the time to do nothing multiple times. As the game encourages you to. I guess you can finish it in under 10 if you want. And because Wanderstop isn't just a game about Burn-out but much more important about tea and calm, I will celebrate this completion with my new tea cup I got from my wife for our twelveth anniversary. I drink much more tea since I started to play Wanderstop, and I guess this part of the game will follow me for the rest of my life. 💚

This game was a bigger emotional journey than any movie or show could ever make, what initially feels like just a cozy management game, actually evolves into an introspective experience where the gameplay puts the player into the main character's shoes, no objectives to complete, no timers or stats, just relaxing and enjoying things for a bit. Altogether a really emotional story about burnout, acceptance, learning to rest and to reconcile with your inner voice

I think this game would have been much better off as a 2D visual novel. The game has amazing art, but the 3D portion of the game feels lifeless and boring. I understand the message of the game but the execution is poor. The game is needlessly annoying and pointless to where there is no purpose in playing. An unintuitive inventory, needlessly small watering can, and planting all feel so horrible and never evolve. Which frustrate to no end instead of making me feel calm or enjoying the process. So the frustrations you have in the beginning get exasperated when the recipes get super complicated. The way the game complicates the recipes is just for grinding sake with no real challenge or sense of accomplishment when finishing them. I loved the character design and loved the dialogue but not all of them return (at least as far as I progressed, RIP my fav Gerald) and often their stories end so unfullingly. The actual gameplay is simply bad and not thought out. It is a shame because the premise of the game is so good and I was dying to play this game. I couldn't finish this game because it became such a chore to play and I dreaded returning. There have been a couple stages that I have completed in a row now where I thought the end of the game would follow and it didn't. Instead I was greeted with no real change in the gameplay nor story and had to grind only to be disappointed again, which makes me feel like the run time is just being padded out. Check it out if you don't mind monotonous gameplay and can overlook the warts for some great dialogue and interesting central message of burnout, learning to chill, and loving yourself.

Wanderstop's setting and story feel heartfelt and charming, and I fully believe all the reviewers saying how powerful and therapeutic they found it. But personally I needed there to be an actual game at its core, with challenges and meaningful choices; instead it's just a story attached to a chore list.

Wanderstop is extraordinary. I was looking for a cozy game / farm sim, but that’s not really what this game is. It might be on one layer, but there’s another layer to it that touches serious and personal topics like the feeling of inadequacy, pressure to perform and falling short of one’s own expectations in life. The game gently confronts players with a complex understanding of burnout and/or depression that might feel all too familiar to some. I was reminded multiple times that me seeking out this game was form of escapism. It made me reflect the things I was trying to escape from, while telling me that it is okay to be overwhelmed – and of the importance of selfcare. Playing Wanderstop was a beautiful and interesting experience. It makes great use of symbolism, that is somehow easy to understand and relate to, while not being too much “on the nose”. Maybe all of us need a Boro every now and then.

美术风格非常戳我，各种场景机关植物都非常美，园艺玩法很不错。 但是！！！剧情！完全！就是！一坨！！！非要玩家第一人称视角带入主角，莫名其妙的要承受主角的伤痛，还要为主角的错误买单。其他NPC也根本拉完了，除了说教就是说教，角色塑造更是单薄的不行。这种简短又单薄又爹味的剧情但凡做个视觉小说类型的游戏都能看得过去，非得拉着这么牛逼的美工和音乐制作一起跳河是吧，真是服了。 这种剧情真的配不上这么牛逼美术和音乐，想纯粹体验园艺玩法，奈何剧情这个巨大的问题根本忽略不掉。想找类似美术风格的园艺游戏代餐，也完全找不着，把孩子饿的直哭但是实在不想回头咽这口屎。绝了。 玩了就会变得破防的游戏，不推荐游玩。

I liked the tactile tea-making mechanics, and the characters and dialogue were fine for the most part, but ultimately this game couldn't keep my interest. It's preachy: it tells me to find enjoyment in quieter moments, simple tasks, a lack of forward momentum, but it feels like the devs didn't really discover in themselves what could be enjoyable about those things. I'm not even sure a single-player game CAN really deliver on that message, since so much of what makes life enjoyable outside a goal-focused mindset comes down to the company of other people. Real people you can have in-depth conversations with, not cartoon caricatures with limited dialogue trees. There are a few ways the devs could have made this game worth my while. They could have offered some sense of real progress, instead of arbitrarily wiping out your garden each season. They could have leaned into the main character's reluctance and resentment, giving more opportunities for her to subvert the Stardew Valley tropes -- there was a bit of that, but it felt like they really pulled their punches. They could have added a lot more random, pointless, involved stuff for me to do: painting the shop, weaving decorative baskets, even something like a basketball hoop. Or a more radical redesign: they could have gone multiplayer, allowing other players to become the customers of your tea shop, and allowing you to visit theirs in turn. What we got instead was preachy. A message that sounds nice but expects you to swallow it BECAUSE it sounds nice, without enough focus on what would convince you of it otherwise.

Sometimes a game comes up that you need to play. And I am not talking about perfect gameplay, or the new hotness. I am talking about a game that was meant for you to play in that moment. In my career I deal with burnout on a regular basis, as I am sure plenty of us do. And finding a game that deals with that topic is not something I expected. I love tea and I was thinking this might be a tea shop simulator, but this is not that. This game is an experience, and expect that going in. The story is beautiful and haunting and the themes heavy, but mixed with light whimsical dialogue and beautiful water color backdrops. The making of the tea and farming is there, and you can decorate and explore. But really it was more about finding a game where I would really stop. Stop and think, reflect and enjoy the moment. Stop and realize that its ok to take some time to not focus on an objective, or a goal. And in all my gaming experiences this was one that I will remember for a long time. And hopefully carry the lessons with me. 10/10