Wanderstop

Seems like how you feel about this game is highly individual, ranging from "super cozy" or deeply meaningful to infuriating. In any case, I think if you're looking for a regular farming or management sim, you'll be disappointed. If you're looking for some big twist or anything like The Stanley Parable just because it's the same dev, you'll be disappointed as well (fun fact: I found The Stanley Parable profoundly annoying and skipped The Beginner's Guide). If you're looking for a "cozy game about change and tea" as the store page promises - well, that depends a lot on your definition of "cozy". This is not a feelgood game. This is a game that wants to be your therapist. Me, I've probably maxed out what therapy can do, but I appreciate characters that have gone through a lot. So I really enjoyed the first half or so of the game. All the characters were entertainingly unhinged, including our protagonist. I was almost reminded of the days when I still had an IRL social circle and a favourite café that we'd all haunt. The dialogues were a mix of hilarious and seriously relatable. In your usual farming sim or management game, you play an over-enthusiastic child who's always cheerful, friendly to everyone, and eager to do whatever the NPCs ask of them. In Wanderstop you play an exhausted and frustrated adult, and I found it incredibly refreshing. ...That was what I started writing after the first I don't remember how many hours (speaking of play time: mine includes some idling). And then, somehow, the game seems to embrace the exact trope that I was hoping to escape. There's an NPC who's verbally abusive and insulting, and I thought it would be perfectly in-character to tell them to ♥♥♥♥ off - but the game forces you to interact with them and at least some of the time even be nice and accommodating. I hated it so much that I couldn't motivate myself to continue for several months. To be honest, I still don't get it, and together with my long break it created a certain emotional distance to the rest of the story for me. But for what it's worth, I haven't seen anyone else mention that NPC as an issue. Other issues have been raised that I was more or less fine with and that I think made some sense for the game, though I'm glad I'd read about one of them and was mentally prepared. If you're firmly in the "art is supposed to make you feel uncomfortable and upset sometimes" camp, skip these spoilers. If you're like me and feel like your life is difficult enough and you don't need a surprise challenge in a game, you might want to know in advance that [spoiler]finishing a chapter will erase your plants, seeds and tea ingredients, mugs and trinkets, though not pictures and a few NPC items.[/spoiler] Another general principle of the game, something that I didn't need to know in advance, but that others were really bothered by: [spoiler]there are tragic story arcs that you won't get closure for[/spoiler]. The awkward KB/M controls had apparently been marinating in my muscle memory since the demo and felt a bit more palatable now, but still not great. When I came back to finish the game and that unpleasant NPC demanded a complicated brew, I was really close to just watching a video of the rest instead. The late game developments and ending? Personally, I wasn't left with strong feelings. I've spent some time pondering and going through screenshots, and I still don't know. There's a key concept that just doesn't quite convince me. The game is better at examining problems than at presenting solutions, which is fine and perhaps deliberate. Was it still worth it in the end, for me? I do think so. I didn't find it life-changing like other reviewers, but I might have 10 years ago. It's a unique and very interesting game anyway. Stunningly beautiful too (except maybe the chapter with the pink overload), and the soundtrack got a lot of praise for good reason. I'd read that there was no endless mode, so I actually backed up my save in case I wanted to just visit the place again, maybe grow a nicer garden, fill all the pots, collect all the trinkets. Turned out that there is a chapter select in the menu anyway, so you can go back to all the different clearing designs and meet the characters again. Now you're probably expecting me to round off my review in a way that reflects the game. Maybe I will. * * * If you like chill and story-driven games, check out my curator [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/35872486]Peaceful Adventures and Stories[/url]. You're also welcome to join the [url=https://steamcommunity.com/groups/chilladventures]group[/url].

I wish I was there. Hearing Boro laugh as a Pluffin tries to steal my tea. Enjoying the beautiful forest while the waterwheel turns. Listening to the leaves in the wind while C418 plays on the radio. Sounds and emotions from blocky childhood days evolved and grown to perfectly encapsulate a little tea shop full of hopes and dreams. Giving you a chance to understand the burdens you never knew you were carrying.