Wanderstop Reviews
A satisfying farming and tea-shop sim inside a well-written adventure with meaningful themes.
Ivy Road's new cozy game Wanderstop offers satisfying and simple gameplay while giving players ample time to rest and contemplate.
Wanderstop balances the discomfort brought on by seeing a game strike so true at the heart of burnout with being an absolute pleasure to play, full of delightful secrets and a healthy helping of whimsy. I’m awed at how well it’s all balanced and how, despite some occasionally schlocky dialogue, it so effectively gets its point across.
"It's bold in its exploration of relentless self-critique and pressure."
A meticulous exploration of the cozy game genre that weaves its story of burnout and trauma into every aspect, but might have just a little bit too much to do.
In its own way, Wanderstop is the perfect mission statement for a bright-eyed studio starting its path to self-discovery. It is a sincere celebration of our struggles and imperfections. They are not problems to run away from, but stones to sharpen our blades upon so we may win the next fight.
Wanderstop is like Spiritfarer for burnout sufferers and overachievers. The central focus is meaningful and expertly executed in its own right. However, it's the attention to detail in every other area that makes Wanderstop feel special, to the point where anything, even just planting flowers, enriches everything else. Ivy Road just gets it.
It's a clever mix of genre and story, because it provides a cosy space to immerse yourself in while also highlighting the reasons why people play things like this in the first place — to unwind, to take a break with something relaxing.
Funny and enjoyable as Wanderstop may be, it suffers from its inability to juxtapose Alta’s healing process with any of the hardship that made healing so necessary in the first place.
There are a few blemishes that could be buffed out, but the blend that Ivy Road has brewed for us here is well worth savoring.
Whereas it is a worthy experiment and a cozy game deserving of a recommendation, Wanderstop ultimately struggles to live up to its creators' illustrious reputations.
Wanderstop is a fascinating exploration of letting go: if many games are exercises in overstimulation that play like Red Bull being poured down your gullet, then this one is more akin to having a calming sip of tea.
Wanderstop remains incredibly sincere and thoughtful with its biting story cooked up by Ivy Road without being overly sentimental or too delicate. Not afraid to show its teeth (including occasional gameplay obstacles), within is a stellar story about learning self-care and slowing down, a refreshing narrative departure for Davey Wreden in particular, bolstered by the co-writing of Karla Zimonja and moving performance by Kimberley Woods. Present also is a vibrant, whimsical and pragmatic take on the familiar shop-running and farming hybrid genre, told all through the lens of helping out a quaint tea shop with thoughtful and bespoke mechanics and interactivity. It's dangerous to go alone. Why don't you stay a while and have a nice cup of Earl Grey?
Wanderstop is a well-intentioned take on the personal weight of societal burnout and the issues typically found in the cozy genre but struggles to find much ground beyond its initial premise as surface-level commentary and frustrating, awkward gameplay spoils the brew.
Wanderstop flows by in an ordinary way and, a little bitterly, we can say that it is "only" a pleasant cozy game with an excellent story and a first-rate supporting cast.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Wanderstop sets out to deliver a relaxing narrative experience – and absolutely nails it. Needless to say, it’s the barista life for us in Wanderstop.
It’s imperfect although I wish there were more things to do and details to explore in this game. It’s not for everyone. If you want a fast-paced or action-packed game, you may need to look elsewhere. This game is all about the quiet moments and the slow deliberate process of healing. It asked me to slow down and reflect, which surprisingly was effective during my play. Wanderstop dared to be different and it succeeded. It reminded me that true strength is not always by yielding a sword but by being brave enough to start over again.
This is more than a game... It's an experience that will stay with you long after you've brewed your last cup of tea.
I believe there are many people who will love and identify with Wanderstop! I just found it clunky, broken on PS5, and far from cozy.
Ivy Road brings up the question “is something wrong with me”, something we all might ask ourselves at one point. You’re probably narcissistic if not. It’s a question lots of stories ask and, for many, said stories never really answer the question in any satisfactory way. Wanderstop instead opts to do what we all do when faced with questions like this—trudge about, skirt the line, use lots of adverbs. And for what it’s worth, it’s a refreshingly grounded take on the matter. Yes, something might just be wrong with me and will likely be the death of me. Can something be done about? Maybe. A bit of self-awareness never hurts, though.