Wanderstop Reviews
Wanderstop is a perfect escape for anyone looking to unwind and reflect, offering a heartwarming, emotional experience that stays with you long after you’ve finished.
I enjoyed every second of playing Wanderstop. The music is charming and the tea making process – and the various steps involved – are all incredibly cleverly constructed.
Review in Finnish | Read full review
Wanderstop’s excellent writing, great music and laid-back atmosphere make it a nice game to unwind with.
Wanderstop offers a 12-hour therapeutic journey, focusing purely on story and relaxation. It avoids complex mechanics, staying true to its purpose. If you’re open to an emotional experience, it’s worth a try, but those seeking high-end graphics or gameplay depth may not find it appealing.
Review in Turkish | Read full review
Part cozy game, part comedy, part poignant self-reflection, Wanderstop proves even the most well-trodden genre can bear creative fruit. Its gameplay errs on the side of simplicity, and elements of the story—particularly the side cast and the ending—left me hungrily wanting more. Still, the soul of Wanderstop shines through, resulting in a narrative experience that is one of a kind.
Wanderstop might be the rest stop you didn't realize you needed if you're seeking an escape that doesn't involve fiction but rather a calm introspection because it's quiet and reflective. At the end of the day, what you bring to it will determine whether you find it deeply moving or frustratingly in slow motion.
Wanderstop is a deeply emotional and relaxing experience that thoughtfully explores burnout and mental health while immersing you in a cozy teahouse. Despite minor technical flaws, its heartfelt characters and soothing atmosphere make it a truly memorable game—one I wasn’t ready to leave behind.
Review in German | Read full review
Honestly, this is probably one of the best (if not the best) cozy games I’ve encountered, but unlike a lot of other games of this genre, the coziness is not just surface level. You can genuinely relax with this game, and honestly it’s a little depressing after it’s over.
Wanderstop is a game that is simply worth it. May you be a lover of tranquility or someone who wants to die whenever you see all those "farm games" in a Nintendo Direct or some such, Alta's and Boro's teahouse is a must-play stop. Who knows if maybe you, just like the protagonist, end up learning something about yourself?
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Wanderstop has a lot to say and, for the most part, does a pretty good job of doing it. It boasts an exceptionally strong narrative but at times struggles to reign in its own enthusiasm for that message.
Wanderstop is a unique, thought-provoking game that explores themes of burnout, change, and anxiety, with slow, deliberate gameplay that reinforces its message, though the protagonist’s plastic-like appearance and clunky keyboard controls detract slightly from the experience, making it best played with a controller in a calm state of mind.
Review in Dutch | Read full review
Doing small tasks can still bring a sense of peace and fulfillment, especially when doing it in a stunning world that is more like watching a sunset. That’s where Wanderstop stands out from other cozy games by truly making the player feel relaxed. Like what Boro is doing with Alta, Wanderstop helps players look within themselves. This makes Wanderstop a one-of-a-kind experience that fans of the cozy game genre need to play.
Wanderstop just feels special, with its emotional storytelling and engaging tea-making gameplay helping it stand out as a unique and touching experience. It’s hard to emphasise just how effectively the game captures the impact of burnout and the implication it can have on one’s well-being, and whilst it can he a little heavy-hitting at times, it tackles it in a thoughtful manner that just emphasises just how wonderfully written the story is. And sure, the tea-making mechanics can get a little repetitive the longer you play, but the brilliant storytelling, gorgeous world, and wonderful soundtrack ensure that Wanderstop will stay with you long after playing.
If on the surface Wanderstop might appear as a deviation from Davey Wreden's metavideoludic musings, in reality under the guise of a cozy game lies an adventure that invites us to introspection and self-analysis of the rhythms we impose on ourselves during our daily lives. Making tea in Wanderstop is not an activity whose purpose is the accumulation of money or resources, but serves mainly to detach us from our unrealistic daily goals, and to enjoy a moment of relaxation. A discourse that would seem trivial, but which evidently is not so trivial, since we too often lose awareness of the beauty of small things.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Ivy Road has made a game that has impact and one that doesn’t change its protagonist, but you, the player, too. Wanderstop is monumental because it provides comfort by simply giving us all permission to slow down.
Wanderstop is a game about understanding that who you were does not have to define who you are now. It’s about rest—not as a reward, but as something necessary, something inevitable. It is a beautiful, heartfelt story of one person’s struggles to rediscover who they are, but handled in a caring and sincere way.
Wanderstop presents itself as a cozy tea shop sim, but beneath its colorful, Ghibli-esque charm lies a deeply emotional narrative about change, loss, and self-discovery. With an engaging tea-brewing system, lovable characters, and a stunningly vibrant art style, Wanderstop blends heartwarming moments with subtle, existential themes. While a few technical hiccups hold it back, its storytelling and atmosphere make it an unforgettable indie gem.
Wanderstop is a genuine exploration of human struggle. It’s tangled, humorous, vulnerable, enlightening, mundane, complex, sticky, straightforward, and personal in equal parts. Though some of the vocational meat could have had a little fat trimmed off, it stands as one of the best depictions of humanity I’ve seen in a game.
Wanderstop easily became one of my favorite games ever, not only because it combined all of my favorite things but also because of its heart and humor. I completed the game in about 11 hours, and while I was satisfied with its length, I wouldn’t mind meeting the characters again. I will surely miss Boro and Alta. If you like tea, magical farming, and gorgeous cozy fantasy, you will probably love Wanderstop as much as I did.
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.