Wanderstop

« 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. »

« 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’s cosy and cute exterior belies something much richer and much cleverer than I have seen in quite some time. It is a masterpiece in a cute disguise – offering the player a place worth visiting, staying and paying attention to. »

« Wanderstop truly is beautiful. The illustrations are stunning, the music is transportive, and the 3D art and animation are full of life. Walking through this game is like walking through a beautiful forest; you can’t stay there forever, but the experience stays with you and you return home a little changed, hopefully for the better. »

« 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 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. »

« Sharing too much about Wanderstop’s narrative would be doing it a disservice, but it contained more surprises than expected in a game that seemed from the start to be on the more simplistic side. This isn't a title for everyone, but it's impossible not to recommend it to everyone. A dozen hours is a small price to pay for a little sanity and quiet, and even those who prefer more active and demanding titles can take something valuable from spending time in this little tea shop. Sometimes, grinding isn't the answer. »

« Wanderstop's gorgeous visuals, solid character writing, and relaxing workaday gameplay routine brew up a wonderful experience. »

« jogo interessanta, historia bem **** gameplay bem repetitiva , não tem muita coisa de diferente para fazer. »

« Wanderstop is a 16 hour therapy session and I'm all here for it. Keeping a lookout for any game that Davey Wreden is involved with in the future. »

« This game is likewrapping yourself in in your grandmothers warmest afghan, having a seat before the fire with a good cup of tea and really doing some not thinking about how you need to do less overthinking. It is an impeccably written meditation on control and productivity wrapped in the gorgeous visuals a tea shop sim muster It’s heaven and I can’t wait to play it again. »

« Not content with just being a cozy game about making tea, Ivy Road's cozy game about making tea, "Wanderstop", is subversive all the way down to the achievements, trailers, and "About this game" section on Steam, many times leaving only small hints to its true nature. Mixing a wonderfully colourful aesthetic, a gorgeous soundtrack made by none other than C418 himself, cozy vibes, a simple gameplay loop, and some over-the-top cartoony characters, and then misdirecting you with all of those things to tell a dark, messy, and ultimately profound story about grief, burnout, change, patience, and more. Wanderstop can best be described as the sweetest tea you've ever tried, made by a bitter and vile individual who deep down thinks serving sweet tea will get him judged by his customers, so he decides to ruin it on purpose by adding some coriander and onions to the mix. None of this is meant as a dig towards the game, mind you; my point with the previous paragraph is to highlight how refreshing it feels to play a game that isn't just cute and cozy for the sake of being cute and cozy. More thought and effort was put into this game than I believe many have anticipated or even given it credit for. And with Davey Wreden (The Stanley Parable / The Beginner's Guide) at the helm of writing, I don't rightfully know how I expected anything different. Yet after reaching the credits, I also believe that not everything glues together as neatly as Mister Wreden's previous works. Wanderstop is, ironically, a game about a type of person that will probably never play it. An impatient, try-hard, overworked, judgemental, potentially bitter, and depressed individual that clearly has issues seeing things from a perspective that differs from their own, who also just so happens to be unable to wind down and only has work and physical self-improvement on their mind. This leaves the game in a weird sort of limbo state where a lot of its more "preachy" elements will probably fall on deaf ears. Not only that, but for a game about winding down, relaxing, and even how it is okay to not be doing anything, I find it kind of ironic that the only way to meaningfully progress the game and help Alta deal with her struggles is by doing one specific thing: making tea and serving your customers. The game kept beating me over the head about how it's "okay to just sit on a bench and read a book, sweep some leaves, take some pictures and frame them, etc." Yet doing exactly that didn't progress Alta's story or grow her character in the slightest. Maybe I'm just too impatient and should have done nothing for longer, but from my POV, with how much thought was put into most facets of this game, the message and gameplay loop of this game don't really gel. In short, I believe Wanderstop says it best: Boredom is a luxury. But are you willing to just exist? And I guess my answer to that is: "kind of, not for too long, maybe somewhere else, it's complicated." »

« Wanderstop is a cosy tea making, tea drinking game with a few little elements of farming and a handful of customers to make tea for. The main loop of the game is just make tea for yourself and drink it all in. Also shout out C418 you're as beautiful as a the day I lost you. For some, this game is an allegory for burnout and a lot of people seem to resonate with the main character and her struggles. I was one of the few who didn't get it. If anything i found myself relating to the owner of the tea shop. A man who is carefree, relax and enjoys the little things. I couldn't understand why the main character was having such a rough time with just relaxing and having a cup of tea. Likewise, a majority people have said that the game play is quite boring and there is not much going on. I felt the complete opposite. The boring loop was somewhat relaxing to me. grow crops, make tea, have a chat, sit down and have a drink. Its what I enjoy IRL to get away from the busy going ons of everyday life. Despite me not really liking the main character, I found myself rooting for her when she went for a break, stepped back and took a moment to relax. Some parts of the story were a bit "eh" but at the end I was happy with how her character turned out. 9/10 Would brew again -1 because of the stupid part of the game where you: START MAKING COFFEE LIKE WTF THIS IS A TEA MAKING GAME GET THAT STUPID BEAN **** OUTTA HERE »

« I did find a rhythm with this game eventually, the story was just ok. I more enjoyed the different characters and solving the tea puzzles. »

« Its crazy you cant trust the critics anymore on anything, this wasnt a good game deserving an 80 »

« Didn't disappoint at all. This game is a piece of art. It's beautiful, the music is enchanting and the story I found extremely relatable. Sure it's not a game for everyone, especially if you don't relate to the issues it talks about, but if you do you're in for a wild emotional ride. »