So I Tried... Wanderstop

Each edition of So I Tried… I will try a game that I have never played before. Will I find something new to love? Will I find something new to despise? I’ll take a full half hour, no matter how bad it gets or how badly I do, to see if this is the game for me. This time, I jumped into a cosy title about change, tea, and burnout: Wanderstop!

What I Thought It Was

The team of Ivy Road drew me to Wanderstop, as Davey Wreden created The Stanley Parable and The Beginner's Guide, and Karla Zimonja co-created Gone Home, three games that made lasting impressions on me. Aesthetically, Wanderstop appeared to be a much different experience from all of those titles, but I still anticipated a similar sense of humour, good voice acting, and perhaps some fourth-wall-breaking twists.

I did find myself thinking that it’d be a pretty chill and cosy adventure, as it places you in the shoes of Alta, a fallen fighter forced to set down her sword and begin managing a tea shop. Many reviews expressed that it deeply resonated with their experiences of burnout, trauma, and healing, but still, I wondered if it was truly as relatable as they painted it to be.

What It Actually Is

So far, Wanderstop has had a great balance of character-focused story moments and gameplay, setting up Alta’s plight and revealing more of her mindset via conversations while also teaching us the ropes of tea-making. You’re never rushed, which I love. If a customer wants tea, you don’t have a timer ticking down, threatening their departure if you don’t make the order on time. You even get customers who don’t want anything at all — they simply need a space to exist and unwind, a foreign concept to our protagonist.

The actual process of making tea is quite whimsical. You get to gather tea leaves outside, dry them, and then mix them in hot water using a large cauldron, glass vents, and ladders; it’s definitely a contraption you have to see for yourself.

As for the other characters, they’re delightful. I love Boro, whose kindness and patience are endless (and whose stand-up comedy needs some work). Then, there’s Gerald, a knight who showed me at least 20 pictures of his son, and he probably would’ve kept going if I hadn’t stopped him.

The best part? Every five minutes, Wanderstop manages to call me out hard. From Alta’s hellbent desire to stay productive to the unreasonable expectations she’s put on herself. It turns out that even in a beautiful fantasy world, one can still be overworked.

Will I Keep Playing?

Absolutely! Since I’m still in the early game, I haven’t seen Alta’s character progression yet, and I’m curious to see how she develops during her time at the tea shop. Aside from the story, taking care of the café and making hot drinks is enjoyable; I’d definitely play an endless tea mode. If you’re looking for a cosy yet meaningful game to try, give Wanderstop a look!