Sobre Wanderstop Gameplay
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Pelo matter how much I want to barge into Ivy Road’s office and demand an epilogue, no matter how much I want them to tell me something—anything—about how it all ends, I can’t.
Each fruit has its own flavour and often comes with a quirk, such as making you say the word triangle a lot, or reminding you of your first best friend. These tasks are methodical and meditative without being creatively stifling. The game leaves room for you to fall into your
It's an attitude I can relate to all too well, and I'm unashamed to say that Wanderstop sparked a tearful examination of my own habits. The trajectory of the game wasn't a simple curve of self-realization resulting in a clean and tidy triumph at the end – that's simply not how mental health works.
The UI is dressed up as a gardening guidebook, and tiny details all feel accounted for. It's easy to lose yourself momentarily in the process of brewing endless combinations, but the story hangs over your head – not quite there to strike an emotional blow, but certainly to poke and prod at uncomfortable parts of you until something clicks.
The gameplay is layered in such a way that there's never a lack of things to do (unless all you want is rest), with wonderfully tactile activities, a moving soundtrack (composed by Daniel "C418" Rosenfeld of Minecraft music fame) and a small cohort of endearing characters to meet.
But the lack of full voice acting for other characters feels like a missed opportunity. Boro, in particular, would have benefitted from voice work, his presence is already powerful, but hearing his words spoken aloud could have amplified their impact. Later on in the game, an emotionally charged moment begs for a Wanderstop Gameplay moving, climactic musical piece, yet it plays out in silence. That single misstep aside, Wanderstop delivers an audio experience that is cozy, contemplative, and effective.
Operating the tea machine itself is rather uncomplicated for such a complicated looking contraption. A tall ladder rotates around the giant glass pots in the center of the tea shop – you climb to the very top and pull a rope to fill the first pot with water, then climb down to smack the bellows, keeping the thermometer bar balanced to get the water to a perfect boil.
Because, no. It’s not okay. I want to know. I was invested in his story. I wanted to see him succeed, I wanted to keep teasing him about how lame of a knight he was, I wanted him to continue being a part of Alta’s journey.
Also, there are Pluffins, which are adorable little penguin guys with giant eyebrows who live in a coop on the Wanderstop grounds.
Foraging is another key part of the process. Tea leaves are scattered throughout The Clearing, waiting to be picked. I do wish we could also plant our own tea bushes, but alas, foraging is the only way. We also gather mushrooms, which can change the properties of the fruits we use—sometimes in expected ways, sometimes in ways that completely surprise us.
This colossal lifestyle change usually takes place within a simple opening cutscene, a quick dusting of lore before we get to the real meat of the game: growing turnips.
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You can feel it in the pacing, in the way the game quietly, deliberately slows you down. I should have expected this from Ivy Road, the creators of The Stanley Parable, but I was still surprised by just how masterfully the game navigates these themes.