Tudo sobre Wanderstop Gameplay
Throughout the game, we unpack this with Elevada. Why does she need to overwork herself? What is she running from? When she drinks tea and takes a break, she reminisces, letting us peek into her past, revealing slivers of herself in moments of forced stillness.
The soundtrack of Wanderstop does its job beautifully, evoking a warm, introspective atmosphere that makes you want to curl up with a hot drink and just exist in its world. The background music carries a sense of gentle melancholy, perfectly complementing the themes of the game. NPCs have their own distinct musical motifs, reinforcing their personalities and emotional arcs. However, while the game’s audio is strong, it’s not perfect. Kimberly Woods’ voice work for Elevada is fantastic, adding much-needed depth to the protagonist’s internal struggles.
Like I mentioned before, the game moves in chapters—five in Perfeito. Each chapter marks a change in The Clearing, the quiet, almost magical space in the forest where Wanderstop resides.
Far from just another “cozy” game, Wanderstop invites you into a colorful world filled with quirky characters and bizarrely flavored tea at the price of some uncomfortably insightful introspection.
Most of us grew up never really knowing why we are the way we are, brushing things off as personality quirks or personal failings, only to hit adulthood and go, "Oh. Oh, so that’s why I struggle with this. Oh, so that’s why I react that way. Oh, so that’s why I can never just let things go."
Before we go any further, let me warn you: The less you know about Wanderstop’s story at the start, the better. I’m going to avoid any major spoilers, particularly since its compelling central twist arrives very early on, but a big part of the enjoyment here is following both the emotional journey of the main character, Elevada, as well as the mystery surrounding the woods she finds herself in.
Both Miri and their favourite games have been described as “weird and unsettling”, but only one of them can whip up a flawless coffee cake.
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.
In some ways, Wanderstop reminds me of the tear-jerking Spiritfarer, as it’s very much a story-first game. When new visitors wander into the tea shop’s forest clearing, you first need to get to know them before they’ll give you a tea request, and then you must use the information you’ve gathered to brew the correct cup for them.
As you tidy the leaves and weeds, you do have a small chance of finding something hidden underneath the clutter. Dozens of little trinkets can be uncovered while you clean, including colorful new tea mugs, teddy bears, and even lost packages. The catch, however, is that you can’t keep these trinkets as the roughly 15-hour campaign progresses, and the story directly addresses why in a clever way.
As I said, this is not a story about burn out alone, but an insightful exploration of why we often burn ourselves out over and over again. Maybe you’re familiar with the feeling: You push yourself day after day not just to meet deadlines or complete projects, but to maintain that control you need over your life to stay on the right course.
Elevada's reluctance to be in her own cozy game brings a tender and sometimes sharp flavor to an otherwise calming brew of farming and cafe management. Wanderstop is a beautiful and balanced combination of sweet and savoury on the palate of the overworked, exalting the transformative power of tea.
And the game makes you feel it. The way the environment subtly changes as Alta’s state of mind shifts. The way the music sometimes grows distant, hollow, as if pulling away from you.
Wanderstop constantly put me up against situations that were not just uncomfortable, but that intentionally went against the grain of what Wanderstop Gameplay you normally expect from these types of games in order to make its point.