Confetti’s Cozy Corner: Wanderstop review
Wanderstop is a tea shop management cozy narrative game that masterfully balances an emotionally written story centered on burnout with cozy gameplay that will keep you playing until the end, and then replaying almost immediately!
In Wanderstop you play as Alta who has made her entire life about fighting and winning. Being the best is always the goal and the standard, with no exceptions. We see the work Alta has put into learning how to fight and the level of investment she has made into her sword, which she sees as an extension of herself.
One day, Alta enters her next match, expecting to win as usual… and she loses. She takes the loss very hard and resorts to being angry at herself. She feels that she clearly has not trained enough or worked hard enough, and feels that is why she lost. She goes to seek out her old swordsmanship master to improve her skills, only to end up passed out in the forest while on her way.
When Alta comes to, she finds herself at Wanderstop, a tea house that serves all.
There are no timers or deadlines in Wanderstop, so you can go at your own pace when taking in the beautifully written narrative. The controls are straightforward, and the gameplay is very smooth. The music is also calming, adding to the cozy atmosphere that the environment Wanderstop provides. The color palette of the game is also soothing. There are no colors that are too intense, and it feels very intentional to add to the calmness of Wanderstop, and it is a perfect balance to Alta’s chaos.
Players will clean around Wanderstop, find lost packages, collect trinkets, interact with the puffins, talk to visitors, and more. There are no task lists or goals, and doing repeated monotonous tasks made me feel relaxed and more in tune with the story. Of course, the BEST part is making tea!
Making tea in Wanderstop is my favorite component of the game. Tea-making also serves as an elegant plot tool that moves the story along. You will pick seeds, grow fruit, and then use those fruit and seeds to create even more fruit and seeds. You will also gather ingredients and learn more tea recipes as the story progresses. As an avid tea lover, some of the most present moments in my day are when I make a cup of tea.
I was fortunate enough to receive tea bags from Ivy Road Games that reflect the tea in Wanderstop, which is very good and relaxing. If you are a tea lover, you will love Wanderstop.
Wanderstop is a game that challenged me not as a player but as a person. The more I played, the more I reflected on my journey and the choices I made while in survival mode, and I acknowledged how far I’ve come in my healing. When you finish the game, you will sit at your computer or TV and reflect on your experience.
Remember to take care of yourself, and if you feel burned out, it is okay to take a break, change course, and have a cup of relaxing tea! I very much enjoy cozy games that leave you with an impactful lesson.
Wanderstop is available on Steam, PlayStation 5, and Xbox for $24.99 USD.
Score: 5.0/5.0
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