Tea and tranquility might seem like a natural pairing, but “Wanderstop,” the latest narrative-driven title from Ivy Road, steeps that assumption in unexpected tension. From Davey Wreden, the mind behind the phenomenal “The Stanley Parable” and “The Beginner’s Guide,” comes a game that embraces the aesthetics of cozy gaming but carries a deep, restless undercurrent. Here, you play as Alta, a former warrior begrudgingly managing a tea shop in a magical forest, grappling with her own resistance to a life without struggle.
At first glance, “Wanderstop” is an inviting mix of farming, crafting, and tending to customers in a tea shop. You’ll harvest ingredients, prepare custom brews, and interact with a cast of travelers who bring their own stories and needs. The mechanics are soothingly methodical—picking leaves, drying them, and operating an intricate, almost comically oversized tea-brewing contraption that requires a series of levers, ropes, and valves to function. But beneath this comforting gameplay loop is Alta’s internal war. She doesn’t want to be here. The quiet, unhurried nature of tea-making is anathema to everything she has trained for, and it’s this tension that gives “Wanderstop” its sharpest edge.
While the game offers the usual pleasures of cozy gaming, such as decorating the shop, organizing lost items, and sipping tea while listening to nature, Alta’s story prevents it from becoming just another peaceful life sim. Her resistance to stillness, her frustration with the lack of challenge, and her struggle to find purpose outside of combat make for a striking contrast to the genre’s typical themes of relaxation and self-care. The game doesn’t just tell you to slow down; it makes you feel the discomfort of doing so, mirroring real-life anxieties about productivity and self-worth. The farming and tea-brewing systems are intuitive but layered with just enough complexity to remain engaging. Planting seeds on a hexagonal grid leads to hybrid plants that generate new ingredients, and experimenting with different combinations produces varied flavors and effects. The tea-making process, with its deliberate, tactile steps, is satisfying in the way only a well-designed crafting system can be. There’s no pressure as customers will wait indefinitely, and mistakes are met with encouragement rather than penalty, but that very lack of urgency can feel alien to both Alta and maybe even you. It’s a subtle but effective narrative device that reinforces the game’s themes.
Visually, “Wanderstop” is quite stunning in its simplicity. Its painterly art style bathes every scene in warm, soft hues, creating an atmosphere that is both cozy and melancholic. The soundtrack, composed by Daniel “C418” Rosenfeld of “Minecraft” fame, is another highlight, giving gentle melodies with ambient sounds that shift between comforting and introspective. Every element of the game’s presentation works in harmony to draw you into its world, making the act of simply existing in the tea shop a meditative experience. While “Wanderstop” excels in both gameplay and atmosphere, it may not reach the narrative heights of Wreden’s previous works. The emotional core of the story is strong, and Alta’s character arc is compelling, but compared to “The Stanley Parable” or “The Beginner’s Guide,” it feels more subdued. The introspection is there, but it doesn’t hit quite as hard, perhaps because the game’s slower pace spreads its narrative beats more thinly. That said, it’s unfair to measure “Wanderstop” solely against Wreden’s past games—it is, after all, doing something very different.
In the end, “Wanderstop” is a game about learning to exist without constant struggle. It challenges not through difficulty but through introspection, asking players to sit with discomfort, to accept slowness, and to find value in a life that doesn’t revolve around proving oneself. It’s a message that resonates deeply in a world that often equates worth with productivity. It may not be for everyone, and those seeking a more traditionally structured cozy game or a more overtly mind-bending narrative may come away slightly underwhelmed. But for those willing to embrace its pace and themes, “Wanderstop” offers an experience that is as thought-provoking as it is beautiful. Sometimes, the hardest challenge is learning how to stop.
8/10
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Related: Reviews by Nick Navarro
Gaming since I was given an original Nintendo as a kid. I love great storytelling and unique ingenuity. When both collide in a single game, I'm a happy gamer. Twitter/IG @NickNavarro87
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