My favorite thing about reviewing games is getting the chance to check out some of the really obscure indie games that sometimes don’t hit the cultural zeitgeist as much as they should. Many indies that I love take the gaming medium in very far out directions that usually wouldn’t necessarily be a commercial idea, but instead flexes real artistic muscle. Wayward Strand is one of those games that may not be for everyone, nor is it the type of game I’d want to spend time playing every day but is a fantastic brief experience that will leave a long-lasting impression if you give it your time.
It’s the 1970’s, you play as a teenage girl named Casey who is about to spend the next three days staying with her mom at her workplace. Her place of work is in a hospital, but not just any hospital, a floating ship of a hospital. But wait, I don’t recall flying airships the size of ocean cruise ships in the 70s. Welp, let us not worry about the details, apparently, it’s an old German airship that floats around the coasts of Australia and the locals chose to turn it into a hospital. If you’d like to know more, I suggest being thorough while playing the game. The entirety of the game will be spent in those three days you are visiting and what you do with that time is for the most part up to you, most of that time you’ll be talking and getting to know the residents.
Does that sound thrilling to you? Probably not, but that doesn’t make it a bad experience. Wayward Strand is for sure a game that tests your patience, but perhaps that is the point. The overall message of the game I took away from it was that time is still very short, what you do with that time should matter to you. So, when moments go slowly, perhaps just let your experience sink in. You will be assisting many elderly people in this hospital, and they will not speed up for your convenience. The hospital feels really lived in with all its various residents and even the employees, the overall design looks very beautiful and purposeful, reminding me of watching a Wes Anderson film. The entire game and its music is just overall a soothing and slow-paced experience.
Developers and Publishers over at Ghost Pattern really went out of their way to give us a different experience than we are used to. It was suggested to me that Wayward Strand was like a late 90s adventure computer game and I can totally see that. The length of the game is rather short, you can finish it in around four hours or so. But there is a lot to do on this airship so if this game really speaks to you then you are bound to play through it several times to really get to know these residents and enjoy the delightful conversations. This won’t be a game for everyone, that’s totally okay, but for those who can sit down and be patient with it, I think you can leave having felt something very special.
8/10
For more information, visit the PlayStation page.
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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