Davey Wredden, the designer behind excellent games like The Stanley Parable y The Beginner’s Guide “That they are famous for their methanarrative that explore the nature of interactivity and authorial intention in video games,” he said In an interview with The New York Times As his own success led him to feel exhausted from his work and immersed him in depression. Looking for an exit, he started working in a 'Cozy' game (kind and relaxing) that ended up making him feel even more tired. He says that fortunately his mental health is much better now and his new game, Wanderstop, It is an important reflection on the fight against depression and anxiety with which many can feel identified, including me: the author of this review.
Let me share with you a little more personal information than you should: I've been fighting an anxiety disorder for many years. Do not worry, now I'm quite good, but in the past I had to go through situations that made me understand, the protagonist of the game, in a painful way and – in a certain way – liberating.
Alta was the best of the warriors. After many years training and trying to the fullest, it reached the top of the art of the sword and remained undefeated for three and a half years. But something happened: he lost a battle. That led her to train with even more force, but only another defeat was waiting for her. Determined to fix “what was wrong in her” parties to a mysterious forest in search of the teacher who can take her back to the top. But along the way it begins to feel exhausted, her sword becomes too heavy for her and eventually falls fainted by fatigue.
Upon waking, he meets Boro. A kind man who manages a tea store in the middle of the forest. Seeing his condition, he invites the tired warrior to stay there to help him handle the store while recovering. Alta does not want to stay there, he wants to train to become the best warrior in the world again, but when he is unable to collect his sword and advance to the forest without falling exhausted, he accepts.
Thus begins Wanderstop And from the beginning I could feel how my soul tightened. The feeling of impotence that transmits high when your skills and confidence fails is something that many of us – all of us – we will recognize. We have once made some mistake, we have failed doing something for what we considered good or we are unable to enjoy something we used to love.
We have to speak long and lying about the topics that history and the high interpretation play, but before that we must understand the game mechanics. Our main task is to prepare tea for customers. You have to travel the clear collecting tea leaves, sow seeds in different patterns to create hybrid plants that bear different fruits and combine the ingredients in the curious and huge gadget that is in the middle of the store. We also have to sweep the fallen leaves, prune the weeds, send lost packages, take photos and decorate the store and its surroundings.
The really important thing about all these activities is that they give us all the freedom and time we need and want to do them. Boro makes it very clear that attending this store is not a job, it is something that does for pleasure and fun so it does not demand anything high and, consequently, of us as players.
Preparing tea, taking care of the store and simply traveling the clear accompanied by the soft lo-fi music and friendly pastel tones of this world can really be a relaxing experience, but the attitude and high dialogues-and its sword impossiblely heavy, always present in the middle of everything-do not let us forget that some moments of rest and a smile will not fix our problems.
When we express to the world that we have problems, well -intentioned tips usually arrive as “take things easy,” “take a few days to rest” or simply “take a tea and relax.” All of that is very good and can help, but do not solve things. Alta is looking for a quick solution for your problem and it is difficult to see that this does not exist.
As we attend customers we discover new mechanics. New seeds arise that allow us to create even more hybrid plants that bear new fruits, more decoration options for the store are opened and we even learn to use fungi to give more variety to the preparations and the scenarios, but nothing is permanent. There are certain times when the store “It changes. ”Life goes ahead and we cannot always cling to what we have. Customers leave to not return and we never know how their stories ended, the plants disappear and we have to replace our garden. We can remember, but we cannot hold on.
Wanderstop He is ambiguous in its world construction and open in his messages. The “magic” of the forest and its effects on the characters are never really explained, but the game makes it clear that it is not our goal to understand. What affects high is not clearly explained (an 'entity' of another world tries to do it without much success), but those that have suffered from problems such as anxiety and depression can easily recognize what it is. We can also recognize his harmful philosophy of “always demanding more” because “there is no progress without suffering.” Surely we all grew up listening to things like that and ended up having a bad time because of it. Even the achievement/trophies system is mysterious and can be interpreted as part of the message you want to convey on control and life.
All those subjects so serious that it deals Wanderstop They are perfectly balanced with a great sense of humor. The sharp cunning of which Davey Wreden made in The Stanley Parable He looks again in the dialogues in which he satirizes obsessives of capitalism, entrepreneurs consumed by his work, and parents too dedicated to their children. Although some of their stories are tragic, they always manage to get us at least one smile.
But nothing in this game made me laugh as much as Dirk Warhard's adventures. As we advance we can get several editions of the books starring an ultramacho Agent Gatilloalegre capable of achieving everything with its gun. The books are hilarious and are part of an interesting subtram on the relationship of the authors with their work and their followers.
After about 12 hours of play, when I approached at the end of this adventure, I could not help feeling extremely moved. I imagine that many players will be disappointed with their end and how little conclusive Regarding the history of Alta, Boro and the clients who tested tea in Wanderstop. For my part, I couldn't help crying. There are few works that have understood so well what it is to live with anxiety. In turn, it helped me understand my own attitudes towards the world and others. It is possible that other players do not understand what they try to do or bore them, but it spoke to me in a special way.
How does one describe such a game? How does one number to a work that is so personal? In a way Wanderstop It is a 10/10. If I see it in a completely mechanical way, it is nothing more than an acceptable 6/10. It is one of those games that can become an obsession, or a simple distraction that is forgotten as soon as it is uninstalled. I tried to get to a commitment with myself to finally put an final grade.
For my part, I will never forget. If one day they put on sale stuffed animals of the adorable pluffin that inhabit the clear of Wonderstop, I will get one to decorate my room and remind me that despite everything that has happened, there is always something different forward that can be good and pleasant.
Review made with a digital copy of Wanderstop for PS5 provided by Annapurna Interactive. This game is also available for PC and Xbox Series X | s.
