Music while reading: https://c418.bandcamp.com/track/wanderstop

I didn’t have much time playing everything last week, so I’m slowly working my way through and sharing my thoughts.

I have to admit, with Davey Wreden (the mind behind The Stanley Parable and The Beginner’s Guide) directing Wanderstop and C418 (of Minecraft fame) handling the music, my expectations were sky-high for this demo.

The opening cutscene didn’t blow me away, but the story quickly got real as it delved into the struggle of pushing through despite your health and sanity. I won’t spoil everything, but the theme of burnout was a constant presence throughout the demo. Upon meeting Boro, you agree to help out with his tea shop until you are ready to pursue your life goals again.

The central gameplay loop is about making tea for customers. You gather tea leaves, dry them, grow fruits and other plants in the tea shop garden and then infuse the tea with a quirky machine that adds to the whimsical vibes. It’s all very cute and visually appealing, with some interesting grid-based mechanics for growing specific types of plants based on how you plant them.

The story could have benefited from more voice acting, but perhaps this is different in the full game. There was a tiny bit of VA present and this really enhanced the experience for me. And of course, this is what I was used to with The Stanley Parable.

All in all, it was short and had more dialogue than gameplay, but for once I did not mind this. This game releases in 4 days (11th of March 2025) and I can’t wait to see reviews of the full experience.

Demo trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OH9c4TJhAyw