Wanderstop stubbornly claims to be a cozy game, as stated in the description on Steam. If only the developer weren’t known for the existential horror of The Stanley Parable.
With the Summer Game Fest 2024, one of the most important gaming events of the year took place on the night of June 8. During the approximately 2-hour live show, there were numerous trailers and announcements to see. You can read some of the highlights here.
Many of you might have already mentally switched off during the first seconds of the trailer for one game. Here you can experience it once again:
Run a tea shop and be happy about it
What kind of game is this? According to the freshly launched Steam page, Wanderstop is a “narrative cozy game about change – and tea.” The story apparently follows the failed fighter Alta, who finds herself in a tea shop instead of the arena.
That not everything is as it seems in Wanderstop only becomes clear at the very end of the trailer when Alta struggles to accept her new life circumstances. And even those who dare to delve into the almost aggressively cozy game description sense that something is off:
And that’s why Alta shouldn’t even be here. That’s why she won’t make it. This is not for her. No, she is a warrior! Why would anyone want to turn the world’s best championship fighter into a gentle maid?! With all her skills? No, no, no! She won’t accept that, not at all, never…
via Steam
That almost sounds like… brainwashing? Suddenly, Boro, the round owner of the tea shop, doesn’t seem so cute anymore.
The biggest hint that there is more to Wanderstop than meets the eye is the developer himself: Davey Wreden, the creator of The Stanley Parable – a game that revolves around following the instructions of a mysterious narrator or resisting them. Hmm…
In addition to Wreden, the team includes Daniel “C418” Rosenfeld, a composer for Minecraft, and Karla Zimonja, who was already involved in Gone Home. In that game, players explore their abandoned childhood home, where – as always – something is off.
Fortunately, players won’t have to wait too long to uncover the secrets surrounding Alta, as Wanderstop is set to release later this year for PC and PS5.
If you can appreciate seemingly cute games with a dark twist, you should take a closer look at the newly released Echoes of the Plum Grove. But beware: Don’t let the appearance of this farming game fool you, as absolutely everything can kill you
