There’s no pressure to complete a single action inWanderstop. Missions don’t expire, NPCs don’t bother you to get things done, and time doesn’t pass. There’s no quest log perpetually on the screen, no dedicated marker to tell players where to go next, and no penalty for being unproductive. This novel approach to game design melds perfectly with the main character’s state of mind, detailed in the first few moments of the title. Alta was once an undefeated fighter, spending the entirety of her life training for her next bout, confident that she would remain lossless until the end of time. Until she lost.
After this shakeup, Alta is faced with a dilemma that most people have dealt with at some point in their lives. When we lose, what do we do next? Many, especially in 2025, would answer “try again,” or “train harder,” or “keep my nose to the grindstone.” That’s Alta’s immediate thought, too, as the warrior rushes off into the wilderness on a quest to find Master Winters, a powerful fighter seen as a god during her time. Surely, training under her would help her find her way back to the top. Unfortunately, Alta soon finds herself too weak to pick up her sword, collapsing in the woods only to awaken beside a strange man and an even stranger teashop in the middle of nowhere. Those who thrive on direction and drama may struggle with Ivy Road’scozy and stress-free title, but players looking for respite, relaxation, and a good story during their gaming time may have a new favorite on their hands.
Wanderstop’s Premise is Wildly Relatable in 2025
The conversation surrounding burnout has loudly persisted since the 2020 lockdowns, a time during which many people found it impossible to separate their work and private lives. The need to be perpetually ‘on’ while also trying to find a moment or two to switch off has taken its toll, and more young people admit to giving up on their hobbies simply due to a lack of energy and drive. Laying on the couch with the TV on while infinitely scrolling has even taken the place of video games for a subset of once-dedicated gamers, who can’t muster the strength to tackle a tough boss or a convoluted questline. Booting up a game should be a relief, but to some, along to-do list in an RPGcan trigger the same part of the brain dealing with a long to-do list at the office.
That’s whereWanderstopcomes in. When Alta awakens beside Boro, the proprietor of the fantastical titular teashop, she is given a choice - return to the woods to quickly burn out again or take some much-needed me-time while tackling some light and simple tasks around the cafe and nearby grounds. Unsurprisingly, the protagonist fights back at first, vocalizing her need to be in total control. But, as Boro reminds her, no one is ever completely in control, and recognizing that can make dealing with unexpected problems less painful. Life comes at you fast, and what we have today may not be there tomorrow. What matters is right here, right now, and that’s a concept that the game wants the player to grasp.
Somewhat counterintuitively, while players can make tea, tend to the grounds, gather materials, and cultivate unique plants in the game,Wanderstopstresses the importance of being unproductive. Youcouldserve the new customer who just wandered into the shop, but are you feeling up to it right now? Weeds are beginning to take over the main path, but take your time clearing them out. Dirty dishes are piling up, but get to them when you get to them. In the meantime, Alta can simply enjoy a cup of tea and contemplation. For some more schedule-oriented individuals, this may sound like a nightmare. For those looking to remove themselves from the demanding real world for a chance to breathe, it’s an absolute delight.
Wanderstop Achieves Its Goal of Being a Calm Oasis in a Stressful World
Something particularly striking aboutWanderstopis its tea-making mechanic. Unlike similarcozy cafe titleslikeCoffee Talk, merely selecting the correct ingredients isn’t enough. Rather, they must first be harvested from a plethora of plants that can be grown in the shop’s garden, then placed inside an extremely complex-looking machine. Boro teaches the player the ins and outs of this curious apparatus at the start of the title, and it’s quite easy to use, if not a little imposing at first glance.
Each time they brew a cup of tea, players will need to go through a series of concrete steps, from filling the machine with water and heating it to the proper temperature to opening a series of valves and tossing in the proper additives. This equates to a kind of magic spell - it’s a busy system, but it isn’t complicated, keeping the hands busy and not the mind. After making a cup or two, the steps become second nature, and the thought of making a customer happy or taking a load off on a nearby bench becomes the carrot on the stick the player strives to snag. There’s no punishment for using the wrong ingredients, merely an offer to try again. The game doesn’t even punish you for throwing in your watering can (something I did mistakenly my first time using the machine - a new one promptly appeared in my mailbox with a note telling me to be more careful.)
Sweeping up piles of leaves around the property can uncover decorative items that can be placed around the shop to make it more lively or the occasional dirty teacup that needs a good washing. Photos can be framed on the walls, and NPCs will sometimes reward the player with a new poster or knick-knack to show their appreciation for the perfect-tasting brew. Something that may prove difficult for some players is ignoring the primitive urge to sprint. The game allows it, and there is no stamina meter, meaning that aWanderstopspeed run is inevitable. That’s unfortunate, because it’s the absolute antithesis of what Ivy Road intends with their calming creation.
Spending just a brief time making tea in this picturesque cafe in the woods seemed to lower my blood pressure and help me breathe more deeply after a busy day. It’s arelaxing indie gamefilled with reminders to take care of yourself and to accept failure as a part of life, a lesson long forgotten by younger generations in the modern era. Sometimes, the only quest we’re ready to tackle involves a comfy chair and a piping hot cup of chai.
Wanderstop
WHERE TO PLAY
Wanderstop is a narrative-centric cozy game about change and tea. Playing as a fallen fighter named Alta, you’ll manage a tea shop within a magical forest and tend to the customers who pass through. But Alta does not want to be here. And if she gets her way, the tea shop will be nothing but a brief and painful memory.Wanderstop is a tea shop management ritual. Grow and harvest the ingredients needed for tea, and then mix them together in an unusual tea-making contraption. Along the way, speak with the many travelers who pass through the shop, learn their stories and make tea that’s just right for them.In your downtime, you might tidy up around the clearing, decorate the shop in your style, or just sit on a bench with a cup of tea and listen to your own thoughts. Maybe doing nothing at all is okay. The shop demands patience, it rejects those who have come only in the pursuit of growth unchecked.And that’s why Alta can’t be here. It’s why she’ll never make it. This isn’t who she is. No, she’s a fighter! Why would anyone insist on turning the world’s greatest championship warrior into a docile shopkeeper?! With everything she’s capable of?? No no no, she won’t, she won’t do it… she can’t…
