Wanderlust

About

Wanderlust is a single player casual role playing game. It was developed by Eternity Studios and was released on November 1, 2017. It received neutral reviews from players.

LSD: Dream Emulator is a first person exploration game that takes you to a long journey between worlds. The adventure takes place in the dreams of a man addicted to consuming illegal substances. The game mainly consists to explore and feel the surrounding environment of a fantastic world. A magnificent experimental game made to delight your sensory system.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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47%

Audience ScoreBased on 58 reviews

music17 positive mentions

story3 negative mentions

Beautiful and surreal visuals with a distinctive vaporwave and dreamlike aesthetic.
Relaxing, meditative soundtrack that complements the atmospheric exploration.
Provides a unique, introspective experience suitable for players seeking an artistic and contemplative walking simulator.

Extremely short gameplay duration with little to no traditional objectives or meaningful interaction.
Technical issues including poor optimization, frequent frame rate drops, invisible walls, and non-functional options menu.
Lack of achievements (or achievements requiring third-party software), trading cards, and unclear guidance leading to player frustration.

music
45 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
55%
7%
The music in this game is widely praised for its relaxing, vaporwave and lo-fi influenced soundtrack that complements the atmospheric visuals, creating an immersive, meditative experience. However, some users critique the repetitive nature of the music, the inability to adjust or turn off the audio, and note that the soundtrack alone may not compensate for the lack of gameplay depth. Overall, the music is considered the standout feature, effectively setting the mood as an interactive music video.
- “Ambient sounds, environmental echoes, and understated musical elements create a soundscape that complements the visual aesthetic.”
- “Beautiful visuals and relaxing, vaporwave-influenced soundtrack, which together create a meditative, immersive vibe.”
- “Wanderlust is a game that fulfills the meaning of the word, you travel through various steamwave scenarios and with a lo-fi background music, which switches to every scene you visit.”
- “All you do in this game is walk around what look like asset-flipped environments while annoying music plays at you.”
- “If the business plan for a game is to compete with Spotify, which is free and has effectively unlimited music, all of which is better than the music here, it's failed before it even started.”
- “It's short, technically flawed, offers neither exploration nor a relaxing atmosphere due to some weird music choices and visual effects and is outrageously overpriced.”
graphics
23 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
52%
35%
13%
The game's graphics prioritize artistic style and atmosphere over high-fidelity realism, featuring varied environments and visually appealing, meditative aesthetics that complement the vaporwave-inspired soundtrack. While the visuals are generally praised for their beauty and mood, some users note performance issues, lack of graphical settings, and occasional glitches, especially on certain hardware or levels. Overall, the graphics contribute effectively to a relaxing and immersive casual experience.
- “While graphical fidelity may not compete with large-scale productions, the artistic choices focus on mood rather than realism.”
- “I've been playing on a Full HD projector and visuals were definitely amazing.”
- “Really enjoyed the different art styles in each of the levels that I played.”
- “There's no option to change the resolution and no useful graphics tweaks.”
- “Graphic glitches (mainly noticeable in city level).”
- “In most regions the graphics look way beyond mediocre and there are a couple of z-buffer problems in many places.”
gameplay
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
50%
25%
Wanderlust offers a slow-paced, atmospheric exploration experience with no traditional gameplay mechanics, fail states, or structured goals, making it calming but potentially disengaging for those seeking challenge or narrative. While praised for its artistic minimalism and mood, it is criticized for lacking meaningful interaction or story, resulting in a gameplay experience described as minimal to nearly nonexistent.
- “Because there are no traditional fail states or mechanical pressures, exploration unfolds at a comfortable rhythm.”
- “This design choice can make sessions feel calming and introspective, particularly for players seeking a break from fast-paced gameplay.”
- “For those open to experiential design and artistic minimalism, it provides a distinctive and immersive departure from traditional gameplay conventions.”
- “Gameplay: 1/10”
- “Even walking sims like Dear Elise, while light on gameplay, are games that express a narrative, which you can only reveal by playing through the sim.”
- “However, it may also leave others feeling disconnected if they prefer structured goals or mechanical challenges.”
story
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
37%
38%
The story is minimalistic and non-linear, relying on player interpretation rather than explicit narrative or quest markers. Many players found the lack of dialogue, clear plot, and interaction disappointing, leading to a perception of the game as a walking simulator with little storytelling depth.
- “Narratively, Wanderlust operates through implication rather than explicit storytelling.”
- “Moral of the story: you never know what life has in store for you, and if I had given up when all odds were against me, I wouldn't be where I am today.”
- “There are no explicit quest markers or mission structures guiding the player forward.”
- “The lack of dialogue or linear plot development means that interpretation is left largely to the player.”
- “There's no story, no vocals, no interaction, no gameplay, not even an interesting artistic statement.”
atmosphere
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The atmosphere of Wanderlust is characterized by a surreal, dreamy, and glowy design that emphasizes sensation over traditional gameplay, creating a chill but somewhat repetitive experience. While some appreciate its immersive visuals and background music, others find the music choices and visual effects off-putting, resulting in a less relaxing and occasionally flawed ambiance. Overall, the atmosphere is a central focus but may not appeal universally due to its technical issues and limited exploration.
- “Wanderlust, developed and published by eternity studios, is an exploratory experience that prioritizes atmosphere and sensation over conventional gameplay systems.”
- “Visually, the game leans into surreal and atmospheric design.”
- “A chill dreamy glowy walking simulator with nice atmospheres and levels to walk around in.”
- “It's short, technically flawed, offers neither exploration nor a relaxing atmosphere due to some weird music choices and visual effects and is outrageously overpriced.”
- “Because the experience centers on atmosphere rather than branching systems or variable outcomes, repeated sessions may feel similar in structure.”
- “It creates an atmosphere for the song playing in the background, but nothing more.”
optimization
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The game's optimization is notably poor, with subpar performance even on high-end hardware like the GTX 1070, leading to stuttering audio and low frame rates. Environments feel bland and unpolished, exacerbating the overall unoptimized experience.
- “Pretty poor performance on a pretty high-end graphics card (GTX 1070).”
- “The performance is abysmal.”
- “The map with the dandelion-like particles was so bad that the audio was stuttering.”
stability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is impacted by numerous graphical and shadow glitches, particularly on city levels, which may be exacerbated by issues with Nvidia's proprietary Linux drivers. These visual problems detract from the overall experience, though some glitches are intentional.
- “Numerous graphical glitches, especially noticeable in city levels and shadows.”
- “Graphic glitches occur mainly in the city level, affecting visual stability.”
- “Shadow glitches are frequent and disrupt the overall gaming experience.”
emotional
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect is characterized by symbolic, evocative landscapes that prioritize mood over clear narrative, creating a reflective experience. Users appreciate how shifting perspectives and emotional states influence their perception, making the experience feel dynamic and introspective.
- “The landscapes often feel symbolic rather than literal, with shifting visual motifs and spaces that evoke emotional responses more than narrative clarity.”
- “Different emotional states or perspectives can alter how the environments are perceived, lending the experience a reflective quality that changes over time.”
replayability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Replayability varies based on individual player interest, as it largely depends on personal engagement with the game.
monetization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users criticize the monetization, considering the 6.99€ price unjustified and describing the game's marketing as misleading or unethical.
- “Advertising such a project as a game is reprehensible, but selling it for €6.99 is a scam.”