The Wandering Village

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"The Wandering Village" is a post-apocalyptic city-builder where you lead a group of survivors on the back of a giant, wandering creature named Onbu. Build your settlement, form a symbiotic relationship with Onbu, and manage production chains to ensure your village's survival in a world overtaken by mysterious, toxic plants. Balance your community's needs and Onbu's wellbeing to create a thriving coexistence.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

Reviews

91%

Audience ScoreBased on 2,424 reviews

graphics230 positive mentions

grinding49 negative mentions

Unique concept of building a village on the back of a giant creature adds a fresh twist to the city-building genre.
Beautiful art style and soothing soundtrack create an immersive and relaxing atmosphere.
Engaging gameplay that balances resource management with the care of Onbu, making players feel invested in both the village and the creature.

Limited content and replayability currently, with many players feeling they can complete the game in a few hours.
Villager AI can be frustrating, as they often ignore high-priority tasks and take inefficient routes.
Difficulty spikes can feel unfair, especially when dealing with poison clouds and environmental hazards that can quickly decimate the village.

graphics
370 mentions
62 % positive mentions
37 % neutral mentions
1 % negative mentions
The graphics of "The Wandering Village" have received widespread acclaim for their charming and unique art style, which blends 2D and 3D elements reminiscent of Studio Ghibli's aesthetic. Players appreciate the vibrant colors, detailed animations, and the overall cozy atmosphere that enhances the gameplay experience. While some critiques mention occasional performance issues, the visuals are generally described as beautiful and engaging, contributing significantly to the game's appeal.
- “The graphics and art style in this game are absolutely breathtaking.”
- “The art style is beautiful, the music is wonderful, & the gameplay is delightful yet challenging on harder difficulties.”
- “The visuals are amazing, a fantastic combination of fantasy and whimsy.”
- “Wish better graphics, so simple 2D is making me sad in 2024.”
- “Graphics - bad (in this picture the game eats resources like Fallout 4), optimization - very bad.”
- “Really consider that the graphic is mixed 2D and 3D, it might be unappealing for some people.”
gameplay
338 mentions
45 % positive mentions
52 % neutral mentions
3 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "The Wandering Village" is characterized by its unique blend of city-building and creature management mechanics, offering an engaging and intuitive experience. Players appreciate the charming visuals and the emotional depth added by caring for the giant creature, Onbu, while navigating various biomes and environmental challenges. However, some reviews note that the gameplay can become repetitive and lacks depth in certain mechanics, suggesting a need for more content and complexity as the game continues to develop.
- “Engaging gameplay and beautiful artwork!”
- “I really liked that they built interaction with the creature into it as a significant part of the gameplay, that seems like such a great design choice and adds a lot of psychological and emotional depth to the game.”
- “The gameplay loop is both fun and challenging and the game is beautiful.”
- “It's frustrating to see a mechanic that should be simple to address over and over again not be addressable in my last 3 playthroughs.”
- “You would probably have seen everything within the first 3 hours of gameplay and it repeats from there.”
- “The gameplay balance between city building and creature management is actually pretty intuitive.”
music
173 mentions
61 % positive mentions
38 % neutral mentions
2 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its soothing and immersive qualities, effectively enhancing the overall ambiance and aesthetic reminiscent of Studio Ghibli films. While many players appreciate the unique and memorable soundtrack that adapts to different biomes, some note that it can become repetitive over time, suggesting a desire for more variety. Overall, the combination of beautiful visuals and calming music contributes significantly to the game's charm and appeal.
- “The music is really good and fits the mood great!”
- “The setting is obviously very unique and with the gorgeous art style and the sound/music design, it immerses you into onbu-nomad-life.”
- “The music is exceptional in my opinion, and represents the game well.”
- “However, the music under normal conditions (especially the first 'temperate' biome) sounds monotonous and steady, easily causing drowsiness.”
- “My only real complaint is that the music got pretty repetitive.”
- “I do wish the music was a bit more varied though because after a while the 'atmospherics' just become grating.”
story
136 mentions
19 % positive mentions
68 % neutral mentions
13 % negative mentions
The game's story is currently minimal and lacks depth, with many players expressing a desire for more narrative elements and overarching goals. While the initial premise is intriguing, the gameplay often feels like an extended tutorial without significant plot progression or side quests. Players are hopeful for future updates that will expand the storyline and add more immersive content, as the foundation for a compelling narrative is present but not fully realized.
- “The story is simple yet effective and just a great game to relax and play through.”
- “Excellent storytelling with a well integrated and appropriate mechanic to deliver an overall experience of developing a symbiotic relationship with a kaiju in a post-apocalyptic world, so that both you and the kaiju survive.”
- “I love the art style and story the game conveys while you watch your band turn into a bustling village.”
- “The game has a painful lack of depth, wonder, story, and most importantly, it isn't fun to play in the slightest because the villagers are so incredibly dumb and slow, and everything costs way too much in terms of resources so everything takes forever to do.”
- “For now, it's lacking... there's no proper story and you don't really know where you are going.”
- “The early access so far does not really have a storyline or endgame.”
grinding
51 mentions
2 % positive mentions
2 % neutral mentions
96 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be a double-edged sword; while the farming and resource management mechanics offer depth and strategic challenges, they often lead to tedious micro-management and repetitive tasks. Many reviewers express frustration with the need to constantly rebuild and manage resources, particularly when transitioning between biomes, which can detract from the overall enjoyment of the game. Despite its beautiful artwork and engaging concepts, the gameplay can feel overly rigid and grindy, making it less appealing for those seeking a more fluid adventure experience.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “This is a tediousness simulator, not a fun adventure where you explore a ruined world and try to survive.”
- “No real end game yet - feels like you are spending the first 100 days setting up an infrastructure grinding stone into slabs, wood into planks, sand into glass, iron into metal, herbs into meds, etc. and then nothing.”
- “While the concept is interesting and the artwork and music are beautiful, the gameplay is hampered by its tediousness and rigidity.”
replayability
46 mentions
13 % positive mentions
72 % neutral mentions
15 % negative mentions
The game's replayability is a mixed bag, with some players enjoying the diversity of interactions and the ability to use difficulty modifiers, while others feel it lacks depth and content for multiple playthroughs. Many reviewers express hope that future updates will enhance replay value by adding more story elements and gameplay features. Overall, while some find it fun and replayable, others criticize it for being repetitive and lacking substantial replayability at its current stage.
- “There's a bit of a learning curve, but it's got strong replay value.”
- “Creative world and art style, fantastic ideas in play, and continually difficult and uncertain conditions that give it vast replay value.”
- “The ocean update added a lot of new things to do and research, which improved replayability significantly.”
- “At the time of review, it has very little replayability.”
- “The game gets really repetitive, really fast, and there's no replayability to the game unlike other games that have shorter play times.”
- “This game doesn't have a lot of content or much replay value at the moment due to it being a work in progress.”
atmosphere
27 mentions
59 % positive mentions
30 % neutral mentions
11 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is consistently praised for its vibrant colors, cozy art style, and relaxing sound design, creating a meditative and engaging experience. Players appreciate the charming visuals and tranquil ambiance, which enhance the city-building mechanics and overall gameplay. While some critiques mention a lack of depth compared to other titles, the unique atmosphere remains a standout feature that captivates many players.
- “The game's atmosphere and sound design is very well made and relaxing and meditative.”
- “The game offers a very cozy experience with its art style, its relaxing atmosphere, and its fitting music.”
- “This is a wonderfully atmospheric and accessible city-builder where you juggle the needs of your growing village with the usual - managing food, water, housing, health etc - as well as the needs of your enormous animal host, onbu.”
- “Don't let the smooth art style and vibrant atmosphere fool you.”
- “If you value concept and atmosphere over game time, then this is for you.”
- “If you like the atmosphere in 'Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind', then its heavy influence on this game's design will light a fire in you.”
emotional
23 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by its heartwarming interactions with the creature, Onbu, which players form strong attachments to, often leading to genuine feelings of care and concern. The blend of city-building mechanics with pet care creates a wholesome experience that resonates deeply, making players feel invested in both the village and the creature's well-being. Many reviews note the emotional impact of the storyline and gameplay, with some expressing sadness over Onbu's fate, underscoring the game's ability to evoke strong feelings.
- “I really liked that they built interaction with the creature into it as a significant part of the gameplay; that seems like such a great design choice and adds a lot of psychological and emotional depth to the game.”
- “I feel emotionally attached to the onbu, and I wish to pet it :)”
- “I am in love with onbu, and the first time he died I cried, but the game is awesome!”
stability
12 mentions
33 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
67 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's stability is generally praised, with many players reporting minimal glitches and bugs, especially for an early access title. While a few users noted some annoying glitches, the majority found the game to be well-polished, with solid mechanics and impressive graphics. The consensus is that the game runs smoothly and is largely bug-free, making for an enjoyable experience.
- “It's very bug-free for an early access game and has really beautiful artwork.”
- “A fun and mostly chill indie title that's already well polished for early access; everything works and runs great.”
- “The game looks great, runs great, and even sounds good.”
- “Some stupid glitches that annoy the hell out of me, but it's an addictive game.”
- “Usually when you play early access games, you know there will be some glitches and issues.”
- “The game offers some nice graphics and a nice aesthetic, although there are some ugly glitches here and there.”
optimization
12 mentions
42 % positive mentions
33 % neutral mentions
25 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's optimization has received mixed reviews. While many players report smooth performance and quick load times, there are notable concerns regarding task optimization and resource management, with some suggesting that the game could benefit from more intuitive systems. Despite these issues, the graphics and art style are praised, and players remain hopeful for future improvements from the developers.
- “I agree that there are still some things that could be optimized (like a more obvious note that your farm is out of space to plant, not making the onbu choose to go to sleep mere meters from a safe bed, etc.) but it feels like a complete game already, honestly.”
- “Graphics and sounds are good, and everything runs smoothly, even when the village grows into a city.”
- “They have worked on quick load times, good performance, and all that obviously.”
- “Graphics - bad (in this picture the game eats resources like Fallout 4), optimization - very bad.”
- “Basically the only optimization you can do is building placement and making stone paths so the villagers walk slightly faster.”
- “There's also absolutely no task optimization.”
humor
4 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is generally well-received, with players finding it amusing, particularly in chaotic scenarios like villagers dying from poison. However, some reviewers feel it lacks the randomness and atmospheric humor found in similar games like RimWorld, suggesting a more limited comedic range.
- “It was quite funny: I played the tutorial on my first playthrough, my Onbu walked through poison, I had poisoned plants and villagers, and then all my buildings started to collapse.”
- “Very funny game.”
- “Funny villager died of poison.”
monetization
1 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
The monetization strategy appears to involve targeted advertising through social media platforms like Instagram and promotional events on Steam, effectively reaching potential players.
character development
1 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
Reviewers appreciate the character design and world design, noting that both elements are executed with a sense of tastefulness that enhances the overall experience.
- “The character design and the world design are tasteful.”