Wanderer

84%
Game Brain Score Based on 1,040 reviews
  • story
  • graphics
  • gameplay
Wanderer Game Cover
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"Wanderer" is a single-player action game with a perfect story and outstanding gameplay, set to be remade in 2024. As Asher Neumann, players traverse time and space through a wristwatch to change the course of history and prevent civilization's collapse. The game offers stunning visuals, a marvelous atmosphere, and unique interactions, taking players through various eras to reshape humanity's fortune in VR.

  • PC
  • Play​station 4
  • Virtual Reality
  • Windows
  • Oculus Rift
  • Play​Station
  • Play​Station VR
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

84%
Audience ScoreBased on 1,040 reviews
story302 positive mentions
stability84 negative mentions
  • Incredible graphics and immersive environments that enhance the gameplay experience.
  • Engaging story with clever puzzles that require creative thinking and time travel mechanics.
  • Well-designed interactions and a helpful companion character that provides hints without being overly intrusive.
  • Numerous bugs and glitches that can lead to game-breaking situations, such as disappearing items and soft locks.
  • Clunky controls and imprecise object interactions that can frustrate players, especially during critical moments.
  • The ending feels rushed and leaves many plot points unresolved, which may disappoint players seeking closure.
  • story528 mentions

    The story of the game is generally praised for its engaging and immersive qualities, with many players appreciating the unique time travel mechanics and the integration of puzzles into the narrative. However, some critiques highlight issues such as a rushed ending, continuity problems, and occasional confusion regarding plot details, leaving players wanting more clarity and resolution. Overall, while the story is compelling and well-crafted, it is marred by some bugs and inconsistencies that detract from the experience.

    • “A wonderful adventure story with puzzles.”
    • “The visuals are stunning, the story is really neat and in depth, and I enjoyed every second.”
    • “The story brings this game together very well and cleverly connects with real world historical characters as well as the in-game ones.”
    • “The story falls at the final hurdle with little explained and a rushed ending.”
    • “Don't think about the plot or rules of time travel - nothing makes sense.”
    • “The story is an unusual time travel mess, with a bit of an unsatisfying finale.”
  • graphics240 mentions

    The graphics of the game have received a mixed but generally positive reception, with many players praising the stunning visuals and immersive environments that enhance the overall experience. While some noted that the character models and animations could be improved, the game's graphical quality is often compared favorably to high standards set by titles like Half-Life: Alyx. Overall, the graphics are considered impressive for a VR title, contributing significantly to the game's engaging story and gameplay.

    • “The graphics are outstanding, the story is compelling, and the gameplay is just-frustrating-enough worth of puzzles.”
    • “The graphics are amazing for a small studio making a VR game, and the premise sounds amazing.”
    • “Incredible graphics, story, and gameplay.”
    • “The graphics were too 2D in large environments and gameplay was far more glitchy than Half-Life: Alyx.”
    • “I couldn't get over the bad performance, lackluster voice actors and sound design, low poly graphics, and clunky controls.”
    • “The graphics are a bit buggy, the character textures look like they are out of the original Half-Life, and the game very abruptly ends before a satisfying conclusion.”
  • gameplay220 mentions

    The gameplay of Wanderer is highly praised for its innovative time travel mechanics and engaging puzzles, reminiscent of classic adventure games. While the game features a variety of clever mechanics and immersive interactions, some players noted issues with certain mechanics being unintuitive or buggy. Overall, it offers a rich and enjoyable VR experience, though some aspects may require patience and adjustment.

    • “Probably the best VR game after Half-Life: Alyx. The graphics quality and detail can be improved, but the story, the puzzles, the unique gameplay, and immersive locations are really well crafted and enjoyable. It's really hard to put down the headset and stop playing.”
    • “Wanderer is hands-down one of the most innovative VR titles I've played, seamlessly merging a traditional escape-room type puzzle game with an incredibly fun time travel mechanic.”
    • “Jumping instantly through time whenever you want to solve puzzles using objects from different eras is an incredible mechanic.”
    • “In addition to that, a lot of game mechanics aren't reliable, so you have to resort to the forums to check if it's by design or a bug.”
    • “There are some puzzles that will drive you nuts, either because they are too complicated (light bulbs) or simply because the gameplay around them is borderline impossible to guess (rubbing a frog in your face, replacing the wing of an electric car with a bomb, etc).”
    • “Overall, the atmosphere is great, but the gameplay is lacking.”
  • stability88 mentions

    The game is widely criticized for its numerous bugs and glitches, which significantly impact gameplay and can lead to frustrating experiences, such as crashes and softlocks. While some players report smooth performance in VR, many others encounter persistent issues that detract from the overall enjoyment. Overall, the game's stability is a major concern, with many reviewers expressing hope for future patches to address these problems.

    • “Ran very smooth in VR with no glitches.”
    • “Runs great at 150% supersampling.”
    • “Ran very smooth in VR with no glitches.”
    • “Sadly, the game is extremely buggy.”
    • “Fair warning to anyone looking to buy this game, the upcoming remake for Wanderer, or any other game from Mighty Eyes: they release buggy games and, should you run into a game-breaking bug, don't expect them to provide a solution for your problem.”
    • “This has the potential to be an amazing game, and I'll definitely return in the future to check it out, but in its current state it's just too buggy to enjoy.”
  • optimization58 mentions

    Overall, the game's optimization receives mixed feedback, with many praising its excellent graphics and solid performance, particularly on high-end systems, while others report issues such as stuttering, bugs, and poor optimization for specific VR controllers. Some players noted that minor adjustments could alleviate certain performance hiccups, but a few still experienced significant performance drawbacks. Despite these inconsistencies, the game is generally regarded as visually impressive and engaging, making it a worthwhile experience for many players.

    • “It was amazingly designed, excellently optimized, and the story was phenomenal.”
    • “Performance is excellent (it easily maintains 90fps after it defaulted to ultra settings) and I haven't encountered any janky behavior yet.”
    • “Graphics are beautiful and clear, the game is well optimized, the story is great thus far, and the audio is perfect.”
    • “Very bad optimization.”
    • “The game definitely had some bugs and performance issues, lacking a little polish around the edges in some parts.”
    • “I played through this game on a Valve Index, and this game is not optimized for Index controllers.”
  • music28 mentions

    The music in the game is widely praised for its atmospheric quality and beautiful composition, enhancing the overall experience with a pleasurable soundtrack and professional voice acting. However, some users noted issues with latency and mismatched beats during gameplay, particularly with drumming mechanics. Overall, the music contributes significantly to the game's immersive ambiance, making it a standout feature for puzzle and escape room enthusiasts.

    • “Music was amazing, ambiance was amazing, puzzles ranged in challenge and very well thought out.”
    • “The music, sound and graphics are beautiful; it's been a long time to wait for something like this to come along and I'm not disappointed.”
    • “A must play game for VR puzzle/escape room lovers with an incredible soundtrack and awesome set pieces!”
    • “It's terrible, the beat of the song does not match the beat of how they want you to play the drums.”
    • “The other times there is a serious latency with the actual song and the beat they want you to play.”
    • “Other bits loop the same music or sound over and over.”
  • atmosphere20 mentions

    The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its rich storytelling, detailed scenery, and high-quality graphics, creating a calm yet mysterious post-apocalyptic world. While the atmosphere is immersive and enhanced by good sound design and voice acting, some players feel that gameplay issues can detract from the overall experience. Overall, the atmosphere stands out as a highlight, drawing comparisons to acclaimed titles like Half-Life: Alyx.

    • “Wow, such a rich story, great atmosphere, and top notch graphics.”
    • “It has a generally calm and mysterious atmosphere with great sceneries and graphics with a few action sequences where you have to react fast and think on your feet, but it's not a fast paced shooter.”
    • “This game is finally up there with Half-Life: Alyx (we've all been waiting a while to say that!) great atmosphere, graphics, and voice acting.”
    • “These issues sometimes progress from minor to throw-your-controller-against-the-wall, and it hurts the game's carefully constructed narrative atmosphere.”
  • emotional14 mentions

    Players found the game immersive and engaging, particularly praising the well-crafted puzzles that enhanced their sense of accomplishment. However, many expressed disappointment in the lack of emotional connection to the characters, attributing this to the writing of the narrator. Technical issues, such as unintended automatic movement, also detracted from the overall emotional experience.

    • “It really made me feel immersed and forget the real world for those few hours.”
    • “My only disappointment was that I did not get emotionally involved with the story characters.”
    • “This lack of emotional connection seems due to the manner in which the narrator was written.”
  • grinding8 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game frustrating due to convoluted and tedious puzzles that lack a proper hint system, leading to a sense of monotony. The mechanics of interacting with the environment are described as imprecise and broken, contributing to an overall feeling that the game overstays its welcome and culminates in an unsatisfying ending.

    • “It gets more and more frustrating with tons of convoluted tedious puzzles with no real hint system.”
    • “It's an okay tell-me-a-story game, but it got tedious rather quickly and overstayed its welcome with me.”
    • “Grabbing things and using your virtual hands is tedious, imprecise, and just plain broken.”
  • replayability8 mentions

    The game's replayability is considered limited due to its linear structure, making it less suitable for indefinite play compared to open-world titles. While a second playthrough can be enjoyable for those seeking to explore hidden items and upgrades, many reviewers feel the price point is high relative to the replay value, suggesting it may be better to purchase on sale.

    • “The game's replayability is decent; if you prefer to just witness the story in the first playthrough, then a second playthrough can be just as exciting as you search in nooks and crannies for special items and the game's upgrade currency. However, as it is a fairly linear game, you cannot replay it indefinitely like you could an open-world game.”
    • “The game's replayability is so-so; if you prefer to just witness the story in the first playthrough, then a second playthrough can be just as exciting as you search in nooks and crannies for special items and the game's upgrade currency. However, as it is a fairly linear game, you cannot replay it indefinitely like you could an open-world game.”
    • “A little bit pricey though for the amount of replayability; get it when it's on sale if you can.”
    • “I think $40 is high and it has limited replayability, but I don't regret my purchase.”
  • humor6 mentions

    The humor in the game is highlighted as a standout feature, particularly through the character Sam's voice, which many players find very funny. The game is described as a clever and entertaining time-traveling adventure, combining a great story with well-crafted puzzles, contributing to an overall enjoyable experience.

    • “A wonderful, funny, high-quality time-traveling adventure with a great story and a lot of well-done puzzles, which took me 15+ hours.”
    • “All in all, it's a funny and smart travel through time and history.”
    • “The voice of Sam is very funny and adds to the overall humor of the game.”
  • monetization2 mentions

    The game's monetization strategy has been criticized for poor advertising, leading to it being overlooked despite its quality, which is comparable to well-known titles like Saints & Sinners and Boneworks.

Positive mentions (%)Positive
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Play time

10hMedian play time
10hAverage play time
10-12hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 12 analyzed playthroughs

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