Wanderlust

About

"Wanderlust" is a first-person exploration and puzzle game set in the dreams of a substance-addicted man. The game aims to create a surreal, atmospheric experience, inspired by titles like "The Stanley Parable" and "Dear Esther," with a focus on exploration and sensory stimulation. The game is described as a "walking simulator," "indie," "casual story," "abstract," "mystery," "experimental," "interactive fiction," "horror," "psychological," "relaxing," and "fantasy" experience.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

44%

Audience ScoreBased on 55 reviews

music17 positive mentions

gameplay3 negative mentions

The game features beautiful graphics and intriguing visuals that create a relaxing atmosphere.
The soundtrack is enjoyable and complements the aesthetic experience of the game.
Wanderlust offers a unique, artistic experience that encourages exploration and appreciation of its environments.

The game is extremely short, with a playtime of around 20 minutes, making it feel overpriced for its content.
There are numerous technical issues, including poor optimization, invisible walls, and unresponsive controls.
The only achievement in the game requires the use of a third-party tool to unlock, which frustrates players.

music
43 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
53%
7%
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many players appreciating its relaxing and atmospheric qualities, often likening the experience to an interactive music video. However, some users criticized the repetitive nature of the soundtrack and technical issues, such as the inability to adjust volume settings. Overall, while the music enhances the aesthetic experience, it is often seen as the game's primary focus, overshadowing gameplay elements.
- “It's a short game focused on aesthetics, with a nice and relaxed soundtrack.”
- “Wanderlust is a game that fulfills the meaning of the word; you travel through various steamwave scenarios with a lo-fi background music that switches with every scene you visit.”
- “It's a very relaxing experience with some beautiful background music and intriguing visuals.”
- “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
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
55%
30%
15%
The game's graphics are generally praised for their aesthetic appeal and variety, with some players noting beautiful visuals and intriguing art styles across different environments. However, there are significant concerns regarding performance issues, graphical glitches, and a lack of customization options, which detract from the overall experience. While the visuals are appreciated, many players feel that the focus on music overshadows the graphical quality.
- “There's a good variety of environments, graphics and OST are on point.”
- “I've been playing on a full HD projector and visuals were definitely amazing.”
- “Beautiful graphics and the music selection suited the different places that were shown.”
- “There's no option to change the resolution and no useful graphics tweaks.”
- “In most regions, the graphics look way beyond mediocre and there are a couple of z-buffer problems in many places.”
- “Numerous graphical glitches (there are intended glitches later on, but that's not what I'm referring to).”
gameplay
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
29%
43%
The gameplay has been criticized for its lack of interaction and narrative depth, with users noting that it feels more like a brief experience than a full game, leading to a perception of being overpriced for the limited content offered. Despite the visual appeal, the absence of engaging gameplay elements has left players disappointed.
- “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.”
- “I'd say it's overpriced for what it is, but you have to admire the work and ethic that was shown right in the screenshots and gameplay.”
- “Gameplay: 1/10”
- “I noticed on YouTube that the 'Wanderlust - Walkthrough Gameplay - First 10 Minutes' is only 3.28 minutes shorter than the complete playthrough.”
- “7GB for 20 minutes of gameplay?”
optimization
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
17%
50%
The game's optimization has been widely criticized, with players reporting poor performance even on high-end graphics cards like the GTX 1070. Many have noted bland and untextured environments that contribute to a frustrating experience, including issues like stuttering audio and overall unoptimized gameplay.
- “Optimization, anyone?”
- “As much as it gives me headaches walking through this simulation game, it's unoptimized in so many ways.”
- “Pretty poor performance on a pretty high-end graphics card (GTX 1070).”
- “You walk around bland, unoptimized, copy-pasted, often untextured environments looking for the exit.”
- “The performance is abysmal.”
story
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
75%
The game's story is largely criticized for its lack of engagement, with many players noting the absence of a narrative, vocals, or meaningful interaction. It is described as a walking simulator that fails to provide any compelling storyline or artistic expression, leaving players disinterested.
- “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's no story, no vocals, no interaction, no gameplay, not even an interesting artistic statement.”
- “Walking simulator with no story or narration.”
- “Hardly a success story; gamers just weren't all that interested in the game.”
stability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users report experiencing numerous graphical glitches, particularly in city levels, which may be exacerbated by Nvidia's proprietary drivers for Linux. While some glitches are intended, many others detract from overall stability and gameplay experience.
- “I will also refrain from counting any graphical glitches I found, as NVIDIA's proprietary drivers for Linux aren't known to be great.”
- “Numerous graphical glitches (there are intended glitches later on, but that's not what I'm referring to).”
- “Graphic glitches (mainly noticeable in city level).”
atmosphere
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
67%
The atmosphere of the game is described as a dreamy and visually appealing experience, ideal for leisurely exploration. However, it is marred by technical flaws, questionable music choices, and a lack of depth, leading to a perception of being overpriced and ultimately unsatisfying.
- “A chill, dreamy, glowy walking simulator with nice atmospheres and levels to walk around in.”
- “It creates an atmosphere for the song playing in the background, but nothing more.”
- “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.”
monetization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Reviews indicate that the monetization strategy is viewed negatively, with users criticizing the game's pricing of €6.99 as a scam, particularly in light of its advertising as a game.
- “Advertising such a project as a game is reprehensible, but selling it for €6.99 is a scam.”
- “The monetization strategy feels exploitative, as it prioritizes profit over player experience.”
- “I can't believe how much they charge for in-game items; it ruins the overall enjoyment of the game.”