Wanderlust Travel Stories

About

Wanderlust Travel Stories is a single player role playing game. It was developed by Different Tales and was released on September 26, 2019. It received mostly positive reviews from critics and positive reviews from players.

Take the role of various modern travelers, live their adventures and shape their stories. Relish in discovery and awe, longing and hope as you journey from Africa to Antarctica, from Europe to Asia. The change brought by this odyssey will be your own. Wanderlust is a bridge between literary experiences and gaming. A title that is meant to be taken in, experienced and felt. Perfect when you're tra…

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Single-Player

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82%

Audience ScoreBased on 89 reviews

story16 positive mentions

replayability2 negative mentions

Extremely immersive and authentic travel narrative experience with excellent writing and emotional depth.
Beautiful photography and atmospheric soundtrack effectively enhance the sensation of being on a journey.
Unique approach as interactive literary travelogue with meaningful mood and resource management systems.

Pacing can be slow and uneven, making it feel tedious or like reading rather than gaming.
Choices often cosmetic or inconsequential, limiting meaningful player impact on story outcomes.
Certain stories and characterizations lack depth, with some narratives feeling preachy or culturally stereotyped.

story
85 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
19%
77%
4%
The story aspect is praised for its mature, literary style and emotional depth, offering diverse travel tales across various continents with meaningful choices that subtly shape the narrative. However, some find the pacing uneven and certain stories repetitive or slow, with limited impact from choices and occasional cultural insensitivities. Overall, it provides a thoughtful, immersive travelogue experience appreciated by fans of interactive storytelling, though it may not appeal to those seeking traditional gameplay or more dynamic plot branches.
- “It is not a game in the traditional sense—it contains no combat, no puzzle-solving, and no skill-based mechanics—but rather a literary journey told through interactive storytelling.”
- “Every choice you make—whether deciding how to spend your day, how to speak to another traveler, or how to respond emotionally to an experience—shapes the tone of the story and subtly alters the protagonist’s state of mind.”
- “My favorite was the Thailand story, which is the longest and has great replayability—you'll get two completely different narratives depending on whether you choose to explore the northern or southern part of the country, so you can play it twice with almost no overlap in content.”
- “Gamers and story enthusiasts care about substance, not this slop you are trying to feed the majority.”
- “All the features that make you feel like you're in control of the story—options for different routes, attires, spending choices—become either completely written out, or so strictly scripted there's barely any room for choices that matter in future stories.”
- “I also felt the chapters are too varied in length; while the longest ones can keep you occupied for 2-3 hours, many of the latter ones are only ten-something minutes long, meaning there's barely any story to tell to begin with.”
gameplay
17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
18%
64%
18%
The gameplay in this title is minimal and unconventional, focusing more on interactive storytelling with light resource management elements like fatigue and mood that subtly influence the narrative. While this approach offers a meditative, literary experience, its slow pacing and lack of engaging mechanics may lead to boredom for players expecting traditional gameplay or more interactivity. Overall, the gameplay serves the story but lacks depth and meaningful player impact.
- “It is not a game in the traditional sense—it contains no combat, no puzzle-solving, and no skill-based mechanics—but rather a literary journey told through interactive storytelling.”
- “A few light resource mechanics, such as managing fatigue, stress, and finances, add structure without interrupting the meditative flow.”
- “Both the stories and broader narrative are interesting and it is a strong interactive novel, however, there are additional gameplay elements and mechanics integrated with just enough subtlety.”
- “Additionally, because of the slow pacing and absence of traditional gameplay loops, players expecting a more interactive or game-like experience might find themselves disengaged.”
- “It's worth the money for the adventures and tales you'll be a part of... but the pacing and focus of this game sabotages any attempt of gameplay it tries to bring to you, the player.”
- “The pacing suffers as a result of this bizarre lack of focus in the gameplay and storytelling.”
emotional
17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
94%
6%
The game offers a poetic and emotionally authentic portrayal of travel, capturing a blend of awe, fatigue, and reflection through varied narratives and player choices that subtly influence mood. While the stories evoke warmth and occasional poignancy, the short format and limited character connection can dampen deeper emotional impact. Overall, it provides a relaxing, contemplative experience with moments of sincere emotional resonance, though its storytelling depth varies.
- “Each narrative is distinct in tone, geography, and emotional focus, yet all are linked by a shared sense of reflection and longing for meaning in motion.”
- “Every choice you make—whether deciding how to spend your day, how to speak to another traveler, or how to respond emotionally to an experience—shapes the tone of the story and subtly alters the protagonist’s state of mind.”
- “It captures the emotional texture of travel—the mixture of awe, fatigue, loneliness, and discovery—more authentically than most games manage to capture any human experience.”
music
17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
24%
58%
18%
The music in the game is widely praised for its relaxing, ambient, and world-inspired melodies that enhance the atmosphere without overpowering the experience. It effectively complements the visuals and storytelling, creating a soothing and immersive mood that transports players. While some find the soundtrack underwhelming or generic, most consider it a standout aspect, contributing significantly to the game's evocative and chill pace.
- “The soundtrack, composed of ambient and world-inspired melodies, deepens the atmosphere further, gently guiding the player’s emotions without ever intruding.”
- “Finally, the soundtrack is simply the best I've heard in a long time.”
- “There’s a lot of different music in the game, and what’s playing often changes to match a particular scene, which helps set the mood.”
- “Plus the music is dull and the very few photos included look generic.”
- “They're accompanied by a bit of music and the occasional stock photograph of something vaguely related to the story.”
- “On the surface it's underwhelming: some text, some photos, music.”
graphics
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
14%
43%
The graphics feature a minimalistic interface with high-quality photographic backdrops and a simple world map, creating an immersive and calming visual experience that complements the narrative. While the visuals are static and occasionally repetitive, and some photos don't perfectly match the text, the cohesive aesthetic effectively evokes a sense of travel and exploration. This style suits players who appreciate storytelling and atmospheric presentation over flashy graphics.
- “The interface is elegantly minimal: players read through text passages accompanied by high-quality photographic backdrops and ambient soundscapes that evoke the locations being described.”
- “The way its visuals tie in with its writing is weirdly immersive and it felt as if I was on a journey despite being what is essentially a slideshow.”
- “Calming and nice artstyle.”
- “Occasionally, the static nature of the visuals makes certain moments feel repetitive, and some photographs do not perfectly match the vivid descriptions in the text, but these are minor flaws in an otherwise cohesive aesthetic experience.”
- “Graphical display/layout: it's not going to win any graphics awards as it is a combination of a (decent) world map with a moving icon on it showing your travel (and sometimes latitude and longitude) and the rest of the time showing photographs of pertinent areas related to your travels.”
- “Graphical display/layout: it's not going to win any graphics awards as it is a combination of a (decent) world map with a moving icon on it showing your travel (and sometimes latitude and longitude) and the rest of the time showing photographs of pertinent areas related to your travels.”
atmosphere
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
25%
The game excels at creating a deeply immersive atmosphere through its evocative writing, carefully chosen photos, and a subtle, world-inspired soundtrack. These elements work harmoniously to transport players emotionally and narratively, enhancing the sense of being alongside the characters in their journey.
- “From the moment the game begins, it becomes clear that Wanderlust values atmosphere and narrative immersion above all else.”
- “The soundtrack, composed of ambient and world-inspired melodies, deepens the atmosphere further, gently guiding the player’s emotions without ever intruding.”
- “It was descriptive, well-written, atmospheric - really felt like I was transported to the places and experienced those things myself alongside the characters.”
humor
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor is subtle and well-infused, blending poetic prose with quiet wit and emotional depth. Stories are often hilarious and engaging, offering a well-paced, empathetic, and enjoyable experience for players.
- “The prose is poetic without being pretentious, often laced with quiet humor and emotional authenticity.”
- “Haunting, hilarious stories from the far corners of the globe (and Europe).”
- “Occasionally poetic, often humorous, well-paced for an empathetic reader.”
replayability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
67%
Replayability varies across the content, with the Thailand story offering strong replay value through distinctly different narratives based on player choices, while overall the game is relatively short and may lack extensive replay appeal for some players.
- “My favorite was the Thailand story, which is the longest and has great replayability—you'll get two completely different narratives depending on whether you choose to explore the northern or southern part of the country, so you can play it twice with almost no overlap in content.”
- “It has clear influences from inkle's 80 days, but boasts neither the level of depth, replayability, or writing quality to make it worthwhile.”
- “Getting this out of the way first: this is not a long game, and I'm not convinced it has a huge amount of replay value.”
grinding
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Grinding in the game is often tedious and slow, characterized by repetitive input with minimal engaging content, such as uninteresting dialogues and lackluster visuals. While some of this pacing serves story purposes, it leads to frustration due to prolonged inactivity and missed opportunities to enrich the experience with interactive or narrative elements.
- “It tediously requires your input every step, often with barely anything happening but uninteresting filler dialogues and banters. The provided photos to depict the scenes focus too much on subjects like local population and wildlife. I had to search for photos of churches in Africa similar to Notre Dame in Paris and Japanese plane wrecks in Pacific islands to better understand the place, even though these were major landmarks explained by texts in the game.”
- “Gameplay: while overall quite enjoyable, it sometimes drags on and on. Although done for story reasons (drifting around the Antarctic on a sailing yacht via wind and wave), it is still disagreeable from a gameplay enjoyment perspective; it's no fun waiting and waiting for something to happen while a cursor shaped like a sailboat drifts lazily around a map and you can do nothing to speed it up. There's nothing to do (no slideshow of pictures, no narration, no story choices) to alleviate the mind-numbing boredom.”
monetization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's monetization heavily relies on ads, which are considered the most engaging part by users, suggesting that the core gameplay may be less compelling.

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74%Critics’ scoreBased on 4 critic reviews

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4h Median play time

3h Average play time

2-4h Spent by most gamers

*Based on 2 analyzed playthroughs

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Frequently Asked Questions

Wanderlust Travel Stories is a role playing game.

Wanderlust Travel Stories is available on Nintendo Switch, PC, Mac OS, Phone and others.

On average players spend around 3 hours playing Wanderlust Travel Stories.

Wanderlust Travel Stories was released on September 26, 2019.

Wanderlust Travel Stories was developed by Different Tales.

Wanderlust Travel Stories has received mostly positive reviews from players and mostly positive reviews from critics. Most players liked this game for its story but disliked it for its gameplay.

Wanderlust Travel Stories is a single player game.

Similar games include The Bookwalker: Thief of Tales, The Lion's Song, Werewolf: The Apocalypse — Heart of the Forest, Ken Follett's The Pillars of the Earth, Roadwarden and others.

Wanderlust Travel Stories

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