Wanderlust Travel Stories
- September 26, 2019
- Different Tales
- 4h median play time
Get on Steam"Wanderlust Travel Stories" is an interactive collection of playable novels, where you step into the shoes of strangers sharing their travel tales in a remote island bar. Inspired by real events and places, your choices determine the course of each journey, offering unique perspectives from various individuals. It's a literary gaming experience for those seeking something different, with four long stories and five short ones, each providing distinct playstyles.
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Reviews
- The stories are immersive and well-written, allowing players to connect deeply with the characters and their experiences.
- The game offers a unique blend of interactive fiction and travel storytelling, enhanced by beautiful photography and a soothing soundtrack.
- Players appreciate the emotional depth and variety of the narratives, with some stories resonating strongly and prompting reflection on personal travel experiences.
- Many players feel that the gameplay lacks depth, with choices often feeling inconsequential and the overall experience resembling more of a reading exercise than a game.
- Some stories are criticized for being too short or lacking engagement, leading to a sense of boredom or dissatisfaction with the pacing.
- There are concerns about the representation in the stories, with some players noting a lack of diversity among the characters and narratives.
- story55 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 75 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The game's story is primarily a collection of kinetic novels that unfold through a series of travel narratives, allowing players to experience emotional journeys with varying degrees of interactivity. While some stories, like the Thailand narrative, offer rich choices and replayability, others suffer from pacing issues and lack of depth, leading to moments of boredom. Overall, the writing is generally well-crafted and engaging, though it occasionally falls into cliché territory, and the experience is enhanced by beautiful photography that complements the storytelling.
“You are simply there to see a story unfold and to react emotionally according to how you actually would have felt in their shoes.”
“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's an interactive story made with a lot of heart mixed in.”
“Actually, it's more of a compilation of a set of kinetic novels with their own fixed plot lines.”
“In one of the main stories, I felt a bit misled: the travel story of one of the characters was supposed to be a 'gap year', but ended in under 100 days with only one of the two travel branches in the country explored.”
“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.”
- music12 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 42 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its enchanting and relaxing qualities, enhancing the overall atmosphere and immersion of the experience. Reviewers highlight the soundtrack as one of the best they've encountered, effectively complementing the beautiful photography and evocative storytelling. Together, the music and visuals create a sensory journey that feels both meaningful and immersive.
“Finally, the soundtrack is simply the best I've heard in a long time.”
“With relaxing music and beautiful photographs, you'll travel the world from behind the screen.”
“Beautiful music and writing!”
“On the surface it's underwhelming: some text, some photos, music.”
“They're accompanied by a bit of music and the occasional stock photograph of something vaguely related to the story.”
“The pictures and music suit the mood well, it really feels like you're travelling with the character!”
- gameplay10 mentions
- 30 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 30 % negative mentions
Gameplay in this title is generally enjoyable but suffers from pacing issues, particularly during slow segments that can lead to boredom, as players often find themselves waiting for events to unfold without engaging activities. While it incorporates elements like stamina and happiness that affect the narrative, the choices feel limited and ultimately inconsequential, making the experience more akin to a choose-your-own-adventure story rather than a dynamic game. Despite its varied focus on different gameplay mechanics, the overall experience lacks depth and challenge, relying heavily on thematic elements to maintain interest.
“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 at gameplay it tries to bring to you, the player.”
“Imagination is a really powerful tool, and wanderlust can really open it up - with real photos in the background and thematic music playing alongside the gameplay.”
“Not really... it has stamina/happiness gameplay elements that require you to watch, or your character can become sad or hopeless, and therefore change the narrative as their mood changes. So it's a choose your own adventure with dialogue and limited gameplay options.”
“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 at 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.”
“It's not fantastic, or experimental gameplay... the choices you make do not matter in the long run.”
- emotional8 mentions
- 88 % positive mentions
- -25 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is mixed; while it offers touching and socially relevant stories set in vibrant locations, players often feel a lack of deep emotional connection due to the brevity of the narratives and the absence of character development. Some find the experience heartwarming and enjoyable, akin to a cozy moment of reflection, but others criticize the game for failing to evoke strong feelings or investment in the characters and choices presented.
“You are simply there to see a story unfold and to react emotionally according to how you actually would have felt in their shoes.”
“All in all though this game was a thoroughly enjoyable romp through various colourful locations around the globe, sometimes with quite touching and socially important stories to tell.”
“This game is so heart-warming it's like wrapping yourself up in a blanket and sitting outside on your porch, looking at the clouds and the setting sun.”
“The game tries to evoke emotions, but it often feels forced and unconvincing.”
“I found the emotional moments to be cliché and lacking depth.”
“Despite its attempts at storytelling, the emotional impact was minimal and forgettable.”
- graphics5 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 40 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are described as a blend of a simple world map and photographs that enhance the storytelling experience, creating an immersive journey despite not being visually groundbreaking. The art style is noted for its calming and pleasant aesthetic, appealing particularly to those who appreciate narrative-driven content. Overall, while the visuals may not win awards, they effectively complement the game's thematic focus on exploration and human experiences.
“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 art style.”
“If you like to read, ideally National Geographic, and you're interested in the human aspect of the world, be it center stage or just as an undercurrent of a flowing tale, Wanderlust is for you.”
“Graphical display/layout: Look, 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: Look, 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.”
- replayability3 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
The game's replayability is mixed; while the Thailand story offers significant replay value with distinct narratives based on exploration choices, other aspects of the game lack depth and overall replayability, leading some players to feel it doesn't warrant multiple playthroughs.
“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.”
- grinding2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and often frustrating, as prolonged periods of inactivity and slow-paced gameplay detract from overall enjoyment. While some of this pacing serves narrative purposes, it leads to boredom due to a lack of engaging content or meaningful interactions during these stretches. The repetitive nature of input requirements and uninteresting filler dialogues further exacerbate the feeling of monotony.
“While the gameplay is overall quite enjoyable, there are times when it drags on and on. This is typically done for story reasons, but it doesn't make it any less disagreeable from a gameplay enjoyment perspective. It's no fun waiting for something to happen while a little cursor shaped like a sailboat drifts lazily around a map, and you can do nothing to speed it up. There's nothing to alleviate the mind-numbing boredom.”
“It tediously requires your input every step of the way, often with barely anything happening except for uninteresting filler dialogues and banter. The provided photos to depict the scenes are too focused 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 the Pacific Islands to know about the major landmarks of the places I was visiting in-game.”
- monetization1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Reviewers suggest that the monetization strategy may be lacking, as the most engaging content appears to be found in the game's advertisements rather than within the gameplay itself.
“The clips in the advertising of the game are probably the most interesting parts of the game.”
- humor1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is highlighted as a strong point, with players appreciating the amusing storyline choices that contribute to an enjoyable journey.
“The journey is filled with hilarious choices that make the storyline even more enjoyable.”
“I love how the humor is woven into every aspect of the game, making even the most serious moments light-hearted.”
“The witty dialogue and funny character interactions kept me laughing throughout my playthrough.”
- atmosphere1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The atmosphere is highly praised, attributed to the effective combination of writing, visuals, and soundtrack that create an immersive experience.
“The atmosphere is spot on, thanks to the writing, visuals, and soundtrack.”
“The immersive atmosphere draws you in and makes you feel part of the world.”
“Every detail contributes to a captivating atmosphere that keeps you engaged.”
