Got this game on Game Pass and, after beating it, had to come here and purchase it right away just to support its creators.

I need to tell here, in this review, how Wandersong saved me in an awful period of my life (both personally and as a creator). It might seem that I'm exaggerating, but I assure I'm not, it is a warm, wholesome experience that is so painfully overlooked. We need more games like this.

Going back a bit, after the first team I worked in released our first game, we got a few emails of fans thanking us for things such as localizing the game into their own language. It was no life-changing situation, but I always wondered what could drive someone to personally write to a creator out of gratitude. Oh well, now I can finally relate.

So after some real bad experience as a developer I was stuck with the first mediocre job I could find since I was drowning in months of no income, and then a global pandemic hit and I lost that job and was forced to be locked up at home for months. Yay!

At that point, I lost my strength. I could barely get myself out of bed, I didn't want to talk to anybody, I didn't have the willingness to do anything and once the lockdown ended I was so apathetic that I didn't even want to go out for a walk. I stopped reading, watching movies and specially playing games. I saw myself as a complete gamedev failure that couldn't do more than a couple of games, and hated this industry so much for making things that hard for small independent creators.

And then came Wandersong.

A friend, trying to help me a bit, gifted me a Game Pass subscription and heavily recommended me this game. I was reluctant to get back to gaming but after a few weeks of back and forth he got me to start Wandersong. Thank goodness I did.

This game healed me, big time. Everything in it was so powerful that it got me out from the dark pit I was in and reminded me that there was still light shining outside. I think it was its extreme positive aura that changed my perception of my own reality. At first it was its visuals, then it was its goofy characters, then its music (I freaking LOVE A Shell in the Pit's soundtrack!!!), and then I was finally ready and open for what was about to come afterwards in the game.

I really enjoyed playing through such a white game. So pure. So honest. I didn't even know about Wandersong or the reasons behind its creation, and yet I could immediately connect with the person behind it. The way everything was built, written and shown made me feel excited, emotional. Happy. It felt like a gift, somehow. I loved how it talks about the power of being yourself, and how you can actually make an impact in the world not by force, but by just believing in you and your own strenghts. It made me reflect on my own path and ideals, on my projects and aspirations. It made me think about friends, about home, and made me want to again keep fighting for what I believe in. There's still good in this world and we need to protect it.

Then, the game got even better as it progressed with the plot and character development. The dynamics between the Bard and Miriam, and specially her journey of self-discovery and self-appreciation, really hit me. That short conversation scene at The Crater, man. I needed that, those words, to start producing my own change of heart about myself and how I saw things.

And to top all that I was in constant awe due to the endless stream of creativity Wandersong displayed. The gameplay design was always on point and every new Act came with its own terrific gameplay ideas, I can't believe how many different and unique mechanics I encountered during my playthrough. Also, Greg Lobanov came up with one of the bestest implementations of the concept of Achievements I've seen to date, really good narrative choice to use them to show how the Bard is perceived as unnecessary in the story that even the trophies are achieved by someone else and not the player. Also, dedicated dance button FTW.

This work inspired me to keep creating, and that's the beauty of it. It reminded me of the power of videogames, this is what this medium can really achieve and I want to be part of that in my own way. I can only dream of being able to create something this impactful someday, but I will at least try.

That's why, thanks to this game, I got the determination to assemble a new team and we are already working on a small project. Wandersong got me again into game development and I will forever be grateful to this precious little gem. Now that things are starting to roll again I felt that this was the right time to finally make up my mind and write this full review. You made an impact in someone's life with your work Greg, please never forget that.


Wandersong is special. Thank you for it.

(Last played in 2021) Start with just the fact that it's a cute-looking pacifistic game where you save the world by singing, which is already a sell in itself. But then you actually play it and find that it has implemented its singing mechanics into tons of unique contexts, jumps between genres and playstyles between chapters, has a profound story underneath all the sillness, lets you sing and dance whenever you want just for the sake of self-expression, AND uses Steam achievements in one of the most unique and brilliantly meta ways I've ever seen. Truly just a great time.

One of my favorite games. I really love this story.

I don't remember everything about it, it's been a minute, but the idea is that one person has been chosen as the hero by Eya (the goddess), but it's not you. However, your character decides to take it into their own hands anyways, for reasons that are clear when you play. I think that's pretty cool. Your character is also pretty loveable imo, if occasionally unaware, and their progression with Miriam is pretty nice.

Of course, music is a big part of this game, and I think it's done well. The soundtrack is about 4 hours long I think, and it's pretty good! There are a few standouts that I still listen to, and it serves the game well. Music is also incorporated into the game well, with the Bard's singing mechanic (and the way it affects the environment) alongside their bubbly personality making the game feel very lively.

The characters you meet and the bard's relationships with them are very fun, and the adventure overall is very charming with a really interesting story that has some darker moments to tie it together. It could be seen as cheesy or corny, but I love it and definitely recommend it if this seems interesting.

(Also love the dance button)