Sights & Sounds
- Very simplistic, stylized art style. Fortunately, there's enough polish on the visuals that the simplicity doesn't evoke a early 00s Flash game
- The color palette really struck me. The colors are often soft and muted, but dont go full pastel
- Being a game about music, you'd probably be disappointed if the soundtrack sucked. Fortunately, it's quite good. The fantasy-infused classical sounding tracks are all pretty good--particularly the ones involved in the rhythm game sections
Story & Vibes
- The plot starts off like most other fantasy games: The world is ending, and someone should probably do something about it. Unfortunately, you're not the hero. You're just a bard. In fact, the actual hero of the story is working with the gods to help "refresh" the universe and start anew
- That still sounds like a raw deal to the bard, so you set about trying to stop it anyway
- The game often plays up the fact that you're not the hero. That fact is infused in both the story (the bard often questions his actions and wonders if he's doing the right thing) to the gameplay (most achievements are earned by the hero doing stuff instead of you)
- I like the fact that the game's message essentially boils down to this: You're not important, and you're definitely not the main character. But your actions and motivations do matter, and you can use them to do amazing things anyway
- And so, in spite of all the light-hearted visuals, the heavy dose of clean humor, and the overall innocence of the narrative, the vibes wind up being a little pensive and thoughtful. If you really buy into the story, you'll be thinking a lot about your purpose and place in the world
Playability & Replayability
- Given your lowly bard status, don't expect a lot of combat. Your role is more conducive to talking to folks and solving puzzles. At it's core, Wandersong plays like an adventure game with minimal puzzle and platforming elements
- Fortunately, most of the problems you encounter can be solved by singing. Although the 8 different notes you can sing are often the basis for solving puzzles, they do factor in as rhythm game elements at key points as you collect the parts of the song that will stop the apocalypse
- You do wind up briefly playing as the hero, and that segment is more of a straightforward action platformer
- I managed to 100% the game (not a difficult feat), so I probably won't be back for a replay anytime soon
Overall Impressions & Performance
- It's a cute game with a surprisingly good story and a meaningful message. It's not the most thought-provoking game, and there's very little action, but there's still a lot to like here for those wishing for a laid-back story-focused game
- The game played perfectly on the Steam Deck
Final Verdict
- 7/10. Definitely worth picking up for anyone wanting a cozy story game with a few laughs and some nice music. Clocks in at around 10 hours, so name your price and toss it on your wishlist with confidence if that sounds appealing
- Very simplistic, stylized art style. Fortunately, there's enough polish on the visuals that the simplicity doesn't evoke a early 00s Flash game
- The color palette really struck me. The colors are often soft and muted, but dont go full pastel
- Being a game about music, you'd probably be disappointed if the soundtrack sucked. Fortunately, it's quite good. The fantasy-infused classical sounding tracks are all pretty good--particularly the ones involved in the rhythm game sections
Story & Vibes
- The plot starts off like most other fantasy games: The world is ending, and someone should probably do something about it. Unfortunately, you're not the hero. You're just a bard. In fact, the actual hero of the story is working with the gods to help "refresh" the universe and start anew
- That still sounds like a raw deal to the bard, so you set about trying to stop it anyway
- The game often plays up the fact that you're not the hero. That fact is infused in both the story (the bard often questions his actions and wonders if he's doing the right thing) to the gameplay (most achievements are earned by the hero doing stuff instead of you)
- I like the fact that the game's message essentially boils down to this: You're not important, and you're definitely not the main character. But your actions and motivations do matter, and you can use them to do amazing things anyway
- And so, in spite of all the light-hearted visuals, the heavy dose of clean humor, and the overall innocence of the narrative, the vibes wind up being a little pensive and thoughtful. If you really buy into the story, you'll be thinking a lot about your purpose and place in the world
Playability & Replayability
- Given your lowly bard status, don't expect a lot of combat. Your role is more conducive to talking to folks and solving puzzles. At it's core, Wandersong plays like an adventure game with minimal puzzle and platforming elements
- Fortunately, most of the problems you encounter can be solved by singing. Although the 8 different notes you can sing are often the basis for solving puzzles, they do factor in as rhythm game elements at key points as you collect the parts of the song that will stop the apocalypse
- You do wind up briefly playing as the hero, and that segment is more of a straightforward action platformer
- I managed to 100% the game (not a difficult feat), so I probably won't be back for a replay anytime soon
Overall Impressions & Performance
- It's a cute game with a surprisingly good story and a meaningful message. It's not the most thought-provoking game, and there's very little action, but there's still a lot to like here for those wishing for a laid-back story-focused game
- The game played perfectly on the Steam Deck
Final Verdict
- 7/10. Definitely worth picking up for anyone wanting a cozy story game with a few laughs and some nice music. Clocks in at around 10 hours, so name your price and toss it on your wishlist with confidence if that sounds appealing