The work week is winding down. If you’re looking for games to play, here are some titles I’ve enjoyed lately that you might, too—just in time for the weekend.
Wanderstop
Wanderstop is advertised as a cozy farm sim, which I suppose it is, but only barely. The raising and harvesting of plants, the making and serving of tea—those are important to the story but ultimately small components of the whole. In my Experience-In-Progress about Wanderstop, I talked about how the game’s association with Davey Wreden (The Stanley Parable, The Beginner’s Guide) probably worked against it. Wanderstop is nothing like Wreden’s previous works.
The truth is Wanderstop is a narrative-driven, introspective exploration of burnout, imposter syndrome, and identity. The fun is in meeting with and learning about the various vagabond visitors to the Wanderstop, a tea shop for the lost located somewhere in the middle of a magical woods. The writing is excellent, the setting is delightful, the characters are wonderful.
FUMES DEMO
I’ve seen lots of people compare this game to Twisted Metal and Interstate76. You know what they aren’t comparing it to? Quake Rally, an ambitious mod project from the Stone Age that tore the OG Quake engine apart and built it back up into a racing game with guns and rockets. Then, when I actually got the chance to play the demo, it also felt a lot like Quake Rally.
Now, if you’ve played Quake Rally, you know that’s the highest of praise. In fact, you’re already gone; you’re in Steam downloading the demo for FUMES at this very moment. The rest of you I direct to this video of the mod for a little culture.
HASTE: Broken Worlds DEMO
HASTE is 3D roguelite Excitebike. The idea is that you’re constantly racing to stay one step ahead of an all-consuming world disease that’s metastasizing like the Tatari-gami curse in Princess Mononoke. You maintain your speed by hitting your landings as perfectly as possible, occasionally hopping on your hoverboard for a bit of a boost when needed.
The gameplay feels great, though the procedurally generated stages sometimes have trouble showing you where you need to go. It’s also one of the best looking indie games I’ve seen in a long time—Jet Set Radio, Adventure-era Sonic, even some Space Channel 5 are in its visual DNA. Play the demo.