Wander Stars

Plenty of games have been chasing the fuzzy VHS aesthetic in recent years, with animation and gameplay centred around the look and feel of the analogue era, but interestingly these always seem to lean into horror. There’s plenty of weight behind why this has been done (enough to write a half-hour video essay on, as Hbomberguy can attest.) But where Stories Untold and Blair Witch thrive on fuzzy visuals and outdated technology for atmosphere, Wanderstars instead brings out the brighter side of the analogue to present a new and inventive turn-based RPG.

Built with a passion for the 80s and 90s, Wanderstars uses its visual design to mirror the years of watching Cowboy Bebop, playing Dragon’s Lair and presumably trying not to cry at Pokemon: The First Movie – a task many of us failed at. Characters are all given a slightly muted palette and express themselves in flagrant, over-the-top ways that lean so spectacularly into a nostalgic feeling while maintaining a consistent air of modernity in smooth gameplay and controls. I’m pleased to report there is also an obligatory Akira slide in the first chapter, just in case you were wondering.

The game is separated in an episodic style, with each chapter segmented into acts by different map screens – it feels reminiscent of the maps often found in a roguelike, where each node correlates to something different – an event, an item, a fight or even just some dialogue – but every node can be traversed over multiple times, meaning you won’t generally be able to miss anything in each act.

Dotted throughout the world are different types of encounters, with combat making up a large portion of these – though many of them will be built around dialogue or interactive events, you will soon learn the ins and outs of the Wanderstars combat system with every new enemy – there is a short and snappy tutorial to introduce you to the basics, but there is also an element of trial and error.

Denoted by the various words you’ll collect as you go, fights usually require you to choose a verb such as “jab”, “block” or “kick” to perform the relevant action, each offering their own combat action. In addition to this, you can also use additional word slots on each turn to modify your action using both adjectives and modifying verbs to change how the action takes place – a “fast fire kick” will do a set amount of damage but will also inflict extra damage to opponents with a fire weakness, as well as reducing the cooldown of words used.

Interestingly this system gives plenty of room to approach each battle, with multiple actions possible in each turn allowing you to stack up damage and prevent incoming attacks in one fell swoop, but it’s also important to remember that cooldowns are persistent between bouts, meaning you shouldn’t go in all guns blazing at every opportunity.

In lieu of a conventional mana-based system, cooldowns and word slots mark the limitations of what you can do – as is always the case, this can easily be supplemented with consumable items, but make sure you use these cautiously, as you can never say for certain when another will appear. If you aren’t prepared, it’s entirely possible to reach a difficult fight on the back foot, but thankfully the game doesn’t feature too drastic of a difficulty curve, instead remaining accessible enough to players who simply want to experience the story.

Outside of fights themselves, you can easily swap and change your available words between each encounter, giving players the chance to save stronger abilities for more difficult fights, but victory isn’t always the best option. Each enemy has a limited health pool, but in addition to simply knocking out opponents, you are taught to try and bring their health to within a certain range without beating them entirely, allowing you to end the fight passively and receive a new buff called a “pep-up”, giving you access to new words and modifying your encounters in unique ways.

The first thing that may come to mind when looking through all of this is the sheer volume of things to learn – between multiple interlocking systems and a story that places mystery entirely at its core, it’s easy to get confused at the outset, particularly where early encounters may feel trivial. Being told that you will need to stack up abilities and learn the different synergies between your words can feel somewhat overwhelming, but it’s worth pushing through that initial concern, as there is a deeply enjoyable experience presented through an episodic journey.

One of the biggest issues Wanderstars seems to have is in its balance between gameplay and busywork; although the game has a great story and some interesting fights littered throughout, traversing the map and taking part in these battles between the more meaningful boss fights can become tedious. With only a few types of enemies in each area, you’ll soon find yourself mindlessly skipping exploration in favour of gunning it to the next major objective – I wish I could feel engaged in every part of the game, but there’s only so many times I can punch a crab before I’m experiencing crustacean frustration.

In spite of the game sometimes growing stale as you progress through chapters, Wanderstars still remains an excellent experience both in its narrative prowess and delightful animation and a combat system that feels engaging to use – it would be even better to see more animation using the game’s signature style, but at least I can still watch Ranma ½ to get my fix.