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It’s a painful journey through a safe and inviting space that asks you not just to rest, but to really do the work of unpacking what brought you to rock bottom in the first place.

"I am hoping very much that you are able to complete everything which is in your power to do so." That’s another one of Boro’s lines. And it hit me after finishing my gameplay just as hard as the first time I heard it.

Some mushrooms change the color of the fruit, others alter the size in ways that are just slightly off, experimentation is key. But all mushrooms, when added to tea, make our concoction taste a bit more earthy.

The proper garden we have is small, but planting seeds to grow fruits for tea can be made anywhere. The planting mechanic is interesting—it’s not just about throwing seeds in the ground and waiting.

With each new cup of tea she drinks, you’ll also learn about her past and how she reacts to strange new sensations, with every sip bringing you closer to understanding why Elevada is the way she is.

While the lack of a definitive ending might frustrate some, the journey itself is undeniably worth it. And for those who love introspective storytelling, the game is absolutely worth the price of admission. Would I have liked just a bit more content? More resolution? A reason to revisit past chapters? Absolutely. But even as it stands, Wanderstop delivers an experience that lingers, making it well worth its cost for those willing to embrace what it has to offer.

The field book outlines the patterns you need to sow your seeds so that “plant eggs” will form, with different combinations of seed colors (blue, pink, green, and yellow) causing different plants to emerge. Once you’ve discovered a new type of plant by growing it, you can use your field guide to read up on the unique tastes and even strange effects each fruit has when brewed in tea.

Boro is the perfect counterpart for Elevada because he grounds her during the changes in the game. Wanderstop doesn’t hold your hand and tell you everything will be okay.

The game offers you quiet pockets of peace with pelo objective – yes, for Elevada, but also for you. It's beautifully told, avoiding any moral sledgehammering or definitive statements, it slowly unfolds a portrait of a person many of us can relate to Wanderstop Gameplay and gives us time to digest each layer.

Ivy Road has done an incredible job of showing what it’s like to live with this specific mental struggle without ever putting a label on it.

At first, it’s subtle. The way she pushes herself even when there’s nothing left to push. The way she clings to routine, to structure, to doing something at all times, even when the tea shop demands nothing of her. The way open-ended conversations with NPCs left me with this unsettling "wait, it’s not done yet" sensation—mirroring the exact same restlessness that keeps Elevada moving, keeps her needing to push forward, even when she’s supposed to be resting, because if she stops, if she doesn’t finish this, whatever it is… something bad is going to happen.

Unfortunately, Alta's quest is cut short by her sudden inability to lift her sword. She collapses in the woods, and awakens outside an unassuming little tea shop called Wanderstop.

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