Wanderstop is not your normal cosy game. At least that appears to be the message dev Ivy Road is trying to get across.

While the gameplay will feature tea shop simulation elements, this is a narrative experience which focuses on protagonist Alta and her ability to adapt to change.

As the press materials reveal: “Playing as a fallen fighter named Alta, you’ll manage a tea shop within a magical forest and tend to the customers who pass through. But Alta does not want to be here. And if she gets her way, the tea shop will be nothing but a brief and painful memory.”

We suspect this is going to be a bit of a bait-and-switch.

The blurb continues: “In your downtime, you might tidy up around the clearing, decorate the shop in your style, or just sit on a bench with a cup of tea and listen to your own thoughts. Maybe doing nothing at all is okay. The shop demands patience, it rejects those who have come only in the pursuit of growth unchecked.

“And that’s why Alta can’t be here. It’s why she’ll never make it. This isn’t who she is. No, she’s a fighter! Why would anyone insist on turning the world’s greatest championship warrior into a docile shopkeeper?! With everything she’s capable of?? No no no, she won’t, she won’t do it… she can’t…”

Among all of the crop growing and tea making, expect a narrative-heavy experience which deals with Alta’s ability to come to terms with her situation. Will it be cosy? We’re going to say no, but we’ll find out for sure when the game releases on 11th March for PS5.

[source youtube.com]