Normally I’m a coffee girl, but this looks too good to pass up
Wanderstop comes to us from Ivy Road, a studio that boasts the creator of The Stanley Parable, Minecraft’s most well-known musician, and a co-founder of Fullbright (Gone Home, Tacoma).
The studio was first revealed at the Annapurna Showcase in 2021, where the publisher announced that it would publish Ivy Road’s debut title and teased that ‘tea’ would be a significant theme.
Wanderstop is a narrative-centric cozy game about change and tea. 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.
Wanderstop was officially announced at Summer Game Fest in 2024, and in early December, the team confirmed a release date of March 11, 2025.
I’m finding this one unique because you DON’T want to be here. In games like Stardew and Traveller’s Rest, you want to be where you are, meaning you WANT that life. Alta doesn’t: She wants nothing to do with the calm, cozy life promised in the muted pastel tones of Wanderstop, so I’m excited to watch and play through her progress and see how her character changes.
Ivy Road Communications Director Jenny Windom noted in a PlayStation Blog post announcing the March release date that Creative Director Davey Wrenden’s experience with burnout inspired the early idea behind Wanderstop.
“Years ago, he [Davey] wrote and directed two games – The Stanley Parable and The Beginner’s Guide – and after finishing those games, he felt incredibly burnt out. In the hopes of bringing some balance to his life, and to inspire a healthier work/life balance, he started to explore making a cozy game. As he progressed, he discovered that playing cozy games can provide lots of relaxation – making them still contain the stresses and challenges that all game development holds.”
(Wanderstop releases on March 11, 2025 – check out the game on Steam // PlayStation 5)