Overview

Wanderer is a game all about the journey. As an unnamed, silent protagonist, the player simply guides their character through the world. The game is basically a nonlinear sandbox, with the player given the freedom to go wherever they want.

Core Mechanics

The player in Wanderer has to learn very few mechanics. Surviving is managed through drinking and eating, and camping is done via the tent system. Other minor mechanics like the map and the journal are only auxiliary to survival. Everything else that the player experiences is their perception of the world.Large amounts of scripted events and interactions between animals, the environment are available for the player to view. Everything from meteor storms to blizzards to forest fires has a chance to occur, and the player has to deal with them appropriately. Differently to typical sandbox or survival games, players do not have to mine or fight large amount of enemies or scavenge for tons of resources to build items. Players receive all of the items to survive, and they do not break or wear out. The intention of Wanderer is to give players a place to lay back and explore, that is not too tense or demanding, and provides rewards in the form of appreciation of beauty.

The World

Because the player spends so much time in the world, the world itself needs to be interesting. There are no other human characters within the world, so the player's interaction is limited to the environment and creatures within it. The game flows between lush forests and scorching deserts, with the player's only written objective being 'to wander'. Players have a small assortment of items, and are able to hunt animals for food and bottle water from a river. There are no extensive systems for house building, nor companions or 'levelling up'. The objective within the world of Wanderer is to wander. The game is intended to be a contemplative experience that allows players to relax, and the world facilitates that. The world shifts through seasons, with each biome changing to reflect both the current season and time. The fully implemented day/night cycle includes a system where players have to manage their temperature - they do this by lighting a fire. Depending on which biome they are in, different weather effects may occur. The system works via combination - if it rains in winter in the forest, it will snow rather than rain. If it rains in a different season, however, it may shower instead. The different combinations of weather effects present the problems players have to deal with. Players are able to pitch a small shelter, which has a height adjuster. This allows the player to stand under it to watch the rain or the sun set.

Players enjoy wonders like the Aurora in The Long Dark.