Wandersong is a “musical adventure game” about a bard going around and trying to solve
problems by flipping standard video game conventions on their head and using singing, not fighting
or violence, to do this.
Many times throughout the game, Wandersong pokes fun at this idea such as at the start
by offering the player a sword in a dream.
While spinning the sword around, it’s quickly clear that violence is not meant for the bard
and that he will have to solve problems in a different way.
During this dream encounter, a messenger lets you know the world, heck even the whole universe,
is ending to pave the way for a new one, but there is a chance to save existence by finding
out the EARTH SONG and singing it to the goddess Eya.
But this Earth Song isn’t in one piece, a part of the Earth Song has to be discovered
in each act from that area’s OVERSEER.
And to get to that act’s OVERSEER, you have to find a song first, usually by solving a
problem of act’s town.
While that formula SOUNDS simple, the length and complexity of each act grows as the game
progresses, and each with its own unique twists.
For such a happy looking game, the threat of the end of the universe add depth and weight
to the STORY.
At a glance, you might think or assume Wandersong with its music note wheel requires memorization
of songs and perfect timing but it is not about those things!
Notes are shown and repeated for you in long sequences, and other times when you have to
copy a pattern, it’s only three notes.
Using the note wheel is done with the right analog stick and the game is surprisingly
forgiving when going between notes to smear over ones in the middle.
Yes, you can be musically and rhythm challenged like myself and get by just fine as timing
when repeating notes never felt too finicky.
Overall it’s up to your liking to try to make the music sound good as the game doesn’t
really punish you for that.
And each act uses the singing mechanic in at least one new way, especially for platforming!
Opposed to levelling up a character and gaining new abilities, the Bard interacts with the
world in a context sensitive way primarily.
Considering how this isn’t a rhythm game, what happens when you make a mistake?
If it’s repeating a tune, the game simply repeats it and waits for you to figure it
out before moving on.
There’s no penalty.
If it’s a platforming section, falling to your demise results in a quick nearby respawn
almost always right at the spot where the challenge was, meaning there’s very little
that has to be redone.
Sometimes hitting the gap between the sound wheel can cause a miscue, but with the quick
respawn it’s never a big issue.
Also, I’ll add that as soon as I thought “Is this game too easy?” the game presented
me immediately with a tough platforming section.
Touché Wandersong.
The game may look simple in a screenshot but the presentation in motion can be wonderous
- flowers, animals, trees, all react to music.
Also, there’s a ridiculous amount of characters in this game.
Every person (with a key exception) moves to a beat….No that’s not a/I wish that
was a key pun The camera work for shifting in and out for scale is exceptional.
And the cardboard style leads to some fantastic animation sequences later on.
During the game, I never came across any tough points where I was stuck for too long.
Perhaps the lack of figuring things out is simply to the game doing a good job of teaching
the basics without me knowing it!
And from good cues such as the extra oomph when you hit the correct note.
Most puzzles were straightforward, or the game had enough subtle reminders that I wouldn’t
get off track and forget what to do.
One downside of this is it had few “aha, I figured it out!”
moments - aside from one where I had to go a certain way to get to a character.
One thing that I found funny is that so many puzzles involve the music wheel that I was
thrown off on one that required jumping to the beat instead.
However, going back and playing again I noticed in chapter two there’s a moment where the
messenger gives a choice to let me figure out something myself, or to request a solid
hint.
Choices like these add to some replay value of the game, and some may include funny sequences
you might have missed on the first go around.
As the game progresses, everything ESCALATES, and each act grows in size and complexity
- there’s always something new, and for the most part memorable!
The PACING changes through the emotions displayed by the Bard via his tune and expressions,
and the colour of the setting he’s in.
While the Bard is happy at first, showing him vulnerable and sad at times also makes
him a more relatable character, at least as potentially relatable to a guy who goes singing
around the world can be.
Usually NPCs have at least 3 different things to say to you at each point of the game, adding
to their backstory and making the game’s world a more complete place full of believable
inhabitants.
Some characters come back later but each new act featured loads, sometimes boatloads, of
new characters all the time.
And not only did I find the dialog funny, about as addictive to go through as cutting
every blade of grass in a Zelda game.
The way characters interact with each other often is full of amusing and charming moments,
and even with how the Bard interacts with the environment and “hazards.”
There is dancing in the game but I never figured out if dancing actually unlocked any secrets.
It’s just something that’s there that adds to the Bard’s character and lets you
move around the game in your own way
Rare occasional things that probably weren’t intended detracted me from the game slightly
were mostly from a presentation standpoint and to be clear nothing major.
Things like falling behind scenery as a cutscene started and it wasn’t clear if that was
supposed to happen, or knowing that a platform is there because I revealed it through singing
but a NPC stops me and says he has to reveal the platform.
These weren’t game breaking, but they only slightly removed me from the experience when
they happened.
Normally I play games that are more mechanics-focused, but Wandersong’s highlight was really the
story.
Granted, there were a lot of smart design choices that made going for the end of that
story a joy.
Plus each act featured funny moments along with new twists on gameplay and platforming
with the music wheel mechanic.
After the adventure was over, I loved Wandersong, as it was a mostly relaxing game full of details
that had me smiling and laughing throughout.
And the bard’s growth during the adventure contained good life lessons about attitude
that perhaps I wish I knew clearer when I was younger.
What do you think about Wandersong?
Let us know in the comments below.
And stay tuned to GameXplain for more indies on Switch and other things gaming too.