Wandersong reviews

Wandersong is about spreading happiness and love and getting to see the best side of people (and animals, and monsters) whenever possible. The main character ("the bard") isn't a hero, but just someone who wants to make people's lives better mostly through the use of music -- and, hey, maybe saving the world, since this might make people happier too. Actually, the game makes a point that "heroes" aren't always the nicest people, or whom you should strive to be. The game is infused with cuteness and uplifting moments, but it is not a sugar fest -- there are negative events, there is war, there is decay and maybe the impending end of the world. The most important characters are full of self doubt and fear of not-fitting, so the game seems to imply that these are common and natural feelings, and what matters is what you make of them. But the bard reacts to all of it always expecting (naively?) the best of others, and it works. Gameplay has two "modes" -- walking around town, talking to tons of people and solving light quests; and a few more "platformy" sections, almost all based on some music mechanic, but all of them sharing the same control (right joystick to select 1 out of 8 possible notes). Though most of the music mechanics have to be figured out as the game goes, absolutely no music knowledge is necessary, everything can be solved by experimentation and observation of how the surroundings react to your moves. Death is never a problem -- when it happens, you restart almost instantly pretty much right before you died. I also loved how often the game twists videogame expectations -- you may or may not be "The Hero"; you cannot even handle a sword; you are not supposed to kill all bad monsters in sight; sometimes your actions do not produce the expected results; and a few other clichés (even achievements!) are subverted like this. All in all, if you spend your time to know the vast character ensemble, this is a 10-12h game which is sure to inject a hopeful smile into your heart. Score: 88/100.