Developed by Paper Castle Games, and Published by Fellow Traveller, Wander Stars is an Anime style turn based fighter where combining words creates custom attacks.
We join Ringo, a young martial artist Trained in the ways of Kiai, a magical form of martial art which happens to be the universe’s most exciting form of televised entertainment. As she travels the world she encounters a cast of characters, friends and enemies alike, and must do battle on her way to becoming a Kiai master.
As turn based, deckbuilding games go, Wander Stars is by no means unique, but it’s anime style and quirky characters make for a fun experience. You set out on a shopping trip for your Grandmother, who is also you’re master, and along the way you meet Wolfe, a mysterious scoundrel running from his past, you join forces in an attempt to collect the pieces of the fabled Wanderstar Map, Ringo’s lost brother and the answers to Wolfe’s mysterious past.
The turn based battles require you to craft attacks from a pool of words, as you put together verbs, nouns, and modifiers like “Fire Punch” or “Mega Kick” to diminish your opponents HP until you are victorious. Early on you can experiment with combos, and earn new words through exploration of the world and through the interesting “Peace” system, a mechanic that allows you to bow out of a fight before delivering the finishing blow and leaving your opponent with their honer intact, earning you respect and bonuses.
There are over 200 words to collect with 10-15 hours of game-play spanning over 10 episodes, and although the many combos make for potential reaplayability, I found the novelty starting to wear off as it all became a bit repetitive.
Wander Stars real charm comes from it’s visuals, with vibrant hand drawn worlds and character design, and an anime style that is inspired by the anime the developers grew up watching in 1990’s Venezuela. It is bold and really pops through the pixel art style. Although there is no voice acting, which might have been a nice addition, the on screen text is fun and whimsical, and if you’re familiar with anime, you can hear each characters voice in your head as they interact.
The chiptune infused soundtrack is catchy and when starting a new game you are given the option between a classic and modern soundtrack.
There’s nothing ground-breaking here, but it’s inventive wordy combat makes it interesting, and if you’re new to the genre this is a fun place to start. In a sea of pixel-art indie games that are looking to cash in on those retro vibes, it at least makes the effort to stand out.
Wander Stars is available on Steam for £20.99.
