After suffering a delay to next year, Ivy Road’s cozy narrative title Wanderstop is confirmed to launch March 11th, 2025, for PS5 and PC. Helmed by The Stanley Parable creator Davey Wreden, it focuses on Alta, a former championship fighter who manages a tea shop.
Players will gather tea ingredients and mix them to serve customers who share their stories while unwinding. You can also decorate the shop and keep it clean, but there’s an unknown power to it all, one that seemingly won’t embrace Alta. The latter isn’t too keen on her new role either, but there’s more to her story than meets the eye.
In a press release, Wreden said that Wanderstop’s gameplay was “borne out from a lot of inner stress I was experiencing, and the coziness turned out to be an interesting creative restraint as I thought more about a character struggling with hopelessness.
“Healing from burnout and finding inner calm is a difficult messy process. My hope is that Alta’s story can help players reflect on their own paths and find some glimmer of hope and rest that everyone needs more of in their lives.”
It’s a strong premise and based on the trailer, Wanderstop could provide a narrative we’ve yet to see in cozy games. Published by Annapurna Interactive, it also involves developers like Gone Home co-creator Karla Zimonja and Minecraft composer Daniel “C418” Rosenfield. Stay tuned for more details and gameplay before its release.