When I saw Wandersong as a game suggestion for me and that it was on sale I was intrigued because the description called it a musical puzzle adventure. I bought the game and I started playing. Wandersong has a cute introduction where you play as a character simply called The Bard. The premise is that the world is ending and Bard must get pieces of the Earthsong, a song that can be sung to preserve the world from creatures known as Overseers.
This starts you on your adventure with a mini tutorial on how the game mechanics work. Wandersong's gameplay feels like a mix of the old school game Simon, a platformer, and puzzles. You have a color wheel and you need to follow the color patterns so that Bard can sing the songs. Sometimes you need to sing patterns to fight enemies while at other times you need to follow the pattern to solve puzzles.
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| Match the colors on the wheel to sing and fight enemies. |
There are points in the game where some places may seem out of reach. This is where Bard's singing really comes in. There are animals in the game that can help Bard in his adventure such as little birds. They will sing a specific pattern and when you match the pattern they can help you jump higher to reach those super high ledges. There are all sorts of areas like this where there different animals that help Bard during his adventure. It adds to the whimsy and colorful world of Wandersong.
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| The bird sings the pattern for Bard. |
Wandersong is a side scrolling game so it's fairly straightforward in where to go. Sometimes I would miss jumps which could be a little frustrating, but the game is pretty forgiving and lets you try again until you get it. The different areas are unique with a variety of interesting characters, funny puns, and of course a lot of great music and songs. There are a ton of puzzles to figure out as well. Some puzzles are easy to figure out, while others take a bit of patience and time.
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| Bard gets help from animal friends to jump to higher areas. |
When Bard meets with the assistants to the overseers the meetings are funny and yet rather endearing because Bard is sincere and genuinely wants to help everyone. Each overseer has their own personality and their own reason for doing things. The dialogue between Bard and the people he meets is very well done because it shows how kind Bard is and adds a sense of hope throughout his adventure.
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| Bard meets a cute and punny assistant to an overseer. |
Wandersong is more than just singing and whimsy. There is an incredible depth to it that focuses on the importance of being yourself, caring about others, and understanding that sometimes it's okay to be sad if that's how you feel. Bard is a character that travels the world with a sense of naivete that is refreshing and becomes a little more nuanced as you see him grow as a person during his adventure. I had my favorite moments of course, one of them being Bard traveling and making friends with coffee pirates.
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| Bard sings songs with the coffee pirates. |
The controls for Wandersong are pretty forgiving. I am not the best at games. I play to have fun so there were times where I would miss a pattern or miss a jump. That's the great thing about Wandersong. It doesn't punish you if you mess up. It allows you to try again until you get it; no game overs here. There were times where I would feel a little frustrated with a puzzle, but I would keep at it and once I solved a particularly challenging puzzle I felt pretty elated.
The thing that really stands about Wandersong is all the characters and their interactions especially between Bard and Miriam. Where Bard is happy and wants to help, Miriam is grumpy and just wants to get things done without people. There is a balance between the two and as their adventure continues you see them start to change and grow. Bard accepts that sometimes there isn't a clear solution and that it's okay to fail, but you get up and try again. Miriam starts to understand that doing everything by yourself can get pretty lonely and sometimes it's alright to ask for help and let people in.
Wandersong is a delightful whimsical puzzle adventure, but it's also something more. It creates a colorful world full of fantastic worlds, music, and wonderful characters. It also explores the range of all our emotions while showing that we are more powerful when we all work together. That makes Wandersong a truly charming and great game.
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| Bard and Miriam ride off into the sunset. |
*Wandersong is available to play on the following platforms: PC, Playstation 4, and Nintendo Switch
