Creators of Stanley Parable and Tacoma counter the surge of coffee-oriented games with a tea-inspired game, Wanderstop

While I admire coffee-themed games, I must confess that my personal preference is for tea, and it's somewhat disheartening when the beverage is sidelined in these games. Thankfully, the game developers at Ivy Road are rectifying this with their first creation, Wanderstop.

Announced at the Summer Game Fest this year, the development of Wanderstop is led by reputable names in game creation. Davey Wreden, best known for developing The Stanley Parable and The Beginner’s Guide, and Karla Zimonja, the mastermind behind Gone Home and Tacoma, are key figures in the project. Additionally, the music is created by Daniel 'C418' Rosenfeld, the famous Minecraft composer.

The game's protagonist is Alta, who longs to return to the excitement of the battle arena but is relegated to running a tea store in the core of a fantastical forest. While she may not initially appreciate her new life, she must learn to adapt by managing the store, growing and sourcing ingredients, and creating the perfect tea blend with her giant flask device. To keep the shop appealing, Alta also has to tidy up, decorate, and interact with customers while waiting for her tea to steep.

Although contentedness in this seemingly peaceful routine would be appealing, Alta is dissatisfied with her current path, as evident in the trailer. Her impatient and taciturn nature isn't suited to making idle talk with customers or patiently brewing tea.

How Alta will deal with these contrasting situations forms a crucial aspect of Wanderstop's overall narrative. At present, the specifics are rather limited, yet we eagerly anticipate discovering more about this game, slated to launch on PlayStation 5 and PC through Steam, in the final quarter of 2024.