Wander Stars

For players who grew up loving '90s anime or those fascinated by experimental mechanics in RPGs, Wander Stars is worth experiencing. It may not fully deliver on the limitless potential of words, but when it hits, it feels as satisfying as the perfect sentence – or punch - landing exactly where it should.

Wander Stars is a truly creative turn-based title with a whole lot of heart.

You know how I said that Wander Stars feels like an old anime? I mean it, with everything that it entails. How many of those have had pacing issues, weird storytelling decisions, and so on? These old shows aren’t perfect, but that comes with trying new things and eventually finding their footing, and above everything else, Wander Stars feels like a truly earnest story. It looks and feels like it was made with love, by people who had a lot of fun with it, imperfections and all, and I love that. Many old anime shows are imperfect products of their time, but the imperfections make them memorable in a whole new way. Wander Stars feels a bit like that to me. It’s not an incredible game, but I enjoyed my time with it as much as I did watching my favourite shows, filler episodes and all. I was very much engrossed in the adventure of Ringo, Wolfe, Canela and Ax across the stars and if there’s ever a sequel, I know I will be there, hoping to encounter those wandering stars once again.

I love the combat, aesthetics, and banter between characters. I had an extremely rough time in the boss fights due to technical qualms. I tried pushing forward, but losing at an unplayable mess of a boss fight takes you back to the start of the chapter to do everything all over again—a loss of progress. After dealing with this, I gave up and am waiting for fixes. I suggest playing Wander Stars on Steam, because there is something so special here with this RPG teasing well-known anime tropes with a dark-skinned girl of colour lead–a rarity in the shounen genre. But for me, the unplayable mess it became has driven me away from the game’s Nintendo Switch version.

Wander Stars is a turn-based RPG that heavily pays homage to 80s/90s shonen anime, featuring a simple and charming story presented in an episodic format. Its combat is innovative and fun, based on strategic word combinations to perform attacks. Although the game is charismatic and the management of your word arsenal adds depth, the repetitiveness of the gameplay loop (walking and battling) can drag on during long sessions.

Wander Stars is a unique RPG title that allows players to craft their own attacks by mixing and matching words, creating an engaging and enjoyable battle experience with a nostalgic ‘90s anime vibe. With its anime episode-style storytelling and creative combat system, the game truly shines. It’s missing those vocal scream attacks that would make it a fulfilling anime experience.

All in all, Wander Stars is a good time for RPG fans and anyone nostalgic for older battle anime. I had fun with it and you probably will, too.

Wander Stars is a great reminder that episodic RPGs are a fantastic, if rare, thing. At no point does the game outstay its welcome across its ten episodes, and the writing and characters do a wonderful job of bringing players back. The battle system is interesting, though it ultimately plays a bit too safe, which is a shame given how playful the idea of using one’s words is.

Wander Stars does enough to earn a thumbs up. The combat system is great, easy to grasp, but with surprising depth. And the story bowls along at a good pace, keeping you playing.

Wander Stars is interesting and tells a Dragon Ball type of tale, especially considering its novel combat system that uses words to construct every action.