Wanderlust: Rebirth

Being a long standing fan of RPGs and adventure games, I realize that there is a bit of expectation curbing necessary for enjoyment. Thus, when approaching any game within these genres, I search for a shining treasure among one of three basic stems: personality, game-play, and storytelling. Each of these foundations branch and overlap with one another fairly regularly; for instance portions of all three affect the over all tone of an experience. Seeing the Yeti Trunk production, Wanderlust: Rebirth some time ago, and hearing of its fairly complex system of crafting and role advancement, I kept my eye on it. After its release, I immediately purchased the game and dove headlong into the team based, role playing experience. However, regardless of how much I wanted to like the game, I was sadly disappointed.

In terms of personality, Wanderlust established a since of humor and light-heartedness early on that certainly added to my ability to look past the game’s flaws - for a while. This sort of whimsy would have lent some extra support to the game’s tone, had it been presented more regularly and purposefully. I would not suggesting that the game rely on humor and quirkiness to stay afloat; but, the few attempts given were so timid and half-felt - save a few spots - that they might as well not have been there. Most of Wanderlust’s charm derives from the 16-bit visuals and sound. The portrait of the world has a sort of simple lavish with an unabashedly nostalgic polish, that refreshed images of my youth playing NES and PS1 adventure games. Colored with a chiming, and spastic at times, musical score very reminiscent of older Final Fantasy titles, the world of Wanderlust: Rebirth feels inarguably beautiful.

Combat competently extends itself from the poorly implemented - and rather arbitrary feeling at times - leveling system. Role progression, simply put, is a point distribution system. Points are allotted based on how successfully players complete levels - taking several variables into consideration such as the number of deaths, enemies defeated, and, by the looks of it, amount of exploration done (as well as others I was less keen on). These points vary between one and one hundred, so players can finish a section of the game and receive fifty four points to spend toward level-ups. The different traits and abilities purchased in this process also require differing amounts of the allotted points to further, require more points with each level, and in certain cases require other abilities to reach a certain stage to unlock. All of which is surprisingly and refreshingly complex, if poorly actualized. The points themselves feel entirely weightless. A more simplified system of numbering might have made the “fifty four out of one-hundred” feel a tad less fruitless. That said, players are able to mildly shape the way characters play through the ability tree, lending to a slightly more personal role-playing experience. Alchemists have a hand-full of different go-to tonics, Mages a few different spells, and so on. Players are given the option of various specializations for combating foes in the wild: deciding rather to doll out all of their points toward fire, poison, ice, or what-have-you to fill their arsenal. The technique isn’t something that casual players will find outside of their grasp; but, certainly isn’t going to excite lovers of the genre. Game-play is as I formerly mentioned - competent.

Story-telling, while it can have a vast impact on the tone and enjoyability of a title, is not something all video games have in common. Not in the sense that all stories are diverse, and as thus are difficult to make qualifying comparisons between the approaches of different games. Some games, from the beginning of the industry, just do not have a story. It is absolutely possible for a release to thrive with little to no narrative by anchoring the world, game-play or personality with enough weight to compensate; Wanderlust’s attempt at a bullet-point overview did not suffice, however. Linking the motivation for the characters’ journey behind slightly obscured and cliched plot points is undeniably a valid method of keeping a world cohesive, without taking the extended leaps needed to fabricate a fiction. In fact, with the nostalgic tone of Wanderlust: Rebirth, that sort of foundation supports the game’s endeavor - which was to give players an older-styled experience while utilizing a fairly progressive crafting and modification system. The other gears turning in Wanderlust simply were not oiled and polished well enough to support their fueling ambition.

Available through Steam at ten dollars a single copy, or thirty for four to share, Wanderlust can be singularly enjoyed with an automated party or journeyed with friends. Featuring an refreshingly ambitious crafting and leveling system, fairly simplified combat and a beautiful world right from our favorite childhood NES memories, Wanderlust: Rebirth is worth playing. It wont blow you away at all; but, if you’re a fan of the genre, you’ll have some fun.

- Doug Comstock