After a decade of experimentation and subsequent burnout, indie game developer Davey Wreden is back with a new game, Wanderstop, a tea-making fantasy game that dials back the impish impulses that defined his earlier works. Wreden, known for his metafictional hits The Stanley Parable and The Beginner's Guide, has taken a more emotionally upfront approach with Wanderstop, which takes place in an almost impossibly quaint forest clearing where players must make tea while tending to their recovery.

Wanderstop is part cozy farming simulator, part narrative adventure, and marks a significant departure from Wreden's previous games, which were known for their trippy, metafictional elements. According to Wreden, he wanted to create a game that focused on "existing in the moment" and was partly a reaction to the intense burnout he suffered after the release of his first two games. "I struggle so much with this unrelenting feeling of needing to go forward and make progress," Wreden says. "What does it look like to just exist in a place? Is that a thing that a person who has historically lived in such an almost vicious way, in constant pursuit of one thing or another, [is] capable of doing?"

Wreden's journey to create Wanderstop was a demanding marathon, made no easier by the game's wholesome sensibilities. Ironically, Wreden may be even more burned out now than when he started working on it. His journey is a lot like Alta's, the game's protagonist: no amount of soothing rituals is a replacement for dealing with your personal demons. "I had this belief that if I put enough of myself in my work, then I would feel free of this ugliness inside of me," Wreden says. "What I found is that the game just ended up being a mirror. It never trapped anything. It just showed me that the ugliness has been there all along."

Wanderstop's development was influenced by Wreden's own experiences and inspirations, including Alison Bechdel's 2006 graphic novel Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic, which he says he "absorbed into [his] soul." The game's focus on emotional sincerity and inner peace is a departure from Wreden's earlier works, which were known for their attention-seeking and provocative elements. According to Wreden, he no longer cares about getting attention, and instead wants to focus on creating games that are true to himself.

Wanderstop launches on March 11th on the PS5, Xbox, and PC, and is a significant departure from Wreden's earlier games. While it may not be as genre-bending or mind-blowing as his previous works, Wanderstop is a game that is unapologetically sincere and emotionally upfront, and marks a new direction for Wreden as a game developer.

As the gaming industry continues to evolve, Wanderstop is a game that challenges traditional notions of what a game should be. It is a game that is not afraid to be quiet, to be calm, and to focus on the simple things in life. In a world where games are often about grand, explosive experiences, Wanderstop is a breath of fresh air, and a testament to Wreden's growth as a game developer.