Our top pick of the week: Wanderstop |
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With so many video games focused on busywork these days, it's refreshing to see a growing number of games taking a slower, cozier approach. And it's even more refreshing to see a game take that idea to the next level and have something to say about labor. Wanderstop is, on the surface, a game about managing a tea shop. You play a fighter named Alta who loses a battle and, in search of her way back to fighting again, ends up in a tea store serving the locals. It's got colorful graphics and cute animals, and it comes from a team of established names, being directed by Davey Wreden (The Stanley Parable), composed by Daniel Rosenfeld (Minecraft), and co-written by Karla Zimonja (Gone Home). But it's also a game about burnout. It's about questioning the type of work you do, and what you get out of it. (That it's published by Annapurna Interactive — a team that's been rebuilding after the majority of its staff walked out in protest — seems particularly on the nose, though the game started development years before that breakup happened.) "At first, Alta is desperate for labor — begging people to let her make them tea," writes Nicole Carpenter in Polygon's review. "But that attitude shifts with each cup of tea she makes as she grapples with her dark past, something she's long blocked out. Her new form of labor, the act of foraging for ingredients, growing essential fruits, and brewing tea to serve to others, is what's healing her; she's engaging in her community in a useful, thoughtful way. Her labor makes a difference not only for herself, but for others, too. Separated from an exploitative system, her work means something more." |
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Get a PlayStation 5 with Astro Bot for $399! Or $449 with a disc drive. Sony's bundling one of its best games and dropping the PS5 price at the same time. Available at PS Direct, Amazon, or Best Buy. "I've wished for an Astro Bot PS5 bundle since the game launched last year," writes Cameron Faulkner. "It's a phenomenal game, the winner of many game of the year awards (it ranked second in our list, losing only to Balatro), and it's great to see a bundle that recognizes the huge impact it made during 2024. Regardless of whether you want to dig into the game, these bundles are currently the most affordable entry points into the PlayStation 5." |
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- LISTEN: Chrono Trigger is 30, but its music hasn't aged a day.
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