This past Thursday, the studio Different Tales launched their debut title. Called Wanderlust: Travel Stories, the game is a mobile and PC game that brings something new to the table. Described as being a mix up of literature and gaming, Wanderlust is taking a much slower approach the video game storytelling.
Former Witcher developers Artur Ganszyniec (former lead story designer) and Jacek Brzeziński (former head of production) head up the studio behind Wanderlust. Gamesindustry.biz talked with the duo and gained a strong insight into the nature of the project.
What’s Wanderlust?
So, what is Wanderlust? It is, in its most simple form, a partnership between games and literature. The story revolves around the idea of several tales of traveling of varying length.
As told most clearly in the above-mentioned article:
“It’s about 12 hours long — ‘depending on how fast you read,’ says Ganszyniec — and contains around 300,000 words — ‘like the first and second Witcher combined.’ Most of the photos are from the developers’ own travels, or those of their friends, plus others sourced from journalists and stock photography. One story has even been written around the experiences of a team member who sailed to Antartica last year.”
This approach to development for the mobile market seems risky. How often do you get mobile experiences of this length? Is this the sort of work that would appeal to a wide audience? Well, Ganszyniec seems to think so, saying:
“[But] we’ve had a very good response from people who do not identify themselves as gamers. Like people who go to the theatre, go to opera, spend time on Netflix, and who like to read.”
What we can narrow this all down to is an experience that is reaching out to all people. Wanderlust is a game that blends the rich story-telling of a novel with the choices of a video game.
So, want to play a story set in Thailand? Want to engage in a short tale of a man traveling from Poland to Barcelona by train? You can pick the game up on mobile and PC now for $9.99.
Like the sound of Wanderlust? Think this approach to games is interesting? Let us know in the comments!
