Wander – New Form & Release Date

Wander will be one of the most unique games released in 2015 – the focus is on traversal, exploration and discovery of a world that opens up to players as they realize they can transform into fantastical creatures. This could be the premise to an open-world action adventure game or intense side scrolling platformer…but the catch with Wander is that there is no combat, no competition and no fail state.

Wander will release simultaneously in Europe, Asia and America for Steam and PS4 on June 4. The coordinated launch strategy ties perfectly into one of the core systems of Wander, a lack of voice chat and traditional MMORPG communication tools. Instead, players will speak to one another in Rozhda (the language indigenous to the inhabitants in Wander). Players will start with a few simple phrases, but by discovering additional glyphs will enhance their vocabulary. This means that Wander will be a global community because there will be no real-world ties for players to lean on in the digital world.

In anticipation of the release next week, the studio released a trailer which provides players with the first look at the humanoid Hira. The Hira is a jack-of-all-trades class, able to swim, glide and run through the diverse lands. The Hira is unique in their ability to ride other forms within Wander such as the Griffin.

During an interview, developer Loki Davison, called out that many of the trophies/achievements within Wander are tied to unique feats such as skydiving from the back of one griffin to another. This is one of the examples of how Wander encourages player interaction, but it never is a requirement to see the entire game.

Wander is an ambitious title that looks to set itself apart from the combat focused genres that dominate the industry today. Players who constantly say there are no new ideas or the market is saturated with sequels should check out Wander when it releases on June 4.

Level Up, Friends!