Artur here, on behalf of the Wanderlust team. We've seen many new people starting the journey with our game in the past weeks. We're glad that you're with us. And since a lot of you have already finished the game, it's a good moment to ask: How did it go?

There are many unseen mechanics in Wanderlust: Travel Stories, and they all work to personalize every story to your decisions. Is your Henriette a tea or a coffee person? What is Martine’s favourite outfit? How close is Adília to her husband? Does Tomek like to read? All those small details change in the background to fit your play style.



And there are, of course, emotions. Small choices accumulate to deeper and more meaningful consequences. When a character is feeling happy or sad, tired or energized, this depends on your directions. And, in turn, emotions change the way they see the world.

In some cases there are as much as 9 different descriptions of a single scene, and you only see the one that reflects the current mood. The same street may seem either dangerously crowded or bustling with life.

Every journey is a sum of small choices, there are no big buttons to decide if the character will take away something positive out of their journey, or end up disappointed and disillusioned. Like in life, small things accumulate, many things stay in-between, never just black-or-white.



So, my question is...

HOW DID YOUR STORIES PLAY OUT?

Was your Tomek happy or sad? What your Adília decided when she reached Maputo? With whom did your Martine connect with the most--and why? We'll appreciate you sharing this information, because even within our team, we've had vastly different experiences.

I'd also like to ask you to consider nominating Wanderlust Travel Stories for The Steam Awards--we hope we fit the Outstanding Story-Rich Game Award category. You can nominate us here.

Take care!
Artur from Different Tales

Hey Wanderers!

We are back from Vilnius, Lithuania with the Baltic Sea Games Award for BEST GAME NARRATIVE! We’re delighted to have won it.

Wanderlust: Travel Stories was written by an ensemble of authors, and the tales themselves are quite unique and intimate, inspired by real journeys we’ve taken. We’ve always hoped that the players would also have a personal and meaningful experience with the game. This prize shows that our wish might very well come true.

We’d like to thank Baltic Game Industry, the founder of Baltic Sea Game Awards, for the recognition. It’s been fun and exciting to compete.

—The Wanderlust Team

Ahoy Wanderers!

For the past few weeks we've been busy working on what's become the New Beginnings Update, which is now available on Steam and other platforms. As the name suggests, it's about new start to the journey.

The essence of Wanderlust: Travel Stories is the connection between you and the characters you play as. We were thrilled to see this bond forming in so many of you. However, we've also noticed that there was some uncertainty regarding the player's place in the introduction to the game. That's why we've refreshed and revamped the opening.

The beginning now gives you a better idea of who you are and what role you play within the overarching story. This change is meant for everyone who’s about to take the first step in the adventure, so don’t feel pressured into restarting the game if you’re already halfway to Antarctica or Thailand. At this point you’re probably already comfortable in the shoes of Henrietta, Adilia, Tomek or Martine. You won’t miss anything crucial for the experience.

On top of that, we've fixed some minor issues with cloud saving and achievements, and made a couple of tweaks to make the tales flow even better. With all of these changes in place, take the helm and once again sail into the world of Wanderlust.

Oh, and if you encounter any problems, remember that you can always reach us at support@differenttales.com.

Until next time!
–Wanderlust Crew

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1051410/Wanderlust_Travel_Stories/

Photo: Diego Delso, delso.photo, License CC-BY-SA

Jacek here - lead designer on Wanderlust Travel Stories. I've always thought it's one of the coolest holidays you can imagine. You get to dress as a monster and collect candy around the neighborhood. Fun! But in Poland, when I was younger, I only knew it from TV. In our culture, we do celebrate the dead around this time, but in a wholly different manner.

If you follow Wanderlust: Travel Stories, it's probably because you're curious about the cultures of the world, so here's more about what we do instead of trick-or-treating.

For a person from outside the Slavic region, the Poles' traditional approach to faith and death may seem a bit stiff. We don't sing too many uplifting songs in our churches, and the mass is less about being with the community than about diving into your inner self and quietly contemplating your soul. This is also how we honor our dead.

On November 1, we celebrate All Saints' Day, which is a public holiday. Its name is self-explanatory, however, on November 2, there's the All Souls' Day. This is the proper date when we should honor the departed. These two have mixed in the public consciousness and what we got is two days of not-quite-Halloween.

On those days, Poles light candles on the graves of their close ones. It is also customary to put a candle on unattended graves, under crosses or statues, or graves of unknown soldiers (which are a common sight, considering the scope of the tragedy of World War II in Poland). This results in truly breathtaking views of cemeteries sparkling with thousands and thousands of lights.

We don't dress up or throw parties on All Saints' / Souls’ Day. Still, the atmosphere is hardly grim. It's a paradox, but it's when life is truly bustling. Thousands visit the cemeteries, there's so much positivity and openness around, and the bright aura seen in the evening is a sight to behold. I am not a religious person myself, yet it’s hard not to get captivated by the spirit of this day.

I presume that what you read above is a common tradition across the Slavic countries, however, I can only speak from my own perspective. What do you do in your country around Halloween?

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1051410/Wanderlust_Travel_Stories/

Here's something from Artur, our lead writer.

I've been into Slow Gaming for quite a while and Wanderlust: Travel Stories is the result of that. But it's not the only Slow title out there.

Recently at Games Industry Conference 2019, I hosted a roundtable about Slow Gaming. Along with the guests and the audience we tried to define what Slow Games actually are, and how voluminous this genre really is. At one point someone proposed that we go through our Steam libraries and tag all appropriate games with "Slow Gaming".

I think this is a great idea. It should make it easier to establish Slow Games as a genre, and help everyone find interesting titles.

So, are you up for it?

Here's the broad definition of Slow Gaming: it's a trend in game design that's about challenging your mind instead of your reflexes. Slow Games treat you as a mature person and aren't afraid to touch upon real world issues. They let you play at your own pace, and action isn't their point.

If a title fits this description, it's a Slow Game alright, despite of its genre. Journey is as much a Slow Game as Wanderlust Travel Stories or Firewatch. At least I think so. Do you?

If you have a moment to spare, go through your Steam Library and tag whatever game you deem appropriate with "Slow Gaming". Also, post your findings on social media using the tag #SlowGaming to spread the news. "Slow" doesn't mean "Quiet" after all!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1051410/Wanderlust_Travel_Stories/

We're excited to share our game with all of you on Linux! And to welcome our new Linux community, we’re teaming up with GamingOnLinux.com to celebrate the launch with a 33% discount code until November 2 — read all about it here.

Did You Know...
You'll meet a whole bunch of adorable penguins on one of your journeys? The most stylish of nature's little travelers! 🐧

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1051410/Wanderlust_Travel_Stories/

Artur Ganszyniec, writer/designer from Different Tales, the studio behind Wanderlust: Travel Stories, hosted a roundtable discussion about Slow Gaming at Game Industry Conference 2019.

Slow Gaming is a trend in gaming that values thinking and feeling over adrenaline-fueled gameplay, but it's a young construct that's still taking shape. Thus, the main topic of the discussion was the question of whether Slow Gaming is primarily a way of playing games or a design philosophy.

The participants also talked about various Slow Games, trying to find their common traits: the serious treatment of the player, no hard fail states, real-world setting, or referring to the player's life experiences or knowledge.
An interesting point was made that even though Slow Games are serious and often touch upon heavy subjects, they offer the player safety and comfort. They encourage to explore one's own emotions in a way that's rare for adrenaline-fueled games.

"I have to admit I didn't know if the subject would click at all with the audience, but to my surprise, it gathered quite a crowd: from designers to gamers to producers to researchers," said Artur Ganszyniec.

The participants of the meeting agreed to go through their Steam game collections and tag the games they seem fit with #SlowGaming.

Join us and help the Slow and help us define what Slow Gaming really is!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1051410/Wanderlust_Travel_Stories/

Dear Wanderers,

Our very first feature patch—Update 1.4—is live, and it's the Steamworks update!

In this build we've added support for Steam Achievements, so that you can better track your progress and journeys. Perhaps the real travel stories are the achievements we earn along the way.

Steam Cloud Saves are here as well, so you can now pause your travels on one device, and pick up where you left off on another. Because who brings their gaming rig on a road trip? Not you. Not anymore.

Yours truly,
Wanderlust Crew

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1051410/Wanderlust_Travel_Stories/

Wanderlust: Travel Stories premiered on 26 September 2019, with some journalists being able to preview the game before the release. Here’s what the press - and not only the gaming press! -- thought about the game.

„Wanderlust is an unusual and bold concept of a game based on the literature of the road. The courage of the artists, who created a game consisting mostly of text, deserves admiration. And recognition, too, because Wanderlust is simply a really good game.” - said a reviewer from https://www.gamepressure.com/editorials/reviews/wanderlust-travel-stories-review-a-must-read-game/z71cc, awarding Wanderlust with a high 8.5/10 score.

The Pixel Magazine gave Wanderlust a score of 83/100 and a seal of recommendation: „Wanderlust is a story about a couple of westerners who gradually come to realize how little do they know about the world and how to correct whatever is wrong with it. Such a serious, at times even journalistic tone is very rare in video games.”

https://gry.wp.pl/wanderlust-travel-stories-gra-recenzja-6428659474171521a also praised the title: „I’d like Wanderlust: Travel Stories to achieve the status of other acclaimed Polish games, like This War of Mine. On one hand, it can be harder, because there are fewer ‘game’ elements inhere. But on the other, it can find success among the people who have been avoiding games due to their lack of skill or fear of failing.”



Wanderlust: Travel Stories got 9/10 from the South African SAGamer: „It isn’t easy to capture how overwhelming and complicated and fraught with tension travelling can be, but Wanderlust does a great job of showcasing the essence of it, and the transformative power travelling can have.”

One of the first non-gaming magazines to notice Wanderlust was National Geographic Traveler Poland: „It’s something we haven’t seen before in Poland. A sign of a new trend calls Slow Gaming. It’s shaping up to be one heck of an adventure.”

Filmweb, a movie website, also reviewed the game: “I’ve tried to make choices true to my own temperament, heart, and mind, and indeed I was back with my thoughts to Bangkok, which I visited a couple of years ago. Its atmosphere was well recreated, and well-written descriptions -- although sometimes cheesy -- were accurate and true.”



The game was also covered by Vogue: “its creators have gone towards the expectations of new groups, such as women (who, according to studies, prefer a psychological view of the world), book readers, travelers or mature gamers who grew out of games for teens and want to widen their horizons.”

Wanderlust was also featured in an article in Gazeta Wyborcza, the top newspaper in Poland, about the role of games in dealing with PTSD. One of the game’s stories takes the players to Rwanda, where the memories of the civil war and the Tutsi genocide are still very much alive.

See what you feel about Wanderlust: Travel Stories. The game is now available on PC, iOS and Mac.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1051410/Wanderlust_Travel_Stories/

Get in the mood for travel in the new story trailer for Wanderlust: Travel Stories. Meet Martine, the protagonist of The Essential Gap Year, one of four main tales featured in the game, and learn the motivation behind her journey to Thailand.



A game unlike any other, Wanderlust: Travel Stories is a digital travel experience -- a narrative adventure bridging literature and gaming. Here, you are both the reader and the storyteller. Featuring 4 long and 5 short stories, it lets you travel from Africa to Antarctica, from Europe to Asia while shaping your journey and your character's personal choices.

The game is set to premiere on 26 September 2019, on PC and iOS devices. Learn more and play the demo at http://wanderlust.voyage.