Witcher alums’ Wanderlust to launch in August

Many games, especially those of the open-world variety, have always been about more than swords and sorcery, sniper shots or subquests. They also resonate with one of our great desires: the craving we feel to explore new lands, to push boundaries. Wanderlust: Travel Stories is designed to tap into that love of exploration. It’s purely a narrative-driven game, based on real travel stories and featuring stunning photography. The game, created by former Witcher developers, and made by the studio they created, Different Tales, now has a release date. It will be available on PC via Steam this August.

It seems apropos that a game such as Wanderlust was designed by Witcher alums. The Witcher 3 is an especially gorgeous game to behold, with sweeping landscapes begging to be explored. Both Artur Ganszyniec, lead narrative designer of The Witcher, and Jacek Brzeziński, project lead of The Witcher, have left behind the grassy plains of Novigrad to bring you something a little more close to home.

Your choices guide the path the stories take.

Taken by the hand

Wanderlust takes you by the hand to navigate the known world through the stories of fellow travelers. In the game, you sit at a bistro in Hanga Roa, sharing tales with your fellows. You guide each person through their stories, managing their funds and taking care of their health. There are opportunities to stop and rest, and make choices that impact each of their anecdotes.

“Ten years after I met with Jacek during our work on The Witcher, we decided to team up again to make a different kind of a story, something more grounded in reality and rooted in the common human experience,” said Ganszyniec, co-founder of developer Different Tales. “Wanderlust was born from Jacek’s love for travel and from my love for storytelling. We aimed to create something different. A bridge between literary experiences and gaming. A title that is meant to be taken in, experienced and felt.”

Wanderlust: Travel Stories is dense in narration. The game will include more than 12 hours of play time, in a story that includes more than 300,000 words. Wanderlust will be available on PC via Steam on August 28.