"The environment is like a character in the game": how Wanderstop's world design blends Art Nouveau and Impressionism

After the acclaim of The Stanley Parable and the polarising response to The Beginner's Guide, one thing you can be certain of is to expect the unexpected from game developer Davey Wreden's narrative-based games. You just might not have expected that his next game Wanderstop, developed under new studio Ivy Road, would be a cosy game about making tea.

Created in Unreal Engine using Blueprints, Wanderstop is another example of the visual scripting, or no-code game development. It's putting more creativity in the hands of artists, like Temi Olujobi, the game's art director, environment lead and level designer. "I've made tons of games that maybe have 'cosy' elements. There might not be a win condition for the game, I'm really just crafting an experience for folks to complete, so there's no more focus on spending time in the environment rather than competing."

Thank you for reading 5 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access

Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription

Join now for unlimited access

Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

Alan Wen
Video games journalist

Alan Wen is a freelance journalist writing about video games in the form of features, interview, previews, reviews and op-eds. Work has appeared in print including Edge, Official Playstation Magazine, GamesMaster, Games TM, Wireframe, Stuff, and online including Kotaku UK, TechRadar, FANDOM, Rock Paper Shotgun, Digital Spy, The Guardian, and The Telegraph.

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.

Read more
Asterism indie game
How hand-crafted indie game Asterism mixes digital art and papercrafts
Clair Obscur Expedition 33 art influences; watery scenes from a fantasy video game, showing colourful coral and mines and creatures
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33's art director jokes how he wanted to make a 'realistic version of SpongeBob'
Making Eternal Strands;
How Eternal Strands' complex chaos was made possible
Citizen Sleeper 2 interview; a space person floats in a yellow room
"Game development is more accessible than ever": how Citizen Sleeper 2 was created without coding
Wanderstop indie game; A close-up view of a vibrant red torii gate, a traditional Japanese gate, in a lush green forest setting.
How Unreal Engine and Epic's Megascan library made solo-developed Lushfoil Photography Sim possible
Will Follow The Light interview; how this indie game is being made using Unreal Engine 5
"It gives you almost everything": How Unreal Engine 5 empowered the indie team behind WILL: Follow the Light
Latest in Video Game Design
Imagery from Elder Scrolls
You could design a character for Elder Scrolls 6 in unique charity auction
Clair Obscur Expedition 33 art influences; watery scenes from a fantasy video game, showing colourful coral and mines and creatures
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33's art director jokes how he wanted to make a 'realistic version of SpongeBob'
Still from Dreams of Another trailer
Dreams of Another rewrites the rules for Shoot 'em up games, and it looks mesmerising
The covers of Valorant, Grand Theft Auto Chinatown Wars and Halo
If you like video games and typography, you'll love Game Font Library
Clair Obscur Expedition 33; fantasy characters float in a dark sky, a god-like creature is seen in the distance amidst lighting and flames
Using Unreal Engine 5 “can be a trap”, says the dev behind Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Image from an Unreal Engine Rayman 3 remake
Rayman 3 is being remade in Unreal Engine, and I can't believe how good it looks
Latest in Features
A group of people taking a selfie using the iPhone 16e.
7 reasons the iPhone 16e is a huge improvement on the iPhone SE 3
How we made Ada; A digitally animated scene depicts two women in a grand, antique-style library, with one pointing.
How we made the "lush, handmade look" of animated series Ada
Making Paddington in Peru's character animation; a small bear in a red had sat in a jungle
Paddington in Peru's animation works because of one small detail
Avowed key art; a skull with plants and coral growing from it
Dissecting Avowed's beautifully abstract artwork, and how it was made
Clair Obscur Expedition 33 art influences; watery scenes from a fantasy video game, showing colourful coral and mines and creatures
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33's art director jokes how he wanted to make a 'realistic version of SpongeBob'
Clair Obscur Expedition 33; fantasy characters float in a dark sky, a god-like creature is seen in the distance amidst lighting and flames
Using Unreal Engine 5 “can be a trap”, says the dev behind Clair Obscur: Expedition 33