“Skipper Dan,” a song by “Weird Al” Yankovic, tells the story of a brilliant actor who has always been told he’ll be extremely famous someday. However, because he can’t find any big-ticket gigs in show business, he ultimately ends up working a job he despises, as a tour guide on Disneyland’s Jungle Cruise ride. This might seem strange, but the story told within Wandersong strikes me as the exact opposite of the tale of “Skipper Dan.” That’s just one reason I’ve come to enjoy Wandersong so much. Allow me to elaborate further on that – without any wandering or singing, I promise.

Within Wandersong, you play as a humble bard. In fact, Wandersong goes out of its way to depict you trying and failing to lift a sword, as if to emphasize exactly why you’re of no help in a fight. You’re well aware that everyone around you finds you annoying because you don’t economically contribute to society, and because you seem to think all the world’s problems can be solved by singing. Most people in your home village aren’t exactly shy about making sure you know they feel this way towards you, but you’ve never let their negativity get you down.

The last time you found yourself trying in vain to use a sword, you were visited by a disappointed spirit sent by the goddess Eya. This ghostly representative informs you that your prowess in battle (or complete lack thereof) was being tested to see whether you were a hero or not, a test which you’ve spectacularly failed. You’re then informed that Eya intends to basically “reboot” the entire universe, thus erasing you and every other living being from existence. You rather adamantly want to prevent that, so you urgently ask if there’s anything that can be done about the end of the world.

The spirit tells you about a magical song that “carries the combined will of all life on this planet.” If a skilled enough bard could learn that song and perform it for Eya, she might be convinced not to restart the universe, although the spirit makes it clear that it’s highly unlikely anyone could manage to pull that off. Well, now you’ve found yourself with a way to simultaneously save the world and prove to everyone who’s ever doubted you that some problems, even ones that would bring about the end of existence as you know it, can indeed be solved by singing.

You then set off with your goal in your mind and a song in your heart (as usual). You’ll have to journey far and wide to learn everything you can about this magical song and, where necessary, do whatever it takes to enlist the aid of those who can help you accomplish your objective. This brings me to the first of a long list of things I quite like about Wandersong. Even though it seems like everyone you meet doubts your worth without a second thought, the lighthearted atmosphere and sense of humor within Wandersong strike me as whimsically wonderful.

Relatedly, I’ve had a pleasant and giddy feeling I’ve taken to calling “good-natured schadenfreude” while playing Wandersong. Because I know there will come a point where I’ll get to prove all those naysayers wrong by using the talent they all find most irritating about me. In total honesty, during my time with Wandersong, I’ve actually said aloud to myself multiple times, “I’ll show them. They’ll be lining up for miles to apologize to me once I’ve saved the entire universe just by singing.” I suspect that feeling might stem from my reaction to all the people who have doubted me in real life, but I digress.

All of that brings me to what I think I like most of all about Wandersong. Several moments in its story have deeply and emotionally resonated with me on a personal level. For example, early on, you’re given the ability to talk to the spirits of those who have passed on. You’ll use this at one point to speak with the ghost of a famous accordion player whose daughter is overcome with grief caused by her mother’s passing. You’ll then be able to “jam” with that ghost and her daughter, their accordions accompanied by your singing.

Even though the young adult can’t understand what their mother’s spirit is saying, you’re able to translate for both of them and help bring them peace. I’d rather not get into the details of why this scene struck such a chord with me (pun possibly intended), but suffice it to say that I can’t remember the last time any game I’ve played made me tear up with joy rather than for a much more depressing reason. Not everyone can relate to Wandersong in this way, but I’m confident in saying those who have similar real-life experiences are likely to appreciate this aspect of Wandersong as much as I do.

I know I’ve gushed about Wandersong a fair bit so far, but that’s because there’s just so much I really like about it. In fact, there’s only one bit of Wandersong I’ve found that I dislike. I know this is a laughably small complaint, but Wandersong expects you to name your character by singing a selection of random letters with which it sees fit to present you. I was able to eventually give my character a semi-reasonable name, albeit only after several attempts that were very weird indeed. I’d prefer to just be able to type in my desired character name, but that’s nowhere near a deal breaker for me.

I really can’t think of any reasons not to categorically recommend Wandersong. Even if you find yourself unable to relate to the more emotional points in its story, it’s still a wonderful adventure game with a lovely atmosphere. Wandersong’s sense of humor is subjective, as is all humor, but it’s absolutely my cup of tea and serves to add even more reasons why I’m so comfortable encouraging you to pick up this title and play through it. I guess you could even go so far as to say I can hardly stop myself from singing Wandersong’s praises.

A PC review key for Wandersong was provided by Greg Lobanov for the purpose of this review.

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Wandersong

$19.99

9.5

Score

9.5/10

Pros

• Wonderful, lighthearted atmosphere and sense of humor.
• Inspiring story with deeply emotional moments.
• Quite enjoyable adventure game outside of the above aspects.

Cons

• The more emotional points of the plot might be too much for some players.