Wanderer (Red Cloak Games)

Wanderer is an action adventure game for PC that combines elements of platformer productions and RPGs. It is the debut project of Red Cloak Games.

Plot

The plot of Wanderer takes us into a distant future and tells the story of a convict named Rook who wakes from a cryogenic dreams inside an orbital space station. He quickly discovers that the installation fell to Earth’s surface. The humanity abandoned it a long time ago, and the planet, with its former hosts absent, turned into an alien and deadly place.

Rook soon gains his first ally, a hacker named Jin. The two set out to search the prison segments that fell off the station and were scattered around Earth’s surface to find other survivors. Not all of them are friendly, though, and, what’s worse, the planet itself is not short on bizarre and incredibly aggressive monsters.

The ultimate goal of the player is to find a way to escape Earth. How it is achieved depends on the player to a large extent. The campaign is strongly non-linear and we are regularly forced to make tough moral decisions that shape our relationship with other characters and have a significant impact on the further course of the plot.

Mechanics

Wanderer for PC combines elements of several different genres. Maps are two-dimensional and their exploration resembles classical platformer productions. At the beginning of the campaign, the protagonist can only run, jump, crouch, and climb, but as it progresses, he learns new maneuvers that allow him to reach previously inaccessible places. While adventuring, two AI-controlled characters accompany the hero.

Combat resembles RPGs. Once a battle starts, the game switches to turns-based mode, and the players gains control overs all three party members. The gameplay is enriched with numerous puzzles modeled after those known from point ‘n’ click titles. Solving these usually requires us to collect specific items and using them in the right place.

The world structure is largely open—we use the map to move between individual regions. We also come back to the base on a regular basis to restock, enhance equipment, and talk to our allies.

Last updated on September 6, 2016