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Review for Wayward Strand

Wayward Strand
Wayward Strand

Ghost Pattern's Wayward Strand is an interactive parable. It employs well-made graphics, sound effects, music, and voice acting, sewn together through a third-person point-and-click interface. Players are immersed in a story that reminds them that relationships are important; when properly nurtured and maintained, life will be richer and more satisfying for everyone.

The player guides a fourteen-year-old girl named Casey; they communicate with her by left-clicking arrows at the bottom of the screen showing her where to go. Her actions are chosen by clicking on a series of blue and white buttons. There are no inventory items or puzzles. The narrative is woven together using the friendships Casey cultivates with the patients and staff of an unusual hospital.

Wayward Strand is set in a visually and aurally beautiful world. I enjoyed looking at the hand-drawn graphics, which were analogous to a comic strip one might see in the Sunday newspaper. They are lovely and fluidly animated. Sometimes I would see a character put their hand through a bowl of soup. But that was a minor glitch. Casey moves gracefully, with energy, as a healthy teenager should. The elderly patients move more stiffly. If Casey walks with a patient, she courteously slows her pace to stay with them. The animation nurtured my empathy for all the characters I met.

The music is a sedate string and keyboard combination appropriate for working in a relatively calm environment like a hospital. Sound’s biggest contribution to this game is the excellent voice acting. It successfully endows the characters with emotion, which is the light that illuminates this character-driven story.

Her mother asks Casey to help on a hospital airship hovering above Australia. During their first ascension. Casey notices that the ship needs some maintenance. But her mother, the hospital’s beleaguered head nurse, monopolizes her attention, requiring Casey to focus on being helpful instead of the article she’s writing for her school newspaper. Casey only has a limited time each day to be at the hospital and she needs to manage her activities efficiently. She can’t be everywhere at once, so she’s given a watch to keep track of time. It resides in the lower right-hand corner of the screen. Time passes for everyone, and characters are far from sedentary. Using the magnifying glass icon next to the notebook, you can keep track of them as they move around. Casey wisely records her observations in a notebook which players can access through the icon at the lower left corner of the screen. 

I found two aspects of Wayward Strand to be disappointing. First, the game only saves at the end of your current chapter, so players cannot step away in the middle of the story. (The menu offers the option to select the chapter you want to play.) Second, I never got to read the article that Casey is writing. The ending would have been even more poignant had I been granted that privilege because it would have provided significant insight into how the experience aboard the ship changed her.

As mentioned earlier, Wayward Strand doesn’t have puzzles in the traditional sense. The player tasks Casey with doing something, such as refilling a water can, and she does it. The focus is on the narrative. Like Sierra’s The Colonel's Bequest, it’s up to the player to be in the right place to learn the story's details at the right time. The game progresses slowly, but that isn’t necessarily a drawback. Some players will appreciate its cozy vibe. For me, it was reminiscent of speaking with an elderly relative. The character I spent the most time with was Ted, the hospital's shuttle pilot. He is funny and interesting. I helped Casey convince him to nurture his art skills. The friendliest character is Ida; I enjoyed her likeable personality. 

The crux of this game is the conversation between characters and playing through it reminded me that it's essential to nurture relationships. This moral is exemplified through the connection between Casey and her mother. When the story commences, they are cold to each other; at the end, their relationship warms significantly. Overall, Wayward Strand contains an excellent character-driven story, and players who enjoy cozy, dialog-rich narratives will be pleased with it. 

WHERE CAN I DOWNLOAD Wayward Strand

Wayward Strand is available at:

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Our Verdict:

Wayward Strand is an intriguing game; a gripping story brought to life by well-executed graphics, music, interface, and voice acting.

GAME INFO Wayward Strand is an adventure game by Ghost Pattern released in 2022 for PC. It has a Stylized art style, presented in 2D or 2.5D and is played in a Third-Person perspective.

The Good:

  • An impactful narrative
  • Interesting premise
  • Beautiful backgrounds and well-animated characters with believable chemistry
  • Characters are enhanced by excellent voice acting

The Bad:

  • I couldn’t read Casey’s report which negatively affected my experience of the ending
  • The game is only saved at the end of the current chapter. Players cannot step away in the middle
  • Minor graphical glitches

The Good:

  • An impactful narrative
  • Interesting premise
  • Beautiful backgrounds and well-animated characters with believable chemistry
  • Characters are enhanced by excellent voice acting

The Bad:

  • I couldn’t read Casey’s report which negatively affected my experience of the ending
  • The game is only saved at the end of the current chapter. Players cannot step away in the middle
  • Minor graphical glitches
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