Wanderstop is a game full of colourful, memorable characters and the stories they have to share, and they often have a lot of wise words for Alta, who’s trying to recover from an exhaustion-induced burnout at Boro’s teashop.
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Talking to characters in Wanderstop is a joy, because you never quite know what they’re going to say. Some of the game’s best quotes are funny, while many are poignant, but they’ll all stay in your head long after you’ve rolled credits on this wonderful game.
Spoilers for Wanderstop ahead.
10
“Well As A Father, Let Me Tell You It’s Very Normal For A Son To Wear A Sweater Of His Father’s Face.”
Gerald
Gerald is one of the first customers you encounter at Wanderstop, and he’s mostly interested in two things: a) being a knight and b) his son, Timothy. He loves that kid, and if you ask him, he’ll show you a stack of polaroids of Timothy he has on his person, chronicling various moments like when they went horseback riding (both of them vomited several times) or when Timothy graduated from eighth grade.
One of those polaroids is of Timothy wearing a sweater of his father’s face, obviously gifted to him by Gerald himself, and Timmy looks none too happy about it. I’m not convinced by Gerald’s logic, but I’m not a father, so…
9
“What Is There To Lose By Spending Just A Few Easy Minutes Making Tea?”
Boro
Boro is Wanderstop’s most important NPC, and he does a valiant job of trying to guide Alta through her exhaustion. When he first finds Alta in the woods, she’s insistent that she wants to get back to her mission of finding Master Winters, but Boro wisely advises her to rest, because she’s clearly very tired.
In fact, he invites her to make a cup of tea with him, claiming that it may help her to relax a bit. She’s resistant, but Boro makes a good point: a couple of minutes brewing tea will, at the very worst, not help her.
You’ll see a lot of quotes from Boro in this list: he has a lot of wisdom to share.
8
“To Be Able To See Something Is Perhaps Not As Pleasant As Being Able To Fix It.”
Boro
Alta’s journey throughout the game shows her working towards understanding why she’s made the decisions she’s made, and trying to figure out how to make different choices that might be kinder to herself.
While nobody can give her the answers – this is something she has to work out for herself – Boro helpfully reminds her that even if she can only recognise the issue right now, “‘seeing’ is a wonderful first step” towards finding a solution.
7
“But You Listen To Me: There’s No Bad People, Only Bad Choices. That’s It.”
Nana
Nana might present herself as a tough cookie, but she’s got a soft heart and a lot of life experience to draw from when giving advice. She’s also got a good eye for people’s inner potential, and if you ask her for reassurance that you’re a good person, she’ll tell you that you’re not inherently good or bad, but the sum of your actions.
She goes on to remind you that as an adult, you have agency to make your own decisions, but children are largely shaped by their circumstances. It’s a reminder that you can help Monster, who you meet in the last chapter, find a better path by helping her make the right decisions.
6
“I Must Get To The Boardroom. Where Is The Boardroom?”
Jerry
Jerry is one of several businessmen who appear in Wanderstop, and they all seem to have identical desires. They want to find “the boardroom”, get a cup of coffee, and deliver their presentations. They alternately irk and delight their fellow customers, and frustrate Alta because she has no way of helping them, and they don’t seem to understand this.
The businessmen are some of the funniest characters in the series, and their insistence on being shown the boardroom in what is obviously a teashop is one of the game’s many great moments.
5
“These ‘Men.’ They Are Wearing ‘Suits.’ They Are Conducting ‘Business.’ This Is Our Favourite Discovery. By Far.”
Zenith
Zenith is an otherworldly, hive-minded being the likes of which you’ve never seen before. They’ve seen countless things in their lifetime, and yet they are endlessly fascinated by the concept of businessmen. As they watch these identically dressed businessmen order the same thing and give separate but similar presentations, they are entirely enthralled.
Interestingly, Zenith sees beauty in the mundane, and even sees themself reflected in the businessmen, in a way. The businessmen also seem to be of one mind because of their uniformity. It turns out there is something to appreciate about the most ordinary, boring things in the world.
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4
“That Is All There Is. That Is All There Will Ever Be. You See Miss Alta, This Will Not Change Whether We Are Having An Hour Together Or A Lifetime.”
Boro
When Alta struggles with her purpose late in the game, Boro reminds her that all she has to do is the same thing she’s been doing so far – tend the garden, make tea, feed the Pluffins, and be at peace.
She feels increasingly like there’s more she must do, given that her time at Wanderstop is coming to an end. But though her inner state might be in turmoil, her circumstances have not really changed. Her goal remains the same: to rest.
3
“You’re Just Jealous Because Now I’m Strong! You Don’t Like Me Being Strong!”
Monster
Monster runs off with Alta’s sword and begins trying to train with it, which leads Alta to follow her into the woods and beg her to put the weapon down. Monster reacts in anger, saying that Alta just wants to stop her because Monster now has control.
This is a particularly poignant moment because Monster is a mirror of Alta’s younger self – desperate for control and believing that being strong will give her power over herself. It also mirrors one of Alta’s earlier interactions with Boro, when he tells her to put a hold on her mission and she reacts with anger, asking if he thinks she’s the kind of person to quit.
2
“But Miss Alta… Should We Really Stop Making Things Beautiful Simply Because They May Disappear In The Future?”
Boro
One of the most important mechanics in Wanderstop is the shrine reset, which makes you lose almost all your work in the game and start anew. When Boro asks Alta to fill his hanging pot garden with flowers, she doesn’t understand why, because all the flowers will disappear the next time she meditates at the shrine.
In response, Boro says that beauty is worth pursuing for its own sake. Your work doesn’t have to be permanent for it to have value. This is an important lesson for Alta to learn: how to let go.
1
“Well, I Can Tell You For Certain That You Will Be Leaving These Woods… But Whether It Goes Back To How It Was, That Will Be Up To You.”
Boro
This quote comes at the end of the game, and it’s one of the most moving ones in the game. Alta is afraid of what will happen when she goes home, and asks Boro if things will go back to the way they were.
As always, Boro reminds her that what happens is within her control. We never find out what Alta does when she returns, but one hopes that she at least learned to take ownership of her actions during her time at Wanderstop.
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