Brewing Tea in a Cozy Game Can Be Tiring
Cozy games like Animal Crossing, Nintendo's funny animal series, became extra popular during the stress of the coronavirus pandemic, and the new studio Ivy Road is trying to change the nature of the genre.
In Wanderstop, you're not just tending your garden in a Voltaire sense. You're trying to understand, relate to and fix a character who is on the verge of a breakdown — or has already had one. It's a cautionary tale for those who toil too much and too hard.
Alta, a female warrior, has lost her mojo by laboring too strenuously to make it to the top. Exhausted, she faints in the forest. She can no longer even lift her huge sword to fight.
To clear her mind, Alta begins managing a far-flung tea cafe. Creating the steamy brews requires dutifully ascending a wooden ladder to release water into an extravagant tea machine. With a bellows, she stokes the fire 30 or so times until the water boils. Then, with a neatly animated kick, she opens a giant kettle to toss in tea and fanciful ingredients. Brilliantly rendered, the device recalls Willy Wonka's Great Gum Machine.
Alta, with a mahogany-colored apron and little patience for customers, has long followed the strict, militarized rules of elite competition. But here, there are no timed objectives, just an anything-goes attitude.
Nonetheless, the argumentative Alta remains drained. Boro, the portly, baldheaded tea master, proclaims, 'What a surprise that a person pushing themselves to the brink of exhaustion would collapse!' His Yoda-like philosophy comes off as overwhelmingly needling rather than meaningful, his concern mired by condescension.
Alta is easily addled and stressed. Beyond her desire to return to the top fighter ranks, she carries a heavy guilt regarding her father. Powerless, she feels lazy, stupid, angry and a failure, to use her words. There's a meta aspect to these feelings. Davey Wreden, the game's director, felt similarly after working for too many hours on versions of The Stanley Parable (2013), which became so popular that it was an inspiration for 'Severance.'
The art here is admirable. Lush garden acres of smudgy colors surround the cafe, inviting contemplation. Collectible tea grows on its outskirts, and there is a small temple featuring a being's somehow-soothing oval head. Hues change from variations of purple and green amid running brooks to pink and white. It's all suitable for sitting on a bench, watching the world go by while plump and playful pluffins waddle near their coop.
Alta and her customers eventually offer moments of revelation. But they're too few and far between. A goofy knight (with a cursed foot that emanates purple mist) who yearns to be thought of as cool by his son, as someone to be respected, is a compelling enough story beat that comes too late.
It was difficult to sympathize with the characters' tales of despair, however witty. The wry, eccentric humor that worked well in the sterile office setting of The Stanley Parable seemed at odds with this world of breezy bucolic environments and magical hybrid teas.
Working in the farm-like setting and making tea wasn't always peaceful. Commanding exclamation points appeared over customer heads when they required tea or wanted to make a minor point. It made me believe I needed to jump to customer needs. I also wondered how, if Alta was physically and mentally beaten down, she could cut down a lawn's worth of thorny bramble snarls with the caffeinated speed of Sonic the Hedgehog.
By the time those around me began to open up and become nicer, I didn't want to engage anymore. The point was to learn that working at one's own pace is rewarded with individual enlightenment, cup by cup. But I felt more like a therapist, trying to be patient with my patients as I urged them to spill the tea.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Post
26 minutes ago
- New York Post
The Beach Boys' Brian Wilson regretted he wasn't involved with hit song due to ‘weak mental state,' book reveals
John Mason knew that Brian Wilson needed help – but it came at a high price. 'Brian was in a weak mental state,' the entertainment lawyer, who once represented the fragile leader of the Beach Boys, told Fox News Digital. 'Brian often said to me, as sad as it sounds … 'I fried my brain. I took too many drugs.' Brian couldn't get up in the morning without somebody getting him up. He couldn't eat healthily without somebody giving him something healthy to eat.' 'So, the good and bad of Dr. Eugene Landy in Brian's life was that he motivated Brian to become a participant in his own life,' Mason shared. 'But the bad part was that, as time went by and years went by, Dr. Landy expected more and more to replace Brian in the Beach Boys… Brian wasn't allowed to do anything without a Landy handler being with him.' Mason, who has worked with Roy Orbison, Reba McEntire, Shakira and Quincy Jones, among others, has written a new memoir, 'Crazy Lucky.' It explores what it takes to defend the famous during career-defining moments. 8 John Mason, an entertainment lawyer who once represented Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys, discussed one if Wilson's regrets and mental state. FOX NEWS 8 Mason has written a new memoir, 'Crazy Lucky,' exploring what it takes to defend the famous during career-defining moments. The Unnamed Press The book delves into Wilson's relationship with Landy, a psychotherapist accused of holding a Svengali-like power over him. Mason said it led to one of the singer/songwriter's biggest regrets. 'Mike [Love] and Carl [Wilson] came into my office and said to Brian, 'Hey, we have the opportunity to write a song for this movie, [1988's] 'Cocktail,'' said Mason. ''It's going to be starring Tom Cruise. It's really great. We'd love you to join us. And Brian was really excited. He said, 'Oh, I'd love to do that.' But later in the evening, Brian called and said, 'I shouldn't do that. Dr. Landy said I shouldn't do that. Well, that turned out to be 'Kokomo,' the biggest hit the Beach Boys had had probably forever. And Brian felt really badly about not working on 'Kokomo.'' 8 'Mike [Love] and Carl [Wilson] came into my office and said to Brian, 'Hey, we have the opportunity to write a song for this movie, [1988's] 'Cocktail'' with Tom Cruise, said Mason, which Wilson turned down. ©Buena Vista Pictures/courtesy E 8 The project 'turned out to be 'Kokomo,' the biggest hit the Beach Boys had had probably forever. And Brian felt really badly about not working on 'Kokomo,'' Mason said. Getty Images 'When he heard it, and when I heard it, we went, 'Oh my gosh, was that a missed opportunity?'' Mason recalled. Mason wrote that Landy refused to let Wilson participate unless he, too, were listed as a writer on the song. However, Carl and Bruce Johnson, along with Love, refused. They went on to write 'Kokomo' without Wilson's input. It was a decision that Wilson deeply regretted over the years. 'Brian is truly a giant teddy bear and genius who regrets bad decisions and lives for better ones,' wrote Mason. According to Mason's book, Wilson's struggles began in 1968, when he quit performing and devoted himself to songwriting instead. While Wilson was determined 'to make the greatest music,' his mental health began to deteriorate. 8 The Beach Boys in 1964. From left to right: Dennis Wilson, Brian Wilson, Mike Love, Al Jardine and Carl Wilson. Getty Images Mason wrote that Wilson's experiments with drugs, specifically LSD and cocaine, had 'diminished his mental capacity.' He rarely left his bed and, according to reports, would go without brushing his teeth or showering for weeks. 'He eventually became so bizarre that he would sit at the piano in his living room surrounded by actual sand that had been dumped in big piles in a sort of playpen,' Mason wrote. 'He was forsaking his young family — wife Marilyn Rovell, a singer with the group the Honeys, and young kids Carnie and Wendy — for his strange kind of creative peace. Four years passed, and he never left the house. His weight ballooned to 350 pounds from eating entire birthday cakes as a late-night snack.' 8 Brian Wilson and Mike Love of The Beach Boys perform onstage at the 54th Annual GRAMMY Awards held at Staples Center on February 12, 2012 in Los Angeles, California. Getty Images In 1975, a 'devastated' Marilyn brought in Landy, a psychologist known for his unconventional 24-hour treatment of celebrities. Wilson, who reportedly feared being committed to a psychiatric hospital, completely surrendered. Their first session took place in Wilson's bedroom closet, where the artist felt safe, the Los Angeles Times reported. Landy was successful. He padlocked Wilson's fridge, put the star on a diet and shooed away drug-enabling pals, The Telegraph reported. 'Dr. Eugene Landy [helped] Brian overcome his fears of everything,' Mason told Fox News Digital. 'I would call it an agoraphobia. . . . He feared going outside. . . . And he needed outside help.' 8 Mason's book explores the nature of the relationship between Wilson and Dr. Eugene Landy, accused of holding a Svengali-like power over the singer. Mark Sullivan Landy's strict methods worked. But in 1976, Landy was fired over a dispute involving fees, the Los Angeles Times reported. When Wilson was regressing into drugs and obesity, Landy was rehired six years later, the outlet shared. The 24-hour therapy resumed from 1983 to 1986. Landy said he was paid $35,000 a month. And as Wilson began recording and playing live again, Landy was a constant shadow looming over him. Manager Tom Hulett, who knew that Mason was friendly with the Beach Boys, suggested that he could be 'a strong, independent balance.' In 1984, Mason was hired. 'I was asked . . . if I would be Brian's lawyer, and I agreed,' said Mason. 'At that time, Brian was, I think, doing better, but he had a lot of issues. . . . Brian came to my office at least once a week. We started having Beach Boys meetings at my office once a month, and we all insisted that Brian come to those meetings without Landy.' 'Brian was my client. . . . [But] Brian did check in with Landy after our meetings, after our phone calls. Too often I would get a call back from Brian saying, 'I know I said that, but I have to change my mind.'' Mason wrote that Landy was eager to insert himself into every part of Wilson's life. Wilson was controlled by both prescription drugs and the 'Landy handlers' who 'secretly or openly recorded everything Brian and anyone else said' for the doctor. No decision was made without Landy's approval, leaving Mason bewildered and frustrated. 'Ultimately, it led me to say to Brian, 'I can't work with you if Dr. Landy is in a position to change your mind or to second-guess me,'' said Mason. 'And he said, 'I understand that.' But then, Dr. Landy called me and said, 'You told Brian that he can't work with me … so you are fired.' 'That's a shame, but that is the kind of control Dr. Landy had over Brian Wilson,' said Mason. After Mason was fired in 1990, Landy continued to tighten his grip. At one point, he was co-credited as a songwriter on several tracks. Wilson was 'an obsession' to Landy, Mason wrote. 8 Wilson died in June of this year at the age of 82. Getty Images But in 1991, the Wilson family took legal action to appoint an independent conservatorship. The goal was to stop Landy from further influencing Wilson both personally and financially, the Los Angeles Times reported. In 1992, Landy was barred by court order from contacting Wilson. 'The court ordered Landy to disassociate from Brian,' said Mason. 'Ultimately, Landy's license to practice psychotherapy in the state of California was revoked. And Brian's second wife, Melinda, was able to keep Brian motivated to perform.' 'He did a lot of shows,' said Mason. 'He wrote songs, he did a lot of work. His health seemed to be pretty good. I saw Brian a number of times after I wasn't his lawyer, and he looked good. He felt good. He was in a good mental state.' Landy passed away in 2006 at age 71. Wilson died in June of this year. He was 82. In his lifetime, Wilson admitted he didn't entirely regret his association with Landy. Mason doesn't either. 'I have to say that, in Brian's case, I don't think there was a better outcome,' Mason explained. 'Had Landy not become involved, Brian would have become an ineffective vegetable. He was taking too many drugs and couldn't find focus.' 'I don't think that, at that point, back when Landy came in, either Brian's ex-wife Marilyn or his daughters were able to motivate him to be independent. Drugs and alcohol have led to the demise of too many people. Many people we see end up dead from the process.' 'Saving Brian's life probably necessitated a Eugene Landy who could come in and force him to take control of himself,' Mason continued. 'I think they were the best years of his health, but the worst of his years with Dr. Landy.'
Digital Trends
7 hours ago
- Digital Trends
There's one important thing the PS5 and Switch 2 classic catalogs can't replicate about my old games
Revisiting old games from my youth isn't so much about the games themselves, but how they can bring me back to such specific moments in my life. I never realized it at the time, but I was tying my experience with games with various times, events, and places in my memory. Like a familiar scent or long-forgotten picture, replaying a game has the ability to transport me back to memories I thought were lost, almost like a time machine. For me, the years I want to go back to most are encapsulated by the SNES through the PS2 generations. One of my greatest regrets is losing my entire SNES catalog and a good chunk of essential N64 cartridges, but I at least knew better than to part with my PS2 library. When access to classic games from these specific console generations opened up on PS5 and Switch 2, it felt like a dream come true. However, I still hung on to those original copies even years after I could easily emulate them. Recommended Videos As convenient as these emulation services are, replaying my original copies reminded me that there's one major reason why I will never part with them. My own unique fingerprint Generally speaking, there's no difference between how the PS5 and Switch 2 present these classic games. Sure, the resolution might be different, they add some quality of life options, and I'm not on a tiny CRT in my childhood home's basement anymore, but they are intended to be as direct a port as possible rather than a remake or remaster. What I didn't realize was missing until I decided to hook up my old hardware again was that intangible but completely personal fingerprint we leave on our games. Replaying Ocarina of Time on the Switch 2 for the first time in decades overwhelmed me with emotion. Starting the game up, I was yanked back to that birthday party when I finally got my copy. After the party ended and only three of my closest friends remained for the sleepover portion, we booted it up for the first time. Memories I didn't know I still had of one friend cackling when Navi accidentally flew into the fence during the opening segment, or another trying in vain to hide his fear when we encountered Ghoma crystalized in my head. Flashes of the past hit me like punches to the gut as I played, almost to the point where I wasn't sure I could continue without breaking down in tears. Grabbing my original N64 cartridge, I couldn't even make it past the main menu without losing it. What began my emotional spiral was flipping over my old, discoloring cart and seeing 'JESSE' scribbled in bold, shaky letters with a marker. I had written my name on the game when I first brought it over to a friend's house to play and was terrified of losing it, somehow thinking having my name on it would help. Slotting it into my N64, that familiar title screen appeared and I was hit with my old original save files. That's when I broke down. My slot was number 2, named 7 Jay — my first alias. Slot three was Ian, my older brother. Except his wasn't always slot three; he had originally claimed the first slot for himself. One day, I had turned on the console to play and encountered what I now know was stick drift. The cursor on the main menu scrolled through all the files like a roulette wheel without me touching the controller. I should have just turned the system off, but I thought I could time it right to access my game. Instead, I accidentally selected Ian's file and then into the Erase option. The icon fluttered back and forth between Erase and Back. I was sweating with nerves to the point where the thought of turning the console off never crossed my mind. Praying with all my heart, I hit A…deleting my brother's file. Ian had essentially grown out of games by that point and hardly cared, but I was crushed. I swore to make him a new file and get him back to exactly where he left off. And I did. Still, he never played again and I always blamed myself. I spent an entire day going through my old games and finding tons of these individual marks I left on my games that emulators just can't replicate. My original Pokémon Blue team, with my Bulbasaur named after my childhood cat, Kiwi. My Harvest Moon farm with each of my chickens named after members of my family. My abandoned save file in Arc the Lad that I never touched after realizing my father had taken me out to buy it the day he learned my mother was divorcing him, and so many more details in the seams. From a preservation and access standpoint, services like PlayStation Classics and Nintendo Switch Online's classic games are vital to the industry. I'm not arguing against them, and would even say they need to go further to expand their offerings. But there's no denying that they can never fully satisfy our own personal nostalgia. Sometimes there's value in just holding the same controller you used a decade ago.
Time Business News
18 hours ago
- Time Business News
Blooket: The Fun, Game-Based Learning Platform Everyone Loves
Imagine entering a classroom where students are not yawning at the back, but instead leaning forward, eyes bright, and hands ready to click the next answer. No, it's not a new video game release — it's Blooket, a platform that transforms regular quizzes into fast-paced, colorful, and competitive games. Blooket takes something as routine as answering questions and wraps it in the same excitement you'd find in a multiplayer arcade game. The result? Students learn without even realizing they're studying. Blooket is a web-based, game-based learning platform where educators create or select question sets and students answer them while participating in interactive games. Instead of static quizzes, Blooket offers multiple game modes — from Tower Defense to Battle Royale — each turning questions into a core part of the gameplay. It's not just about knowing the answer; it's about using it to win the game. Blooket was founded by Tom Stewart and Ben Stewart, with a mission to make learning effective and irresistibly fun. It emerged in the wave of educational technology platforms like Kahoot! and Quizizz, but quickly carved its niche with its unique gameplay mechanics. The name itself — 'Blooket' — reflects a blend of 'blocks' and 'booklets,' symbolizing building blocks of knowledge in an engaging, modular style. Choose or Create a Question Set – Teachers can browse existing sets or create their own in minutes. Pick a Game Mode – Each mode has its own rules, objectives, and animations. Host and Play – Students join via a game code and start playing on their devices. Learn Through Play – Correct answers help players progress in the game, collect rewards, and achieve goals. Blooket's potential goes far beyond the classroom. Teachers use Blooket to: Make revision sessions engaging Test comprehension instantly Encourage shy students to participate Companies use Blooket-like games to: Train employees on policies and safety Conduct engaging team-building quizzes Libraries, youth clubs, and non-profits host Blooket sessions to: Promote literacy Teach life skills interactively Blooket could integrate: AI-powered adaptive questions for personalized learning for personalized learning AR/VR classrooms for immersive experiences for immersive experiences Global student leaderboards for cross-border competitions Risks: Over-gamification might shift focus from learning to just 'winning,' so educators must balance fun with content mastery. Mix Game Modes – Prevents students from getting bored. Balance Fun & Learning – Tie each game to a clear lesson goal. Encourage Collaboration – Use team modes to build social skills. Monitor Progress – Use Blooket's reports to identify gaps. Rotate Question Topics – Keep content fresh and challenging. At its heart, Blooket is not about flashy animations or collecting coins; it's about bringing people together to learn in a way that feels natural, exciting, and memorable. Just like a good story stays with you, so does the joy of a game well played — and that joy can be the spark that ignites lifelong learning. Q1: Is Blooket free? A: Yes, it has a free plan, with optional paid upgrades. Q2: Can students use it alone? A: Yes, they can play solo or in groups. Q3: Does it work on mobile phones? A: Absolutely, Blooket works on any device with internet access. Q4: How is it different from Kahoot!? A: Blooket offers more game variety and strategic play. Q5: Can parents use Blooket at home? A: Yes, for homework help or family quizzes. TIME BUSINESS NEWS
