Ever wanted to help reforest a world? Wildmender is a survival game where you live in a barren desert with nothing but sand and ruins around you. The goal: to help rebuild the region by growing your own oasis. This game is part farming sim, but with added mystery and lore, which I personally love. You wander about the world as an almost child-like character, gathering seeds from different biomes and replanting them in any way you want. By having to dig waterways, plant a plethora of seeds, and build structures, your and my oases will look vastly different.
Have I mentioned the magic yet? Any game with a magic system is instantly more appealing to me, and in Wildmender, you have to learn and grow your magic by conversing with gods and calming ancient spirits. This also acts as a skill tree, where you can progress however you want to. Whether you want to sing to your plants to help them grow or create magical springs of water to expand your reach, progress is progress. I know magic isn’t realistic in our world, but taking care of plants in any form is a good life skill. Also, singing, even without infusing your song with magic, has been known to help plant growth, so let yourself go and serenade some greenery.
Not as much of a green thumb? Well, the world, though a desert, is full of things to explore, chests to open, materials to dig, and lore to uncover. Not to mention the odd sandstorm that just wants to have a little fun. There’s even combat, as you fight back corrupted spirits who are looking to control the desert for themselves.
I’ve just started playing through the game for a second time and I’m having just as much fun as the first time around, but this time with a friend. Our base looks completely different from my previous one and we have just barely started. Each time we play, I’m always sad to have to put it down because there is always something more that I want to do.
One of the best parts of the game, in my opinion, is that the developers, Muse Games and Kwalee Gaming, partnered with the Rainforest Alliance to try and help raise awareness for the non-profit. The game fits really well with the ideals of the organization, whose mission is to build “a world where people and nature thrive in harmony,” making them good partners. An addition to the endorsement comes in the form of an adorable frog hat in the game.
Overall, the gameplay is not the most complex, but the simplicity helps with its accessibility to a larger audience of players. The progression through the game is expansive and satisfying, especially as you move through the map. The graphics, while not groundbreaking per se, have a very soft style which fits the generally relaxing gameplay. Even after hours of playing, I still appreciate the running and sliding animations of the gardener. There is a lack of voice acting, but it doesn’t harm the experience as there is not much dialogue. Plus, coming up with your own voices can be really fun.
I think that the experience of helping to regrow a portion of land is very important for people right now. Learning how to protect the environment, even through a game, is a cool thing to do.
