Wander Stars (2025)

I love the combat, aesthetics, and banter between characters. I had an extremely rough time in the boss fights due to technical qualms. I tried pushing forward, but losing at an unplayable mess of a boss fight takes you back to the start of the chapter to do everything all over again—a loss of progress. After dealing with this, I gave up and am waiting for fixes. I suggest playing Wander Stars on Steam, because there is something so special here with this RPG teasing well-known anime tropes with a dark-skinned girl of colour lead–a rarity in the shounen genre. But for me, the unplayable mess it became has driven me away from the game’s Nintendo Switch version.

Wander Stars is a turn-based RPG that heavily pays homage to 80s/90s shonen anime, featuring a simple and charming story presented in an episodic format. Its combat is innovative and fun, based on strategic word combinations to perform attacks. Although the game is charismatic and the management of your word arsenal adds depth, the repetitiveness of the gameplay loop (walking and battling) can drag on during long sessions.

Wander Stars is a unique RPG title that allows players to craft their own attacks by mixing and matching words, creating an engaging and enjoyable battle experience with a nostalgic ‘90s anime vibe. With its anime episode-style storytelling and creative combat system, the game truly shines. It’s missing those vocal scream attacks that would make it a fulfilling anime experience.

Wander Stars is a great reminder that episodic RPGs are a fantastic, if rare, thing. At no point does the game outstay its welcome across its ten episodes, and the writing and characters do a wonderful job of bringing players back. The battle system is interesting, though it ultimately plays a bit too safe, which is a shame given how playful the idea of using one’s words is.

All in all, Wander Stars is a good time for RPG fans and anyone nostalgic for older battle anime. I had fun with it and you probably will, too.