#and all of wandersong

[coelpts]

tosses you a 23 for the ask!

23. A “Wow” moment of awe

HRRRRNGH okay listen. there's a problem here. if there's a moment in a game that makes me feel so reverent and in awe of it, i do not want to tell people about it because i want them to just see it on their own. no expectations, no preconceptions, because that sort of feeling of…wonder, of awe and beauty, is deeply…like, it's part of my brain chemistry, right? That's My Emotion! that's The Big One!

the biggest game that inspired that awe in me was no doubt Outer Wilds. it did something to me. but i REFUSE to spoil anything about that game. it's one of those experiences you can only ever have one single time, and going in blind is THE best option. so if you want a game full of that sort of feeling: please, PLEASE play Outer Wilds. you WILL enjoy it. it's got some horror elements, there are jump scares in at least one planet and i've heard the dlc is pretty spooky too- but i really can't recommend it enough.

BUT. i will share a key moment for you. SPOILERS FOR THE GAME TUNIC. if you want to go in blind, BACK OUT NOW.

so like…specifically i was only really around for the back half of tunic while my roommate was playing it, but that's when the good puzzle shit kicks in so i'm not upset about that. BUT. as you play through tunic, you collect pieces of its manual. like, in-game. you start out completely in the dark with only the basic controls, and get more pages as you go.

BUT. this manual is ILLEGIBLE. it's written entirely in moonrunes that you cannot read, and that are never translated at any point.

that's because you can figure out how to translate the runes all by yourself. and the moment that i realized i could READ it? that was like christmas morning. i was writing and reading and figuring out all the rules as my roommate played. i don't think i'll forget that feeling.

[theabbystabby]

My contribution to the @wandersongzine! A piece for Act 5, my favorite act and my favorite scene. <3

It was a privilege and an honor to do art for this zine, as well as work and talk to so many amazing people while doing so!!!

[beeguillotine]

Happy Happy Miriam Mondayyy!!!!

[historicallyinaccuratejomarch]

Everything Everywhere All At Once, dir. Daniel Kwan // Bethany Hockenberry, Night In The Woods // Greg Lobanov, Wandersong // Alice Oseman, I Was Born For This

[st4rfragm3nt]

Your honor, bardiriam

[artseniccatnip]

why does the beastie not just win on its own? is it stupid?

[raynavan]

"the King of Hearts got sick!!! And started acting funny..." stumbles into the wandersong fandom 6 years late oh hey.

also a quick doodle of kiwi

they are everything to me.

[mothwingedmyths]

When people say "what's your favorite video game genre" I always assume they want a regular answer so I just say metroidvania because I love metroidvanias but my real favorite is "even the most insignificant characters have their own individual lives and this game makes sure you know that one way or another"

Edit hi it's present me. This post's tags need updating but I don't want to update the tags do I do it or no

[maroisedot]

Hallihallo freunde der sonne, have some assorted wandersong art from the last weeks

please look at my silly little guys, I love them

[nyanbinary-87]

i cant be the only one to think of this

[dragondawdles]

hey c'mon now

[shinystar678]

i drew this when i hadddd artblock

Reallllly bad artblock i think?? I ran out of ideas, then i went "why dont i draw these characters?" and then i did .

[stoatallybored]

Don't give up, Lil B! 💚🎶

[beeguillotine]

Happy Miriam Monday!!

[pixiemage]

ALTERNATIVELY: suggest a different game in the comments or tags! :D

This may help me organize which games I want to play and when. I have streams to plan, man! 😋

[magicwhiskers29]

Today on 'Whiskers tells you all to play Wandersong'!

IT'S RAVING ABOUT LEITMOTIFS TIME!!

First, and (not actually the first you hear, but shhh) the Bard's motif! First heard in The Bard, the motif appears across the OST in any track titled 'The Bard and [...}', which usually opens any new act on a familiar note! And then! And then! When it plays in other tracks, such as Even the Tiniest Bugs, or I'm going with you!, it really hits you because you recognise it, and it's so full of hope and optimism, and everything the Bard stands for, even when facing the end of the world

Actually, first of all, the hero motif! It's the joint ideas of the sword seen in the prologue and that concept of wanting to make a difference. It's I Wanna be a Hero and I'm Going With You! just as much as it's The Sword and Lightning Strike, and it's that dichotomy that defines some of the most interesting themes and points of conflict in the game. (Also its use in King of Hearts will never not be my favourite thing)

Okay, and maybe not actually so much a leitmotif as a theme that gets frequently remixed, but... Miriam's motif/theme! First heard in, well... Miriam, there are variations of it starting with She's Mine, and then My Friend Miriam, where the track begins to change tone with the game. It's the contrast to the Bard's theme that remains (usually -- there is, of course, an exception) joyful and optimistic, where you can really feel that Miriam's resolve isn't quite made of the same kinds of things. Miriam matches the game's tone, where the Bard tends to oppose it and keep fighting.

To finish out the trio, Audrey does have her own individual motif as well. (Jeez, Audrey, how come the devs gave you two motifs, huh?) First heard later in Lightning Strike, followed by in Audrey's interlude music of Thunderstorm (Slightly different, actually, but I think it counts), and then again in most of Audrey's music, such as Collapse and Audrey. It's very fanfare-y, which is pretty fitting for how she likes to present herself. It's pretty classically 'cool', and you can just feel her pride and smugness in it. I do think it's interesting how the dragging out of the intro starts to bring it down as the game progresses too. It's not just the Bard and Miriam who are getting worn out (physically and mentally), by the journey.

And then all the minor motifs! There are... a lot. There are many act-specific motifs, or motifs for more minor characters. To list off a few interesting ones:

The Dream King! Starts in The Dream King as sleepy and calm, very Act 1, if you will, but gets progressively darker, sort of matching Miriam's theme, in that regard, with tracks like Out of Order

The Coffee Pirates theme! A classic for Act Three! Very fun, and gets used in a variety of contexts from a slower ship theme in The Lady Arabica, to a group sing-a-long fun time in Sailing with Coffee Pirates, to a sombre farewell in Sail into the Sunset

ALL THREE CHISMEST MOTIFS! So, there's the town theme in... Chismest, which reoccurs for a more mischievous variant in Subterfuge for plotting! Now... This is technically just part of the Order March, but I wanted to talk about it anyway

And then the Happy Kid theme heard in Happy Kid and another track which I'll get to in a moment.

And, of course, the track that the chapter is built around both thematically and literally, the Order March -- showing up again in The Baron, to bring things back to where they started for the end of the main section of the Act (Very Chismest, what with its circular layout, where you always end up back at the Factory), and for a bit of a groove in Please Hold. And possibly my favourite Act opener: ACT 4: March of the Happy Factory. It starts as a sort of strange-sounding start for the first time you hear Happy Kid's theme, before devolving into a chaotic run, very reminiscent of the Factory's ironically chaotic music, and finishing on a sombre note of the Order March once more.

If you couldn't tell, I have an immense appreciation for Act Four's music specifally, haha.

And then! HALA'S MOTIF! This one's more subtle, since you hear the origin of the motif after your first time hearing it in something else (Somewhat similar to the Hero motif, intriguing...), and it's in Hala, and also Mean Spirit where it really brings the emotion into the latter. It matches Mohabumi's soundfont very well, and it's a cool little detail in Mean Spirit!

And finally... It's small, but I'm basically legally obligated to talk about the Heart motif :) First in the very silly Heart Fairy, and repurposed masterfully for the much more dramatic King of Hearts, where the emotional stakes are much higher. It doesn't appear much, but it's usage is very efficient, and very effective

So yeah. This game has very good music and everyone should play it. (I'm not beating the obssessed with leitmotif allegations today whoops)