If you’ve been busy playing more traditionally tense and action-oriented games for the last generation or so, you may not be aware of what’s getting to be a consistently-growing cozy gaming movement that has been brewing. While the specific genre that modifier is being applied to can vary, for the most part these titles are geared toward movement in a more calming direction, often featuring repetitive and soothing activities, a focus on interactions with other characters, and a lack of strictly-defined objectives. As you may have guessed, Wanderstop is one such game, sharing elements with some of its brethren like talking to customers, figuring out what it is they’re looking for, and then doing your best to serve it up. The thing is, aside from the beverage du jour here being tea rather than coffee, Wanderstop also has its own themes and personality that help it to differentiate itself.

To start with, rather than playing the part of an understanding barista, bringing a sense of chilled calm to your patrons, here you’ll play as Alta, a warrior who was at the top of her game until suddenly she wasn’t. Shaken to her core, she goes to find Master Winter, who is hidden out in the woods, but is then hit with sudden fatigue to the point that she can no longer even carry her sword, she passes out. When she wakes up she finds herself in the presence of someone completely the opposite of who she seeks, the kind but somewhat odd Boro, who listens to her story and problems and encourages her to seek out rest and inspiration, in part by helping him run his tea shop, the Wanderstop.

What follows is a mix of your character’s journey towards healing, with her story told in pieces as you discover new ingredients and brews, talking to customers and trying to help them out, and then growing different plants, cultivating them, and making them into tea. Mechanically, this isn’t always the greatest, with your ability to place seeds or work with plants feeling less locked in and accurate than some of its peers, and your means of managing your inventory being well-meaning, but still a bit clumsy. Regardless, the value proposition here isn’t so much on the sim side, it’s on your character’s journey and learning to find her calm, which in turn could help you do the same.