The Wandering Village – Spotlight
I’ve always thought each of the sixteen colossi in Shadow Of The Colossus is kinda cute in their own special way. Despite the fact that they could easily break every bone in my frail body, I find those huge, lumbering creatures innately endearing due to their animalistic antics.
Stray Fawn Studio, based in Zürich, completely understands what I’m talking about, and in their city-building simulation The Wandering Village, they’ve made their very own lovable rocky giant. Your town is situated on the back of their giant six-legged creature, which they call Onbu, which provides a flat, walkable platform for your community. To describe Onbu is to call him a gentle giant. They are cautious but steady on their feet, enjoy snacking on fields of wild mushrooms, dozing off in swaths of pink flowers, and sleeping with their paws tucked under their bodies.
The entire premise of The Wandering Village rests on my promise to defend Onbu, because they are the best. You’ve got to look after your human settlement and your new giant dinosaur pal. It takes time to earn Onbu’s trust, but I was determined to win over this magnificent, hulking monster during my time with The Wandering Village.
The humans of The Wandering Village have resorted to starting a settlement on the back of a megasaur. Toxic spores are slowly eroding the planet, making human habitation on the ground next to impossible; the only way to ensure one’s survival is to hitch a ride on the back of a massive beast. It’s an interesting take on the city-builder genre, and as Onbu travels across the planet he’ll experience varying biomes and be forced to adjust accordingly (including regular run-ins with the deadly spores). Planning and adjusting on the fly to these varying settings is a significant part of The Wandering Village.
My settlers, like those of any other city-builder, began with the cutting down of trees for building materials, the gathering of stones, and the gathering of berries. Then, I constructed several dwellings, a research facility to initiate the discovery of new technologies, a water collection system, and a kitchen to satisfy the needs of the growing population. It’s easy to assign workers to buildings using the plus and minus buttons, so you can nimbly shift your workforce around and maximise its efficiency as you play. Herbs can be grown quickly to treat poisoned villagers, for example, and this can be prioritised along with other urgent tasks. The delicate allocation of tasks combined with elements of post-apocalyptic survival give The Wandering Village an air reminiscent of Frostpunk, albeit with less forced child labour. No, I’ve never done anything like that. Haha. Ha.
It’s the same administrative drudgery as in other city management simulations, but with a very different atmosphere. The structures have a painterly quality and are incredibly detailed; for example, the doctor’s shack displays medicinal herbs on the outside, and the kitchen bungalow features a spout from which smoke rises. The variety in size and form makes it simple to pick out individual structures, while a shared aesthetic unifies the complex as a whole.
The soundtrack is an ideal complement to the images. The entire OST is anchored by traditional instruments with heavy percussion, and intense moments are accentuated by a mighty chorus of voices. There’s also an impossibly deep didgeridoo that shakes your very core when played. When compared to other city builders, the abundance of vibrant colours is one of the most noticeable and welcome changes. But the biggest difference is, of course, Onbu, so let me tell you about my colossal BFF.
Upon first encounter, the Onbu are fast asleep, giving you time to get your village in order. My memory of the moment he opened his eyes for the first time will always be vivid. With a deep rumble and a yawning groan, they got to their feet and began stomping forward, shaking the ground behind them. Even after spending a fair amount of time in the Wandering Village, the thrill of riding on Onbu’s back never ceases to amaze me. I still couldn’t bring myself to get angry when they got cranky and started shaking their heads, causing a lot of damage to the buildings in my village. Just look at the expression on their face!
Toxic spores are a major threat to your village. Your community is in serious danger from toxic spores. Spores may begin to appear on the plateau if Onbu travels through any unavoidable toxic spots. You can’t afford to let them poison your villagers, so arming your people with flamethrowers is the best way to deal with the rapid spread of the infestation. If you can persuade Onbu to take a detour around the dangerous areas, they should do so.
After some time, Onbu will start to pay more attention to you and your village, which is crucial for surviving the storms that are coming your way. In the most simplistic terms, caring for Onbu is similar to ship maintenance. You’ll need to keep it in working order and then put it to use in order to get around.
Onbu can fend for themselves if you ignore them, eating and sleeping at their own convenience and wandering around as they please. It’s great that Onbu follows their passions, but is it really the best idea for them to take a nap in the middle of a scorching desert? To be honest, not really. Obtaining Onbu’s trust and responsibility requires accessing various nodes in the tech tree, which allow the construction of various devices and structures. The ability to pet them, cook for them in a special kitchen, launch food at them with a trebuchet (yes, a trebuchet), and remove poison with a hot air balloon were all unlocked (a big thanks to the Kickstarter backers for that option). It’s a lot of effort, but it’s for the benefit of the villagers and of Onbu himself. The two entities benefit from one another to some extent.
As their faith in me grew, I constructed a massive horn and employed strategic commands, such as sending them in predetermined directions on the enormous map I had constructed. I also made them sit down before we entered the desert on a regular basis so that I could stock up on water and food, and I had them run through toxic areas to lessen the effect of the spores. Anyone who doesn’t own a cat will have to get used to the fact that they don’t always comply with your requests.
Other, uh, more ruthless choices can be found in the tech tree. To speed up the growth of my crops, I innocently unlocked and constructed a dung collector. To my utter horror, I learned that the only way to get it is to drill holes in an Onbu’s back, which in turn causes them to lose faith in you. In the wake of my discovery, I destroyed the monstrosity and loaded Onbu down with a menagerie of sad pets. There is a device in the technology tree that can drain Onbu’s blood for use in making food for your villagers, but doing so not only breaks their trust but also harms their health. Nu-uh. Nope. Not while I’m around. No way, no how.
The thought of how appealing these choices are has certainly crossed my mind. During times of food scarcity due to weather-related disasters, fertiliser could prove invaluable. For the duration of our presence in certain regions, my people have subsisted on berry mush and beet soup; providing them with a more substantial, filling meal would undoubtedly increase their output. Those choices exist if you’re looking for the most efficient means of survival. Let me assure you: no one cares what you do (you heartless monster).
Even though its city-building mechanics will be familiar to many, the setting, visuals, and the fact that you’re responsible for a massive colossus elevate The Wandering Village to the level of a top-tier management sim. Stray Fawn’s Onbu is a brilliant creation that borrows heavily from Ghibli’s Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind but is ultimately its own animal.
As someone who enjoys making up stories, I think the scavengers in your village would be a great way to add some flavour and mystery to your setting (a two-person team you can assign to leave the village to search for more resources). Your band of humans are pretty isolated on Onbu’s back, so some snippets of how the rest of the world is doing would be a welcome addition. In addition to the aforementioned, I would love to see the Kickstarter-unlockable features of flying trade merchants, bird taming, and a ruined landscape implemented. Even though it’s still in early access, The Wandering Village is remarkably complete for a game of this type.
