Wayward Strand - Evoking The Last Express by way of 1970’s Australiana

Wayward Strand gave me an experience unlike any game I’ve ever touched before; the feeling of home.

I know this is something many people have felt when inhabiting a digital space. If you’ve ever lived in London, LA, San Francisco, Tokyo or any number of densely populated areas across the world, you can likely find a playground designed for you to run, jump, shoot or drive in. Rural Australia - specifically regional Victoria - is well and truly not that.

Yet, here we are - thanks to a burgeoning indie scene across this sunburnt country, we’re starting to see real representation of our lived experiences.

Wayward Strand’s sense of place - despite taking place in a hospital aboard an airship - is palpable. Through but a handful static images used as setup, the game cements you in a feeling exactly the opposite of the hustle and bustle of a GTA / Watch_Dogs / Yakuza / every other city based playground. One disconnected from glamour and expense - instead, we find practical country living built with raw authenticity.

It’s in the smallest of details. A sulphur-crested cocky on a knitted jumper. Native flora spilling out of a well tended inside garden. The hair styles and the fashion choices.

I think it’s the speech in particular that gets me. A lack of exaggeration - just true, regular Aussie accents. The shortened or mashed together common words and phrases. G’day. Hoo-roo.

That last one hit me like a ton of bricks. That’s exactly what my late grandma used to say whenever we were heading off after a weekend visit. That grandma who, at 90+ years of age, lived on her own on the farm, collected the eggs from the chickens every day, chopped her own wood every winter, and looking at my fascination with gadgets and games like they may as well have been delivered to us by robots from outer space.

Roaming the halls of this magnificent airship involves little more mechanically than walking and talking. The goal set for your 14 year old self is simply to help your mum look after the older residents across the course of 3 in game days. Not by running fetch quests or managing meters mind you, but simply by just… spending time with them. You’re a 14 year old kid, not a superhero. Sometimes, people just need some company.

Chatting to everyone aboard this fantastical vessel is an absolute joy to engage with. The handful of people you’ll be getting to know are wonderfully layered and interesting - even despite fitting a handful of overarching stereotypes. In just over 4 hours, the connection I built with Ida, Tomi, Mr. Pruess and Dr. Bouchard made it legitimately heart wrenching when it came time to say goodbye. It felt, like these things always do… too soon.

That’s where the beauty of Wayard Strand comes in, I think. During the three days you spend with them, the clock is always running, and everyone is on a schedule. You’re not going to know what Mr. Avery and Esther are discussing in hushed tones over on their lunch table if you’re chatting with Mr. Pruess up on the deck, overlooking the Victorian shoreline an reminiscing on a past long gone.

The game is brilliantly structured around this notion - you can’t be everywhere all at once, and thus will never get all of the information. Don’t worry, you’re going to get enough of the narrative through line regardless of what you do - the space you wander is small enough you can get anywhere in seconds, and the writing is both so focused and cleverly interwoven that you’ll never feel like you’re missing crucial bits of information - but this structure really underscores the fact that you are just one young teen in the middle of something much larger than yourself. It’s not your job to save the world. All you need to do, is be there when it matters for those who need you most.

I can’t emphasise enough just how much of an accomplishment Wayward Strand is in successfully reflecting an honest Australian narrative. The sense of place this game gave me was chilling; the people I met and talked with brought me a warmth that you only get from connecting with a loving grandparent.

Wayward Strand is not only a must play for every Aussie who’s ever lived outside a city, but for anyone at all looking for a heartfelt, honest and beautiful narrative experience, all wrapped in an authentic Australian touch.

Wayward Strand was reviewed on Steam with code kindly provided by the publisher.