Screenshots & trailers
Review sentiment over time
Weekly positive-review rate (green) and review volume (bars). Dashed lines mark significant patches; the amber line is the start of the current scoring window. Hover the dots to see what drove a dip or a jump.
How this score was computed
The VGC Score is a weighted blend on a press-comparable 0-100 quality scale. Steam approval rates are first calibrated (95% positive on Steam ≈ 89.5 quality, since Steam approval skews high). Press and tracked creator reviews each count ~2x a player review and share one cap against player evidence (creator buy/skip calls pool into an approval rate, calibrated like Steam approval); all-time sentiment is capped and halved (it's context, not verdict); reviews of the current build carry the most weight when a fresh patch anchors the window; and a 'typical game' prior keeps small samples from pegging the scale. Because press reviews and Metacritic user aggregates describe the launch build, their weight decays as the game ages (3-year half-life after a 1-year grace). That's how a game that launched rough can outgrow its old reception once updates win players over. Reviews under 2h playtime (the refund window), non-Steam activations, and free copies are downweighted.
| Component | Positive | Quality (0-100) | Weight (pseudo-reviews) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Press reviews (OpenCritic) | – | 76 | 52 |
| All-time Steam reviews | 92% | 86 | 85 |
| Metacritic user ratings | – | – | 0 |
| Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted) | 87% | 81 | 54 |
| Calibration prior (typical game) | – | 72 | 50 |
Scoring window: since the last significant patch (Dec 17, 2025) · 54 reviews sampled · 45 total reviews in window · weighted 34.8 up / 5.1 down · computed 2h ago · full methodology →
Press & Creators reviews (26)
Individual verdicts from outlets we track: scored reviews first, most trusted outlets first among them. The small badge is each outlet's trust score: how well its scoring history aligns with players.
- 65
“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.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“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.”
read full review ↗ - 78
“While the experience as a whole can be uneven, the word-based combat and other tweaks to the traditional RPG formula are appreciated”
read full review ↗ - 79
“Wander Stars is a little surprise. I really liked the idea of "do-it-yourself" moves, as well as the desire to draw inspiration from classic '90s shonen games for the graphics. Sure, the story is intentionally more linear and action-oriented than deep exploration, and the lack of voice acting can be felt. The true heart of the experience remains the innovative, turn-based, word-based combat system. The mechanic of combining words to build and launch custom attacks is a brilliant idea. Likewise, the fact that you gain honor by not knocking out your opponent fits well with the universe and philosophy behind Wander Stars.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“At the end of an episode, you can spend Honor, effectively experience points, to permanently raise certain stats or limits, like the number of attack words you can bring into battle. A star ranking system encourages return trips to each episode, but I found that once was enough for me. Some stuttering, some janky animations, and even a softlock put a damper on my time with it, but Wander Stars is a relatively fun romp while it lasts, particularly if you're in it more for the RPG mechanics over the plot.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Wander Stars is a great piece of nostalgia that does what anything attempting to evoke those feelings should do. The experience feels like something I remember from years ago, using the art of Akira Toriyama and a vibe familiar to fans, and feeling like I grew up with it, to create an experience that doesn’t feel like it is just a rehash.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“Wander Stars is interesting and tells a Dragon Ball type of tale, especially considering its novel combat system that uses words to construct every action.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Wander Stars is an incredibly cute love letter to the classic anime series. It takes the extreme style of Dragon Ball’s bombastic combat and playfully turns it into a turn-based RPG, fully embracing the camp hyper-stylised nature of its inspirations. It also tells an unexpectedly emotional tale with diversity in its cast of characters. A delightful treat for the Cheez TV kids (and the furries).”
read full review ↗ - 50
“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.”
read full review ↗ - 75
“Few games commit to an idea as boldly as Wander Stars, and its anime-inspired episodic structure is a triumph in style and ambition. Yet, the weight of overlapping systems and limited difficulty options makes it harder to love than it should be. A lighter touch on restrictions or a greater spread between difficulty levels could open the door for more players to enjoy what Paper Castle Games has built. For now, it remains a dazzling but demanding journey; rewarding for some, frustrating for others.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Wander Stars mixes old-school anime humor, turn-based combat, and roguelite elements into an entertaining JRPG. The story isn’t groundbreaking, but the creative combat and tactical choices keep you engaged.”
read full review ↗ - 85
“Wander Stars delivers fun, word-powered RPG action in a stunning anime world”
read full review ↗
GameFM
RPGamer
Nindie Spotlight
Gamesource Italia
NintendoWorldReport
Pixel Byte
Siliconera
Checkpoint Gaming
MonsterVine
Gamer Social Club
Gameliner
PS3Blog.net…and 14 more tracked reviews.
Patch history
- Wander Stars 1.3.3 patch notesAug 5, 2026
- *Updated* Wander Stars 1.2.5 patch notes (12/17/2025)Dec 17, 2025significant · resets scoring window
- Wander Stars 1.2.4 patch notes (10/11/2025)Oct 11, 2025significant · resets scoring window
- Wander Stars 1.2.3 patch notes (09/28/2025)Sep 28, 2025significant · resets scoring window
- Wander Stars 1.2.2 patch notes (09/22/2025)Sep 22, 2025significant · resets scoring window
- Wander Stars Demo 1.2.1 patch notes (9/14/25)Sep 18, 2025significant · resets scoring window
- Wander Stars Release Date UpdateJul 17, 2025significant · resets scoring window
- Wander Stars Demo 1.1.1 patch notes (6/14/25):Jun 14, 2025significant · resets scoring window
- Wander Stars Demo 1.1.0 patch notes (6/9/25)Jun 9, 2025
- Wander Stars Demo 1.0.5 patch notesJul 24, 2024significant · resets scoring window
- Wander Stars Demo 1.0.4 patch notesJun 12, 2024
- Wander Stars Demo 1.0.3 patch notesMay 19, 2024significant · resets scoring window
- Wander Stars Demo 1.0.2 patch notesMay 13, 2024significant · resets scoring window
- Development update 2022Nov 10, 2022