The Wandering Village - Life on the back of a wondrous creature

The Wandering Village from Stray Fawn Studio is based on a creative idea so that players can look forward to a different kind of building simulation. In The Wandering Village, a group of fugitives living in a poisoned world found a settlement on the back of a giant six-legged animal that looks something like a mixture of a Brontosaurus and a dragon. The colony can only survive on the back of this creature if the players manage to establish a symbiotic relationship with it.

Stray Fawn Studio, an independent development studio from Switzerland, are the creators of Niche - a genetics survival game and Nimbatus - The Space Drone Constructor. Both games were characterized by a high degree of freedom of play and the idea of creating life and technology. In Nimbatus - The Space Drone Constructor, players constructed drones and in Niche - a genetics survival game, a new species of cute mammals had to be created through genetic simulation.

Can humans and animals enter into a fruitful symbiosis?

The Wandering Village is obviously based on these ideas. In the simulation game, life is supposed to thrive on the back of the creature, which the survivors call Onbu. Although Onbu is huge, it is not infinite. Therefore, unlike in many Construction simulations make do with limited space. Priorities must therefore be set when creating production chains, cultivating fields and constructing buildings for the settlement. The situation is made even more difficult by the fact that Onbu is not standing still, but is constantly moving, turning the small village into a "Wandering Village".

The highlight here is that Onbu roams through various areas that are assigned to the players and their Settlement each with their own dangers that make life difficult. Areas with poisonous spores, magical but chaotic weather conditions and attacking parasites always create life-threatening situations. Players must therefore always consider which dangers need to be averted when building the village. The ultimate goal is to strengthen the bond with Onbu to such an extent that players can Influence The creature's movement can influence the direction in which it moves, so that it may eventually discover a healthier environment.

Players have to master a special challenge

Onbu is a peaceful creature and players are encouraged by the game design of Stray Fawn Studio to build their settlement in such a way that the animal also benefits from the "partnership". This is further supported by colorful graphics that mix 3D design and handmade 2D animations.

However, this does not mean that you can only build and create in a symbiotic direction. Players who are only out to benefit the village and would rather develop new technologies than think about natural coexistence between humans and creatures can harm Onbu and the desired symbiosis and put the entire settlement in permanent danger. Therein lies the special The challenge from The Wandering Village.

What awaits you in the future in The Wandering Village

The Early Access version has now been released and Unbo is roaming the screens. Stray Fawn has not rested on its laurels and has immediately announced further features. So we can look forward to new biomes, for example: Water and Ruins. There will be new locations and events, as well as new buildings and even tameable birds. Another exciting feature will be flying merchants. There will also be a number of improvements, such as: more story content, new and improved Onbu interactions, more mechanics for town building, better villager AI and better difficulty balancing.

The Wandering Village tips and tricks

The fact is: the colorful world is deceptive. The Wandering Village quickly becomes a challenge. Here are some tips to help you build your village:

1. I'm not a fan of tutorials, but in this case: Do it!
2. Buildings with which you can interact with Onbu are of great importance. Build an Unbo doctor and the Onbu kitchen early on.
3. Short distances, short transportation times - works in every construction game.
4. Use berry bushes with the help of berry farms. Start building there too.
5. Water becomes scarce in the desert. Build water reservoirs and air wells early on.
6. Berry farms and berry muesli, which you prepare in the kitchen, are good nutritional solutions for desert crossings.
7. Use the expedition option quickly. There are important resources to collect in the remote locations.

I was at Gamescom 2022 with my good friend and Lets Play colleague and visited the Stray Fawn stand together. There we got tips and tricks about Unbo directly from the creators. If you're looking for more tips, you can also read the article from KlabauterMannLP read through.