Wandersong Explained
Wandersong is a puzzle adventure video game developed by American-Canadian indie developer Greg Lobanov. A music-themed game, it follows The Bard, a wandering singer, as they go on a quest to gather pieces of a song that will save their world from destruction. In the game, the player uses The Bard's singing to affect the environment, solve puzzles, and defend against enemies. Wandersong was released on macOS, Microsoft Windows, and Nintendo Switch in September 2018, PlayStation 4 in January 2019, and Xbox One in December 2019.
Gameplay
Wandersong is a side-scrolling puzzle and adventure game that uses music as a puzzle-solving mechanic.[1] [2] The player character can sing to cause events to occur in the environment around them, using a coloured "song wheel" with eight directions, each representing musical notes spanning an octave,[2] which is controlled by the mouse on a computer setup, or the right thumbstick on a controller.[3] Certain challenges in the game involve the player matching notes or tunes with a non-player character's song, similar to a typical rhythm game.[3] Functions that allow the player to perform dances also exist, but do not actually serve a purpose in gameplay.[3] The player character's goal is to gather the pieces of the "Earthsong", a composition that, when sung in perfect harmony with everyone on earth, will allow the universe to be preserved.
Plot
The protagonist, a bard, meets a messenger of the goddess Eya in a dream. The messenger tells them that the world is ending, and that the Bard is not "The Hero" of prophecy. However, they may be able to save the world by learning the "Earthsong". Each of the world's seven "Overseers" knows a piece of the Earthsong, and so the Bard is tasked with learning the songs corresponding to the Overseers. Each Overseer's song allows the Bard to travel to their domain in the spirit world and ask for their piece of the Earthsong.
The Bard travels around the world with a witch named Miriam, and they make friends in each location they visit as they search for the Overseers' songs. However, the third Overseer they meet is abruptly killed by a stranger before the Bard can learn the piece of the Earthsong. Eya's messenger reveals that the stranger, Audrey Redheart, is the prophesied Hero, chosen to bring about the end of the world by killing the Overseers. The Bard is able to learn the piece of the Earthsong from the dead Overseer, having gained the ability to speak to ghosts from the first Overseer.
The Bard and Miriam continue travelling in hopes that the completed Earthsong may still be able to save the world. Miriam, who was initially cynical and distrusting of the Bard, gradually grows to value their friendship. They meet Audrey several more times as she continues her quest to kill the Overseers. The Bard tries to convince Audrey to give up on her quest, saying that the title of "Hero" is not what makes her special. Audrey rejects this and kills the last Overseer before the Bard can learn the Earthsong.
The world fades to greyscale as it begins to die. The Bard sings, and all the people they met on their journey respond in harmony around the world. Color returns to the world, and its destruction is stopped. The messenger of Eya tells the Bard that their song was not the Earthsong, but something new that harmonized with Eya's song.
Development
Wandersong was developed in GameMaker Studio by Greg Lobanov,[4] who had also built a custom level editor and audio editor to create the game. It marks Lobanov's return to story-driven games, a milestone that had been a goal of his after years of learning game design skills developing games such as Perfection and Coin Crypt.[5] Development on the game started in October 2015, and was inspired by a cross-country bike trip Lobanov took across the United States from October 2014 to March 2015.[6] Lobanov wanted to translate the "feel of that journey", where he had met various people and felt overwhelmed by their perceived kindness and generosity. Lobanov originally went for a more literal interpretation of the cross-country bike trip that inspired him, developing games about biking. He was ultimately dissatisfied with these early concepts, feeling that they were "missing the spirit of the trip", and opted to create a game with a "really hippy, dopey, joyful rainbow message" that resembled his experiences on the trip. Lobanov's tenure in the "Indie House" in Vancouver, British Columbia early in development had an influence on the game's direction, as Lobanov shared his ideas with, and received feedback from, fellow game developers.[7] Wandersong was funded through a Kickstarter campaign that successfully raised US$21,936 from 989 contributors in February 2016.[8] [9]
Lobanov invented the game's "song wheel" mechanic as a way to encourage the player to experiment with the environment, as opposed to the specificity of other music-related mechanics in games such as . The wheel was designed with accessibility in mind; Lobanov designed Wandersong so that the solutions to puzzles would always be hinted at through direction, rather than sound and colour alone, allowing players with color blindness or hearing loss to solve the game's puzzles. The introduction of new uses of the song wheel in each of the game's puzzle areas complements the absence of a consistently rising difficulty curve, allowing the game to also be accessible to players with a lower skill set in puzzle solving. Many puzzles in Wandersong were reworked from their initial, more complex iterations, after game testers and patrons at conventions, where the game was showcased during development, found them difficult or hard to understand.
The game's "paper cutout" art style is primarily inspired by Kirby's Epic Yarn and its "physical feeling", the simplicity of which was also easier for Lobanov to work with as the game's sole programmer and artist. Characters flip over like paper when changing direction in the game's two-dimensional art style.[3] The game's visuals have drawn comparisons by observers to and the Paper Mario series. Its story, which Lobanov had planned the beginning and ending of from the start of development, is mostly constructed out of spontaneous ideas Lobanov had during development based on the game's core mechanic of singing, which were made easier to implement through the custom level editor and the minimalist art style. The apocalyptic setting of Wandersong is juxtaposed with an optimistic and positive atmosphere. Lobanov felt that a completely positive atmosphere would result in a "really empty experience", and decided to add tension through "really dark, scary, big things" to the game's story and opposing it with a "carefree, happy response" from The Bard. The game's non-intimidating tone and pace was informed by animated cartoons that incorporated music, such as Over the Garden Wall and Steven Universe.[1] The cartoons also served as a reference for the game's animations.
Audio
The game's soundtrack was created by Lobanov and Gordon McGladdery, who is the director of A Shell in the Pit, a video game sound design and music production company known for their work on indie games such as Duelyst, Parkitect, and Rogue Legacy.[10] Lobanov, who had not been traditionally trained in music, self-taught to compose and perform music for the game. Lobanov enlisted the help of McGladdery early in development after talking with and considering various composers. Lobanov's admiration of McGladdery's musical style and the convenience of both of them being located in Vancouver had attracted him to McGladdery. Early in development, the composition of music for particular levels and scenes in the game would take place after the level or scene was completed, with changes to the level or scene also being implemented to better fit with the music composed. The game's sound design was produced in REAPER by A Shell in the Pit's Em Halberstadt, who previously worked on Night in the Woods as a sound designer.[11] The game was a departure from Halberstadt's ambient style and Foley production for Night in the Woods and employed a more musical direction that also involved character voices. For each sound effect in Wandersong, an entire scale of variations were created in Kontakt to fit the scale of the background music that it would appear with. An eight-track extended play featuring McGladdery's music for the game entitled Wandersong: Dreams & Wonder was released on November 8, 2017,[12] and a 7" single limited to 750 copies featuring the tracks "Sailing with the Coffee Pirates" and "Dreamscape" was released by Yetee Records on May 17, 2018.[13]
Release
Wandersong was showcased at GDC 2016, PAX West 2016, PAX West 2017, Day of the Devs 2017, and PAX West 2018.[14] [15] The game was published by Humble Bundle's publishing imprint "Presented by Humble Bundle",[16] and released on September 27, 2018, on macOS and Microsoft Windows through the Humble Bundle Store and Steam, and on Nintendo Switch through the Nintendo eShop.[17] [18] It was part of the first wave of games to be released with the GameMaker Studio 2 Nintendo Switch license, with Hyper Light Drifter and Undertale also being released for the Switch in September. The game was later released on PlayStation 4 via the PlayStation Store on January 22, 2019,[19] Microsoft Windows via the Microsoft Store as a launch title for Xbox Game Pass for PC on June 9, 2019,[20] and Xbox One via the Microsoft Store on December 6, 2019.[21] [22] On Xbox One, the game was also made available through Xbox Game Pass for Console.[22] [23]
Steam controversy
Wandersong saw a troubled release on Steam, as the game was erroneously tagged for review under Valve's policies against games that intentionally inflated users' statistics, such as achievements and trading card progression. Trading cards and achievements for Wandersong were inaccessible to players, who could not add the game to their "favorite games" lists as a result of the policy until January 9, 2019,[24] when Valve, the developers of Steam, contacted Lobanov via email, describing the error as a glitch in which Steam did not update the game's store page correctly. Sales of the game on Steam were not impacted by the error.[25]
Reception
Wandersong received "generally favorable reviews" according to review aggregator Metacritic. Reviewers praised the game's story, music, visuals, and attention to detail, but found the gameplay lackluster by comparison.
Writing for Destructoid, CJ Andriessen gave the game a score of 9/10, calling it "a rollercoaster ride through the spectrum of feelings, all wrapped up in a lovingly crafted construction paper world". Giada Zavarise of Rock, Paper, Shotgun wrote that Wandersong "wants to make you smile" and noted its accessibility for players who are colorblind or deaf, but remarked that the puzzles and platforming make it "less instantly accessible than, say, [...] Night in the Woods".[26] Phil Savage of PC Gamer praised the characters, saying that "it's the smaller character details—the people you meet along your journey—that ultimately resonate". Javy Gwaltney's review for Game Informer criticized Wandersong platforming and rhythm segments, stating that the gameplay "isn't much fun" and lacks depth or challenge, though the characters are "charming enough to keep things engaging".
Accolades
Wandersong was named the 9th best Nintendo Switch game of 2018 and the 13th best PC game of 2018 by the magazine Paste.[27] [28] At the 2019 Independent Games Festival, Wandersong was nominated for Excellence in Narrative,[29] and received honorable mentions for the Seumas McNally Grand Prize, Excellence in Visual Art, and Excellence in Audio.[30] [31] It was also nominated for the "Game, Original Family" award at the 2019 NAVGTR Awards,[32] and for Most Fulfilling Community-Funded Game at the 2019 SXSW Gaming Awards.[33] [34] At the 2019 G.A.N.G. Awards, Wandersong was nominated for Best Interactive Score and Best Sound Design for an Indie Game.[35]
See also
References
Sources
- Web site: Emory. Chris. Lobanov. Greg. Wandersong - An Interview With Creator, Greg Lobanov. Unique Drops. September 7, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180907063932/http://uniquedrops.com/blog/2016/9/20/wandersong-an-interview-with-creator-greg-lobanov. September 7, 2018. September 21, 2016. live.
- Web site: Chan. Stephanie. Lobanov. Greg. Colorful musical platformer Wandersong is coming to the Switch in 2018 . . September 6, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180906222439/https://venturebeat.com/2017/11/09/colorful-musical-platformer-wandersong-is-coming-to-the-switch-in-2018/ . September 6, 2018 . November 9, 2017. live.
- Web site: Pillon. Amanda. Halberstadt. Em. This Sound Designer Behind Night in the Woods Reveals What Sound Design Is All About. Sweety High. September 7, 2018. https://archive.today/20180907020936/https://www.sweetyhigh.com/read/em-halberstadt-sound-design-interview-041317. September 7, 2018. April 13, 2017. live.
- Frank. Allegra. Lobanov. Greg. January 22, 2018. WANDERSONG: Allegra Goes On a Musical Journey. English. September 12, 2018. Polygon.
- Web site: Frank. Allegra. Valve slaps Wandersong, a very real game, with fake-game restrictions. Polygon. January 16, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190116201735/https://www.polygon.com/2019/1/8/18173722/wandersong-steam-fake-game-restrictions. January 16, 2019. January 9, 2019. live.
Citations
Notes and References
- Web site: Frank. Allegra. Musical adventure Wandersong brings cuteness and quirk to Switch next year. Polygon. September 7, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180907084327/https://www.polygon.com/2017/11/9/16624942/wandersong-nintendo-switch-trailer-release-date. September 7, 2018. November 9, 2017. A sidescroller with a combat system driven by music [...] To do this, he'll have to defeat enemies and solve puzzles using his singing voice alone. [...] Players spin around a colored wheel in specific orders to enter new areas and defeat bosses... live.
- Web site: Rochefort . Simone de . Wandersong is a musical game inspired by cartoons like Steven Universe . . September 7, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180907093352/https://www.polygon.com/videos/2018/1/22/16919238/wandersong-musical-game-steven-universe . September 7, 2018 . January 22, 2018 . Wandersong is a whimsical puzzle-adventure game. The player character can sing a full octave of notes to solve puzzles. [...] the development team looked to cartoons that incorporate music, such as Steven Universe and Over The Garden Wall, for both the aesthetic and the non-intimidating tone and pace.. live.
- Web site: Macgregor. Jody. Wandersong makes being a bard not suck for once. PC Gamer. September 27, 2018. https://archive.today/20180927102633/https://www.pcgamer.com/wandersong-makes-being-a-bard-not-suck-for-once/. September 27, 2018. September 15, 2018. To sing you push the right-stick in one of eight directions that represent different notes which appear around you in a color-coded wheel (you can also use mouse and keys). Sometimes it's just the direction that's important [...] and sometimes it turns into a rhythm game where I have to match someone else's tune to impress them, or hit notes in time with sliding blocks of color to perform a specific song. [...] I've found no use for the dance button yet, but even if I never do, that's OK.. live.
- Web site: Chan . Stephanie . YoYo Games will publish indie titles made with its GameMaker Studio engine . . September 6, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180906234156/https://venturebeat.com/2018/05/24/yoyo-games-will-publish-indie-titles-made-with-its-gamemaker-studio-engine/ . September 6, 2018 . May 24, 2018 . Dumb and Fat Games used GameMaker Studio to develop its musical adventure Wandersong.. live.
- Web site: Kline . Nicole . Coin Crypt: Interview with Local Indie Game Developer Greg Lobanov . . September 6, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180906231703/http://www.geekadelphia.com/2013/12/17/coin-crypt-interview-with-local-indie-game-developer-greg-lobanov/ . September 6, 2018 . December 17, 2013. live.
- Web site: Lobanov . Greg . Wandersong (press kit) . Dumb and Fat . September 6, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180906233855/http://dumbandfat.com/press/sheet.php?p=wandersong . September 6, 2018 . 2017 . Wandersong was first made by Greg Lobanov, inspired by his 5,000 mile bike ride across the United States, and went into development in October 2015. [...] The game is made in Gamemaker: Studio [...] but expanded with a wide array of in-house dev tools including a shape-and-color based level editor and fairly advanced audio editor.. live.
- Web site: Bowman . Mitch . Closing Vancouver's Indie House . . September 7, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180907091723/https://www.polygon.com/features/2017/1/16/14271442/closing-vancouvers-indie-house . September 7, 2018 . January 16, 2017. live.
- Web site: Usher. William. A New RPG Has Players Saving The World By Singing. CinemaBlend. September 11, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180911232932/https://www.cinemablend.com/games/RPG-Has-Players-Saving-World-By-Singing-113537.html. September 11, 2018. January 24, 2016. live.
- Web site: Hartling. Paul. Wandersong Will Have You Singing to Interact With the World!. Bemanistyle. September 11, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180911233306/https://www.bemanistyle.com/wandersong-will-have-you-singing-to-interact-with-the-world/. September 11, 2018. February 8, 2017. The Kickstarter was released for the game one year ago and was successfully funded with $21,936 pledged out of the $18,000 goal.. live.
- Web site: Davenport . James . Listen to the best game music of the year . . September 6, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180906222101/https://www.pcgamer.com/listen-to-the-best-game-music-of-the-year/ . September 6, 2018 . December 28, 2016 . A good selection of the best game music of the last few years has all come from A Shell in the Pit, serving up lovely soundtracks for the likes of Duelyst, Rogue Legacy, Parkitect, and more.. live.
- Web site: New . Daniel . GDC 18: The sound design of Night in the Woods . Thumbsticks . September 7, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180907021830/https://www.thumbsticks.com/gdc-18-sound-design-night-in-the-woods/ . September 7, 2018 . March 23, 2018. live.
- Web site: Cunningham. James. November 9, 2017. Wandersong to Sing its Heart Out on Nintendo Switch. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20180907030241/https://www.hardcoregamer.com/2017/11/09/wandersong-to-sing-its-heart-out-on-nintendo-switch/278811/. September 7, 2018. September 7, 2018. Hardcore Gamer. Wandersong released an eight track Dreams & Wonder EP on Bandcamp yesterday.
- Web site: rpbtz. May 17, 2018. The Wandersong EP is now available to order from Yetee Records. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20180907030239/https://blipblop.net/the-wandersong-ep-is-now-available-to-order-from-yetee-records/. September 7, 2018. September 7, 2018. Blip Blop.
- Web site: Wandersong is music to my ears. Andriessen. C.J.. September 9, 2018. Destructoid. https://web.archive.org/web/20180907095000/https://www.destructoid.com/wandersong-is-music-to-my-ears-521177.phtml. September 7, 2018. September 7, 2018. ...and with an estimated 14 hour play time [..] Wandersong wasn't even on my radar before PAX West....
- Web site: Green . Holly . Douglas . Dante . September 5, 2017 . The 10 Best Games at PAX West 2017 . . September 7, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180907100129/https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2017/09/the-10-best-games-at-pax-west-2017.html . September 7, 2018 . live.
- Web site: Hayes . Matthew . November 9, 2017 . Humble Bundle Reveals Wandersong, a Musical Adventure Coming to Nintendo Switch and PC . . September 7, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180907083308/https://comicbook.com/gaming/2017/11/09/humble-bundle-wandersong-nintendo-switch/ . September 7, 2018 . live.
- Web site: The Star staff. September 27, 2018. Video game releases: FIFA 19, Wandersong, Life Is Strange 2, Dragalia Lost, Pathfinder: Kingmaker. The Star. September 27, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180927100950/https://www.thestar.com.my/tech/tech-news/2018/09/25/video-game-releases-fifa-19-wandersong-life-is-strange-2-dragalia-lost-pathfinder-kingmaker/. September 27, 2018. Wandersong For Nintendo Switch, Windows PC, MacOS from Sept 27. live.
- Web site: Romano . Sal . September 6, 2018 . Wandersong launches September 27 . Gematsu . September 7, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180907083313/https://gematsu.com/2018/09/wandersong-launches-september-27 . September 7, 2018 . Musical side-scroller Wandersong will launch for Switch via the Nintendo eShop and PC via Steam and the Humble Store on September 27. live.
- Web site: Romano. Sal. Wandersong coming to PS4 on January 22. Gematsu. January 16, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190116195151/https://gematsu.com/2019/01/wandersong-coming-to-ps4-on-january-22. January 16, 2019. January 16, 2019. Wandersong is coming to PlayStation 4 via the PlayStation Store on January 22.... live.
- Web site: Brown. Matt. Xbox Game Pass PC Games List. Windows Central. June 11, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190611081555/https://www.windowscentral.com/xbox-game-pass-pc-list. June 11, 2019. June 9, 2019. All the Xbox Game Pass PC titles available for Windows 10 [...] Wandersong. live.
- Web site: New. Daniel. This week's new Xbox One releases – December 2-6, 2019. Thumbsticks. December 4, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20191204072449/https://www.thumbsticks.com/xbox-one-releases-december-2-6-2019-12022019/. December 4, 2019. December 2, 2019 . Friday, December 6, 2019 [...] Wandersong. live.
- Web site: Moyse. Chris. Wandersong brings its merry ballad to Xbox One and Game Pass this week. Destructoid. December 29, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20191229232733/https://www.destructoid.com/wandersong-brings-its-merry-ballad-to-xbox-one-and-game-pass-this-week-574164.phtml. December 29, 2019. December 4, 2019 . Furthermore, it will be made available via subscription service Xbox Game Pass. [...] Wandersong launches on Xbox One December 6.... live.
- Web site: Madan. Asher. The Division, Naruto to Boruto: Shinobi Striker, and more join Xbox Game Pass soon. Windows Central. December 29, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20191229233240/https://www.windowscentral.com/division-naruto-boruto-shinobi-striker-and-more-join-xbox-game-pass-soon. December 29, 2019. December 4, 2019. Wandersong should join Xbox Game Pass for Xbox One on December 6.. live.
- Web site: Tarason. Dominic. Steam may have flagged Wandersong and others as 'fake' for months . Rock, Paper, Shotgun. January 16, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190116203345/https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2019/01/09/steam-flagged-wandersong-and-more-as-potentially-fake/. January 16, 2019. January 9, 2019. ...it wouldn’t be eligible for full Steam store perks such as offering trading cards [...] Lobanov has since been contacted directly by Valve, who say that this was a bug.... live.
- Web site: Grayson. Nathan. Steam Bug Keeps Popular Indie Game From Being Recognised As 'Real' For Five Months . Kotaku. January 16, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190116204526/https://www.kotaku.com.au/2019/01/steam-bug-keeps-popular-indie-game-from-being-recognized-as-real-for-five-months/. January 16, 2019. January 10, 2019. ...he learned from Valve that his game’s visibility was not impacted by the bug.... live.
- News: Wandersong review . Zavarise . Giada . . November 19, 2018 . January 6, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201028025211/https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2018/11/19/wandersong-review/ . October 28, 2020 . live.
- Web site: Martin. Garrett. Paste Games Writers. December 21, 2019. The 15 Best Switch Games of 2018. Paste. January 16, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190116210537/https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2018/12/the-15-best-switch-games-of-2018.html. January 16, 2019. 9. Wandersong. live.
- Web site: Green. Holly. Paste Games Writers. December 9, 2019. The 15 Best PC Games of 2018. Paste. January 16, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190116210526/https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2018/12/the-15-best-pc-games-of-2018.html. January 16, 2019. 13. Wandersong. live.
- Web site: Ramée. Jordan. January 4, 2019. IGF Awards Finalists Revealed; Winners To Be Announced At GDC 2019. GameSpot. January 16, 2019. https://archive.today/20190116211936/https://www.gamespot.com/articles/igf-awards-finalists-revealed-winners-to-be-announ/1100-6464157/. January 16, 2019. Excellence in Narrative. live.
- Web site: Nunneley. Stephany. January 5, 2019. Grand Prize finalists for 2019 IGF Awards include Return of the Obra Dinn, Minit. VG247. January 16, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190116211314/https://www.vg247.com/2019/01/05/2019-igf-awards-finalists/. January 16, 2019. $30,000 Seumas McNally Grand Prize; Excellence in Visual Art; Excellence in Audio. live.
- Web site: Fogel. Stefanie. January 3, 2019. 'Return of the Obra Dinn' Leads IGF Awards Nominees. Variety. January 16, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190116211317/https://variety.com/2019/gaming/news/igf-awards-2019-nominees-1203098551/. January 16, 2019. Seumas McNally Grand Prize; Excellence in Visual Art; Excellence in Audio. live.
- Web site: Milligan. Mercedes. February 13, 2019. 'God of War' Leads NAVGTR Awards Nominees with Record 22 Nods. Animation Magazine. February 16, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190216051625/http://www.animationmagazine.net/events/god-of-war-leads-navgtr-awards-nominees-with-record-22-nods/. February 16, 2019. Game, Original Family; Wandersong. live.
- Web site: Singletary Jr. Charles. February 11, 2019. 2019 SXSW Gaming Awards nominees announced. Shacknews. February 16, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190216051642/https://www.shacknews.com/article/109831/2019-sxsw-gaming-awards-nominees-announced. February 16, 2019. Most Fulfilling Community-Funded Game; Wandersong - Greg Lobanov / Humble Bundle. live.
- Web site: Scalzo. John. February 11, 2019. Celeste, God of War, Spider-Man, Red Dead 2, Smash Ultimate will compete for "Video Game of the Year" at 2019 SXSW Gaming Awards. Warp Zoned. February 16, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190216051630/https://www.warpzoned.com/2019/02/celeste-god-of-war-spider-man-red-dead-2-smash-ultimate-will-compete-for-video-game-of-the-year-at-2019-sxsw-gaming-awards/. February 16, 2019. Most Fulfilling Community-Funded Game; Wandersong (Greg Lobanov / Humble Bundle). live.
- Web site: Lagumbay. Emmanuel. 2019 G.A.N.G. Awards Finalists. Game Audio Network Guild . 17 February 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190217213451/http://www.audiogang.org/2019-g-a-n-g-awards-finalists/. 17 February 2019. 14 February 2019. Best Interactive Score; Wandersong - Greg Lobanov; Best Sound Design for an Indie Game; Wandersong - Greg Lobanov. live.