Bernband’s alien landscape is the perfect place for digital wandering – just don’t expect a map

Bernband is a sci-fi exploration game that encourages players to wander through a unique and atmospheric alien landscape without any specific goals or objectives. The game's developer, Tom van den Boogaart, has created a world with distinct, discrete areas that players can visit at any time, resisting traditional open-world game mechanics. The game's description promises "poetry in the form of a game," inviting players to explore a colorful and unusual world, taking in the sights and sounds of the environment, from the glow of streetlights to the strange green life growing in planters. Players can even take a nap on the rattling subway trains, surrounded by the movement of the "tentacle grips" overhead. While creating a game focused solely on wandering may seem simple, the developer acknowledges that it is a challenging task, as players need to be given context and a sense of the world they are exploring. Bernband offers a refreshing alternative to traditional open-world games, providing a unique digital space for players to simply stroll and immerse themselves in the experience.