Wandernova

Press

Wandernova is a calm space game that's easy to play and hard to master. You swing between planets using gravity, speeding up or slowing down to widen or tighten your orbit. It plays with one thumb, needs no signal and is inspired by Japanese woodblock prints. Out on iPhone and iPad in November 2026.

Fact sheet

Game
Wandernova (App Store name: Wandernova: Space Game)
Tagline
Settle into orbit.
Made by
Ben, Primavera Studios Ltd (UK), a one-person studio
Platform
iPhone and iPad, iOS 26 or later
Release
November 2026
Price
Free to play. You can play the whole game and unlock everything without paying. Optional credit packs and an unlock-all are there if you'd like to move faster, but purchases are completely optional.
Controls
One thumb
Works offline
Yes, no signal needed
Also
Game Center leaderboards and friend challenges, daily challenges, iCloud sync, haptics on iPhone, shareable run cards, invite a friend
Category
Games: Casual
Languages
English
Website
wandernova.app
App Store
Link added at launch. The beta is on TestFlight now.
Press contact
Use the contact form and choose Press

The story

More than ten years ago, Ben sat in an orbital mechanics class at Imperial College, learning about orbits, and wondered why there wasn't a simple game that used them for something beautiful. The idea lived in notebooks for years. In February 2026, Ben finally started building it, at weekends, alongside a busy day job as a strategy consultant.

The shape of the game came from the London Underground. "In rush hour you're often standing, squished between others and their bags," Ben says. "One hand is for holding onto the bars, one is often left with the phone or a book. Londoners have got very good at one-handed typing." So Wandernova plays with one thumb, fits a tight train and needs no signal.

The gravity is real, tuned for feel. Time runs slower where the ship swings closest to a planet and faster at the far end of its orbit, so it never whips past too quickly or hangs for too long. Gravity also fades with distance a little differently from the textbook, so that planets of very different sizes sit well together.

The launch took the most work: the ship rising out of the home-screen painting and into open space. "Keeping it smooth, feeling real enough, not suddenly having gravity kick in and pull the ship randomly, handing over at the right point and speed. There was a lot of wrangling and tuning."

The look comes from a long love of woodblock prints and painted screens from Japan, Korea and China. Alto's Odyssey, Monument Valley and Mini Metro were the games to aim for, each a simple mechanic inside a world made with real artistry. The music takes its cue from broad orchestral film soundtracks, often playing while Ben works, and in the game it builds layer by layer as your multiplier climbs.

The studio

Primavera Studios is named after Botticelli's Primavera. "Standing in front of it in the Uffizi is a life-affirming experience that I've been lucky enough to manage twice," Ben says. The painting's story of spring and rebirth, with the clouds being chased off, matters, but it's the delicacy and the colours that hold Ben's attention.

The studio makes considered mobile games for everyday players. Considered means bringing some of that delicacy and careful handling to games. Everyday, because games often get looked down on as too geeky, inaccessible or all-absorbing. "Fundamentally it should just be fun and about taking a break."

Wandernova comes to iPhone and iPad first, and the ambition is to bring it to Android afterwards. Ideas for growing the game are already taking shape, helped by feedback from family and friends.

Ways in

The commute

Made for rush hour on the Tube, often the Jubilee line: one thumb, a tight train, no signal needed. It fits the small gaps in a day as well as a long evening.

The engineer's orbit

An idea from an orbital mechanics class at Imperial, kept in notebooks for ten years. Real gravity, with time slowed near each planet and sped up at the far end of the orbit. It is tuned for feel, so please don't describe it as a strict simulation.

The woodblock look

Inspired by woodblock prints and painted screens from Japan, Korea and China. Every flight leaves a path across the sky that you can keep or share.

One developer, one studio

Made at weekends by Ben, a strategy consultant on weekdays, under Primavera Studios Ltd, a studio named after Botticelli's Primavera.

What early players say

  • "The pacing feels just right." Dan, early player
  • "Beautifully designed - I love the Hokusai feel." Rhea, early player
  • "I've already shared it with all my friends." Aisha, early player

The features, plainly

  • Swing between planets using gravity, speeding up or slowing down to widen or tighten your orbit.
  • One thumb, and no signal needed.
  • The music builds as your score and multiplier build.
  • Pass through a planet's ring to top up your fuel and raise your multiplier, up to 8×.
  • Every planet ring you pass through earns a credit. Credits pay for upgrades to your ship.
  • Three new daily challenges each day, with streak bonuses.
  • Every flight leaves a path across the sky that you can keep or share as a run card.
  • Game Center leaderboards, and challenges you can send to friends.
  • Haptics on iPhone: you feel the launch, the atmosphere and each ring.
  • iCloud keeps your progress in sync across your devices.
  • Invite a friend: you each get 200 credits when they pass through five planet rings in a single run.

Boilerplate

About 25 words

Wandernova is a calm space game that's easy to play and hard to master. Swing between planets using gravity. One thumb, no signal needed. Inspired by Japanese woodblock prints.

About 60 words

Wandernova is a calm space game that's easy to play and hard to master. You swing between planets using gravity, speeding up or slowing down to widen or tighten your orbit, and the music builds as your score and multiplier do. Made by one developer for a commute on the London Underground, it plays with one thumb and needs no signal. The art is inspired by Japanese woodblock prints.

Downloads

Credits

Made by Ben.

Contact

Press requests welcome. Need a review build before launch? Use the contact form and choose Press.