itch.io

Oh, Our Wonderland, Our Wonderland...where do I start with this game?

When I first spotted this game while browsing Itch, I was immediately drawn in by its cute art style, but its page made me hesitant. I don't mind games that cover heavy topics, I enjoy darker stories from time to time. But I'm often wary of games and stories like that, because sometimes, even with warnings, I'm still caught off guard by things that are too much even for me, or the author doesn't handle certain topics with the...care...that they deserve.

But Carrot? You did not disappoint me. I'm so glad I took a chance on this game. My only regret is coming in right right towards the end, before the story has a chance to be finished and I get to see how this whole heartbreaking, twisted tale ends.

The game doesn't disappoint with its storybook-like visuals, and everyone looking like cute little mice people only adds to the fairytale-like atmosphere that surrounds the story. Granted, it's a fairytale that's gone horribly wrong. But it gives the story a specific feeling, like I'm watching a cartoon I might have caught on TV late at night as a child and traumatized myself. It's the uneasy yet familiar feeling that drew me in, and the cast is what kept me hooked.

I've never seen a group of such complicated individuals that works so well together.

Carrot does such a good job at laying out everyone's flaws, their darkest moments, the times where they've hurt each other and done things that make me wonder why they stayed friends in the first place (although I also know now there's quite a few reasons as to why), but also throws you enough bones to show you that these people are worth caring about, worth trying to make them happy and hoping everything will work out in the end. Despite the times where I was deeply uncomfortable and reminded of things I'd rather not think about, I couldn't be upset about it. Or upset at the one who made me feel that way. Because if I want to denounce A and write them off as irredeemable, I'd have to toss away everything that makes them sympathetic, and ignore the waving red flag in my face screaming "Something is very wrong here! They're not supposed to be doing this! This isn't them!" I'd have to acknowledge that B had a hand in making them that way. If I want to be angry at C for what they've done, I have to acknowledge their complicated dynamic with D too and acknowledge that it's also very much their fault, and A and B certainly didn't do much to help back then either. What could they have done, really? They were just kids. They didn't know better.

And...I rarely get that in groups with those dynamics. It's very refreshing. It stops me from becoming apathetic to the grim setting even though I always know how each arc is going to end. Each arc, no matter how painfully it ends, gives me just a tiny glimmer of hope that everyone can be saved from themselves, and each other.

So, in summary, if you're like me and looking at this page, wondering if you should give this experience (I can't even call it a game really, this is something else entirely) a try, at least play the first arc to give you a chance to dip your toes into the setting, the hypnotic writing that keeps you hanging off every word, and to get to know its strange, but endearing cast. If you make the same choice I did, then you definitely won't be disappointed.

And Carrot? Thank you for putting this out there and sharing it with everyone. And thank you for being willing to break down some things I had...concerns about, I'm not sure I could've finished Arc 4 without knowing what was waiting for me. But even then, I'm so glad I did it. Visual novels like this don't come around very often, and I'm glad I didn't miss out.

That's enough rambling from me, now I need to lay down, maybe cry a bit, and curse myself for not just waiting until Arc 5 came along so I could binge this whole thing and not leave myself on a huge cliffhanger.

(P.S. If there's a Discord or something for this I'd love to get in on that, I'd love to have other people to talk about this hidden gem with)