(Me making an account to comment on this-)
I was mostly just downloading games because I wanted to get invested in stories with complex characters and let myself FEEL their emotions.
I don't really know what I was expecting when I stumbled upon this game, but it was safe to say it did NOT disappoint.
(SPOILERS BELOW FOR MAIN & SIDE GAME)
VVVVVVVVVVVVVV
Genzou was definitely my most favorite character from beginning to end. I liked how he didn't really care if Iggy had a partner (which immediately was a big plus because I am adamant about people not needing a partner to be happy in life) and his overall vibe. Of course, the biggest issue with him is his relentless bullying of Orlam, even going as far as joking about his mom's suicide (iirc). I'm sorta curious to know why Genzou never stopped bullying him, and if he ever caught on to the fact that Orlam had a crush on him (before Orlam finally told him). Act 2 really solidified my like for him, showing in the boat scene & bed scene how Genzou's the person that makes Iggy feel comfortable and safe. Their relationship is SO healthy, also emphasized by Act 4 with Genzou validating Iggy's asexuality...especially in contrast compared to Gidget's need to "fix" him. Act 3 was definitely really painful to watch: Iggy's anger & frustration not only at himself but also Genzou for bullying Orlam was understandable, considering how long it went on for and how he did essentially nothing to intervene. But it just felt like Genzou was facing constant negativity from him and reminders of the consequences of his actions in the worst way possible. He must have felt incredibly anguished in the boat scene because of Iggy's blatant aversion to him (and I can't help but think he probably felt like part of the reason was because of his homosexuality). I also loved his route in the side game aaaaaaa
Iggy being distant with the old friend group is heavily relatable, I struggle to connect with some of my old friends due to my hesitance in doing so. I relate to his awkwardness in social situations also. It's interesting to see what the arcs focus on: it starts with Arc 1 being about the overall chaos of the situation and introducing the mess that is their friend group, then Arc 2 being about how Iggy feels security when he's around Genzou. Arc 3 covers how he resents himself and feels guilt for not being there for Orlam when he needed it most, and finally Arc 4 focuses on the strain on his relationship with Gidget (as well as Genzou again being supportive of his asexuality). When the arcs started repeating, I was like "Is it really just gonna repeat the story over and over again??" But besides the setting and the things they encounter being relatively the same, I was surprised how it didn't feel that redundant. As an asexual person, I definitely relate to Iggy (just like me fr); I felt so much discomfort and repulsion for him in the scenes where he was sexually intimate with Gidget. At the same time, their need for him to compliment the body that they once hated is definitely a product of his actions. While Gidget still actively codes, their appearance has changed tremendously from when they were in their senior year. The addition of Iggy's comment that their assets (idk how to phrase it) were nice and his harsh disapproval of their lack of femininity was probably a huge blow to their self-esteem. It probably wasn't entirely his fault considering their mom also criticized their choices to present as androgynous/masculine, but he definitely was a big factor in how they changed.
Orlam... to be honest, I judged him in the beginning (and his comment about Genzou's sexuality didn't help). Though I do understand why his desires manifested the way they did in Wonderland: the constant abuse he faced from his dad and Genzou made him feel powerless, so the response would be to become powerful. In a world where he is shunned by basically everyone (with some of those people going as far as to say he should kill himself), no wonder he wanted to stay in the land where everyone will respect him as a monarch (though the cannibalism and stuff isn't exactly the right approach). He was shown to be pretty timid and fearful as a child, so it's interesting how he develops this sorta... flirty (??) persona as an adult. It's nice how he doesn't force himself on Iggy, despite Orlam's comments about how he's a very... "popular" guy. As others have mentioned, the scene with Iggy gaming and Orlam in the background with his special guests caught me off-guard LOL.
Gidget's definitely a character that I can't just say I like. They push themselves on Iggy despite his protests and attempt to "fix" his asexuality, but he did contribute to them becoming like how they're shown in the Wonderland in some way as I mentioned before. I'm assuming that since they "fixed" themselves for Iggy, they feel like he needs to "fix" himself for them too; that's probably why they're furious when he denies their advances and is uncomfortable with being more intimate with them. I also find myself relating to their exploration of their gender; as someone who is AMAB, I want to cast away the masculine parts of myself in order to present more androgynously/femininely. The desire to have their "assets" gone is also a mood. While this is a more insignificant situation compared to the mess they are in, I presented as a woman online for some time but I eventually felt that this isn't what's expected of me and that I should be ashamed of it. I also feel sad about how they represent themselves as a man in the side game but still maintain their feminine presentation for Iggy's validation (his reaction to them being a man was also Not Very Good). Ghent is probably what they wanted to be before they started forcing themselves to present femininely :(
With Bucks and her husband (I feel guilty for forgetting his name T_T), they don't get much screen time in the story but I find myself curious about how Arc 5 will portray Bucks. She seems to be pretty lively and friendly with everyone, but the marriage and the responsibility of taking care of a child definitely took a toll on her and her husband's mental health. The implication she murdered her child to get some peace and quiet was terrifying. She's hostile towards everyone when she encounters them in the end of each arc, but it feels as if Arc 4 was different somehow (she doesn't even follow Iggy in Arc 3 so I feel as if that arc doesn't count). Maybe it's because she only appears after Iggy says his wish and releases all of her stress and aggravation when she murders Gidget, but I noticed she simply says "Goodbye, Iggy" and follows that by immediately killing him. Perhaps it's the effects of the deja vu and her stubbornness on staying in the Wonderland ebbing? I'm not really sure what it means, but I hope it gets covered in Arc 5.
That being said, this comment has overstayed its welcome and it's probably way too long so I'm going to end it here. I loved playing Our Wonderland and I hope finishing Arc 5 goes well for you! :)
THIS DID NOT OVERSTAY ITS WELCOME AT ALL it was incredibly lovely and I've read it like five times already asldkfjaldsk 🥺💕 THANK YOU SO MUCH!! Not only for playing the game but also for taking all the time to write this whole thing up with your thoughts. I'm so glad you've enjoyed it so far??
Your thoughts on each of the characters are giving me life. I really love reading how you responded to each of them and your interpretations of some of the happenings. I'm happy that you like Genzou so much—he has a lot of issues and needs to work through some stuff and is definitely a huge asshole more often than not, but I just love him so in spite of everything ldkfjasd Some of the scenes in Arc 3 (and Arc 4) were really hard for me to write tbh. I sometimes feel like Genzou really ends up facing the worst out of any of them throughout all the arcs, the poor guy.
Guhhh also thank you for letting me know how much you relate to Iggy. That always makes me really happy to hear since so much of his story and experiences are so personal to me—I feel like a part of me when creating this was also to help others who might have similar thoughts or experiences be able to see themselves a bit in a character. I don't know, perhaps as some kind of way to feel like you're not necessarily alone. I DON'T KNOW. I have such a hard time when it comes to keeping friends and social situations in general. But I digress. I loved your little succinct summaries of the different arcs for him—they feel so on the money LOL I'm also really touched by you letting me know how you felt as a fellow ace, not only because I feel like so much of this game was a build-up of my feelings and experiences on coming to terms with being ace but also simply wanting to create more ace characters to throw out into the world since there's so few.
"the scene with Iggy gaming and Orlam in the background with his special guests caught me off-guard LOL." --> WHEEZING I'm so entertained whenever this gets brought up dklajfsldkfa I don't know why but I'm so in love with their chemistry despite how different they are from one another and I just love the idea of them having this deep love for each other while not needing to follow all the conventions of a typical couple. I really enjoyed exploring different types of relationships in this game. Like. Idk. Two people vibing with each other in a way that works for both of them and how it looks so different from person to person.
Gosh, I agree with you on so much of what you say of Gidget. I feel a lot of Gidget is based on my own dislike of ways that I saw myself becoming and my desire to fight back against that and my own annoyance at myself for giving in instead of holding my own and allowing myself to be who I know I am. So I also know that Gidget seriously needs to take some time to figure themself out before getting into any sort of relationship, especially one that would likely only exacerbate the issues they already are struggling with,,, GODDDD. Sorry, this is starting to get a bit meta LOL I will just say that yes I do love Gidget to bits the same as all the others and I relate to and struggle alongside them as a non-binary person but I also find them the hardest to forgive at times as an ace person and so my heart gets so conflicted fakdlsjf However, I hope that by the end of the game, they will have taken many of the necessary strides towards understanding themself better and both Iggy and them can find a place of understanding and caring for each other,,, (I say this as if I'm not the creator of the game LOL but also since I only have about half of Arc 5 written, I'm nervous as all heck about my ability to bring everything to a satisfactory close,,,)
Bucks and Hunar will definitely get more focus time in Arc 5 FINALLY. They do somewhat feel outside of a lot of the complications that are happening given that they're outside of the "love square." Their struggles aren't quite as entangled with direct things in Iggy's life, and when he's the POV protagonist, this makes it a bit harder to approach 🤔 But I hope that people will enjoy seeing how their story plays out in the end. They're perhaps more connected to Wonderland in general than any of the others considering the context,,, so that will also play a larger part in bringing this story to a close dkjafld
MMMMM OK WOW I ALSO WROTE QUITE A BIT. I was just really so excited by some of your comments and all your thoughts on all the chars!! I love talking about them so much with others. Thank you so much again for taking so much time to write all of this out!! Reading through everything was such a bright spot in my day! And I hope you'll enjoy Arc 5 when it (finally) is released!! 🥰