TLDR THIS GAME IS INCREDIBLE, IT'S ONE OF THE BEST VNS I'VE EVER PLAYED, LITERALLY ONE OF A KIND.
(Okay now on to my essay length review. I wrote WAY too many notes while playing this. I-I'm very sorry, I didn't know where else to post this other than here LOL)
I'll keep my compliments of the "game quality" brief and focus on the story (since it's a Carrot game, OF COURSE IT'S BRILLIANTLY MADE), but I will say that I LOVE the artstyle. It's so instantly recognizable and unique (the pixel artstyle, the faces, the noses, the ears, THEY'RE ALL SO CUTE), and the characters are extremely expressive - I screenshotted so many of the different sprites because they're all so great. I really love the background style; the saturated colors, filter, and framing so that the background doesn't quite fill out the screen gives everything a very dreamlike quality that's fitting of Wonderland. The animations are absolutely top tier; it feels like I was watching a fully animated show. When sprites are present, almost every single line has some sort of animation associated with it, making everything feel so lively and dynamic. The cinematic cutscenes at the end of each arc are absolutely amazing, and they really stirred up EMOTIONS in me like you wouldn't believe!
The writing style is WONDERFUL, particularly the descriptions and the dialogue. The descriptions really paint the setting so well that it feels like I'm standing in Iggy's shoes, and all of the characters have such lively and colorful dialogue (it's incredibly easy to tell who's speaking, even without the color coding). The dev has a great knack for using words, metaphors, and imagery that really "get under your skin" in the most ghoulish and horrific way. Even the non-gorey moments, moments that are filled with unease or awkwardness, feel just as horrifying and queasy as the gorey ones, particularly the parts where Iggy is confronted with physical intimacy that he does not want. The song choice is absolutely BANGER. There's an incredible amount of variety in the music choices, and they all perfectly suit the scene. I am also simply in awe of the amount of dedication put into crediting all of the background sources, SFX sources, BGM artists, etc.
Since my comments are pretty long, I'll split them up by arc:
Arc 1:
The opening scene is BRILLIANT. In addition to laying the seeds for the mysteries of Wonderland, each character is efficiently characterized in only a few lines of dialogue. The follow-up scene just makes it better, as we see how the dynamics of the friend group have changed over time - some things have stayed the same, while others have changed dramatically (Bucks' size, for instance). You also see a lot more nuances: Orlam's clumsy jokes and his lies to cover up his insecurities, the newfound awkwardness between Iggy and Gidget, and Genzou's nonchalance despite not seeing Iggy in a long time.
The entire arc is very well set up in terms of structure, going over key memories with each of Iggy's friends that portend their warped selves in Wonderland, and ending in a spectacular cliffhanger that gives you insight into Iggy's own problems. The time loop at the end of the arc is simply a brilliant way of making the player intrigued, wanting to know more.
Arc 2:
I'm a bit biased, but this might be my favorite (apart from Arc 5, of course). It was so heartwarming watching Genzou and Iggy get closer, seeing Iggy let his guard down around Genzou and letting himself be vulnerable. I honestly really like Genzou's scenes in general because rather than "Genzou scenes," they really feel like "Iggy scenes", as they mainly center around Iggy being vulnerable and honest with Genzou, who he trusts.
I find it really fascinating that all of the "bad" answers - the ones where Iggy keeps to himself, doesn't open up/talk - are the ones that lead to the "good" ending. I think it's fitting since the good ending is also tragic: Iggy's tragic decisions lead to an equally tragic end, where he regrets opening up to Genzou.
It's interesting that Iggy is a bit "different" in each arc. Rather than being truly himself, he seems to be a "version" of himself that fulfills the desire of the arc's central character. In Arc 2, Iggy is helpless and defenseless (even losing part of his vision as a result of Gidget's attack - reflecting Genzou's own loss of sight in the real world). He needs Genzou's protection. While Genzou is capable and independent in the present, you get to know his feelings of helplessness in the flashbacks, particularly when he loses his cane during prom in Arc 4. So it seems that here, Iggy's helplessness allows Genzou to be the "protector" as opposed to the one that is protected.
Arc 3:
At first I was curious as to why Orlam's arc was third, as I expected Gidget's to be next considering the "order" of characters in Wonderland; however, in hindsight it absolutely makes sense. The whiplash from Arc 2 is INCREDIBLE. In Arc 2, Genzou is Iggy's protector while Orlam is his sworn enemy, who just finished torturing him. Orlam seems almost cartoonishly evil, someone that you could never sympathize with. However, in just the first few scenes in Arc 3, you're instantly endeared to Orlam: his awkwardness, his desire to please, his self-harm. It's a brilliant way of playing with the player's emotions and their perceptions.
The use of "saving and loading" starts being really interesting in this arc, particularly when you're presented with the choices to finish off Gidget/eat Genzou. The first time around, you get the choice, but if you make the "bad choice," then you aren't given that choice the second time around.
Iggy in this arc gave me INCREDIBLE whiplash. He's bold and confident, to the point of being aggressive. He's never afraid of speaking his mind, and he's almost strangely confrontational with Genzou (this hurt my heart more than a little bit considering the ending of Arc 2). Iggy's the perfect partner for Orlam; his partner in crime, a person who is willing to play along with Orlam's desire to be the tormenter instead of the tormented. Interestingly, rather than being himself, Iggy almost seems to "become" Orlam. You're only able to achieve the "good ending" by choosing to eat Genzou - which is what Orlam wants. And, in the end, Iggy's ultimate desire is for cleansing/release, like Orlam; he drinks the acid in the river and dies, paralleling Orlam drinking bleach at the start of the arc. It's interesting because it seems that Orlam has always looked up to Genzou, to the point of wanting to become him (and this is probably why his greatest desire is to consume Genzou - to become him by eating his flesh). So here perhaps Iggy fulfills Orlam's desire to be appreciated/admired in the way that Orlam admires Genzou - because Iggy literally becomes another version of Orlam.
(On a side note, this is the only arc where I thought Iggy's name - Ignatius - was kind of fitting LOL otherwise it's really the opposite to how he usually is)
Arc 4:
I'll have to say that this really was the most horrific out of all of the arcs (somehow, the threat of Gidget's advances was WAY more scary than any of the monsters!) I'd actually say that while Genzou is my favorite character/my favorite partner for Iggy, Gidget is the one that I find the most interesting, partially because they're a little hard to figure out. I think it's because they're always playing a role, constantly trying to do what they "should" be doing as opposed to what they actually want to be doing.
As this arc heavily revolved around sexual themes, Iggy focuses a lot on "touch" (there are a lot of descriptions of how he feels being touched/touching the other cast members). There's a big focus on how Iggy finds Gidget's touch to be the most comforting/comfortable, while being slightly uncomfortable with Genzou and Orlam. In addition, he "plays the right role" for Gidget - acceding to her requests, going to dinner with her, saying yes to her proposal - going along with her "perfect life."
This arc kind of stands out from the other two in that Iggy doesn't really "reach a happy ending" with Gidget. In Arcs 2 and 3, Iggy does reach a place of understanding/trust with Genzou/Orlam, but Gidget asks things of Iggy that he simply can't do. (The ending sequence in this arc was the MOST horrific.)
Arc 5:
We're on the final arc and it is INCREDIBLY SATISFYING (as of the release of 5.15). I loved every single scene to bits - Genzou's, Gidget's, and Orlam's "revelations" were all so emotional to see (literally teared up), especially given so much buildup from the prior arcs (ESPECIALLY Genzou and Orlam's relationship). I really loved seeing Gidget embrace their true self and witnessing Genzou and Orlam finally come to a little bit of an understanding after SO MUCH pain and vitriol that had been exchanged between the two of them. I really liked how Genzou's "turning point" was really delivered not during his "central scene," but during his interaction with Orlam - where, for once, he decides to stop spreading hate and truly atones for his actions.
It's interesting that Gidget and Orlam both seem to have counterparts in Wonderland (Cecil for Gidget, and Jerry for Orlam) - who seem to reflect their true selves. I also like how the characters aren't emerging unscathed from this. Iggy is stabbed in the shoulder, and Genzou even loses a finger - physical injuries in exchange for the pain that they caused in the real world. (I just hope that Genzou's finger doesn't affect his livelihood!)
I really love the use of game mechanics here. In the early sections, you're given a lot of similar choices to Arc 2, but the choices that originally led to bad endings now lead to good endings (choosing to help Genzou, for instance). Moreover, the game makes use of the "taking away the player's choice on the second play" mechanic - only instead of solidifying Iggy's decisions to hurt his friends, this time Iggy chooses to help them.
In this arc, Iggy actually DOESN'T make anyone happy. Gidget figures it out for herself during her confrontation with Cecil (her "other self"), and Orlam and Genzou overcome their problems with each other. Iggy doesn't play a significant role in either revelation, and it's very fitting. He needs to learn not to place all the fault on himself. All along, starting from Arc 1, Iggy has been blaming himself for his friends' problems; in Arcs 2-4, he tried to make them happy by being the version of Iggy that would make them the happiest, and it only led to tragedy each time. Even in OFW, where he tried to make his friends happy by giving them love/acceptance, they all died in the end. Now, when he's standing on the sidelines and only acting as moral support, the path to a "happy ending" is finally opening.
In general:
All of the characters are wonderfully complex and three dimensional, and I love how there is a LOT of thought put into their relationships between one another. They have a lot of history with each other, and it shows in the flashbacks and the way that they interact now. You could write an essay about each of the characters, their pasts, motivations, desires, and issues - which is just a testament to how incredibly well done the character writing is.
As the "normal" one, I think that it's easy for a lot of Genzou's complexities to go unnoticed. Compared to Orlam and Gidget, Genzou seems pretty easy to figure out - he's secretly in love with Iggy, and he has been for a really long time. I think it's because Genzou does a good job of hiding his problems. In reality, he feels insecure and washed out; he's blind, and even though he's doing well for himself he's working a blue collar job with no college education. He's basically resigned himself to eternal loneliness, certain that he won't be able to find anyone, and he encourages the object of his affections to date other people, convinced that Iggy will never love him back. His relationship with Orlam is probably the most intriguing thing about his character. For the most part Genzou is calm and level-headed (almost to an insane degree), a reliable friend in a horrific land. And yet when it comes to Orlam, Genzou is extremely, unnaturally antagonistic. Even when Iggy tries to convince Genzou to lay off, Genzou is steadfast in his taunts - even though he seems to realize that he's in the wrong. In Arc 5, Orlam points out that Genzou didn't become a monster in Wonderland because he was already a monster in real life - and Orlam isn't wrong. I'd say that Genzou's main flaw is "complacency." Rather than trying to find companionship, he accepts that he'll be alone. Rather than fighting against Orlam's bullies, he joined them. Rather than accepting his past mistakes, he continued to pretend nothing was wrong. The turning point of Genzou's character is really the acceptance of his mistakes, as he finally tries to change something about his life rather than simply accepting everything as it occurs.
Orlam is a VERY interesting character. He's a person driven by contradictions. He wants everyone to love him, to look at him, to appreciate him. But at the same time he doesn't trust anyone, and he doesn't want to get close to anyone. He longs for human warmth and affection, but the alienation that he has faced from everyone around him (Genzou, most of all) limits him to only seeking the shallowest of physical relationships. He appears egocentric, looking down on others and not valuing their lives, but he hates himself most of all. He causes others pain because he's in pain.
Gidget is probably the character that I find the most interesting and honestly the most relatable, as well, partially because I think that they're the most flawed. Unlike Orlam, Gidget isn't lashing out because of pain that they have endured in the real world (while Iggy did hurt Gidget in high school, it was nothing like the continuous harassment that Genzou subjected Orlam to). Instead, Gidget does bad things because they're a "dreamer"; like their modeling career, they can't give up on the perfect life that they dream about - not because they actually want it, but because society as a whole has conditioned them to believe that they need that perfect life. I relate a lot to those expectations, especially as a person that doesn't really conform much to feminine ideals in my own life. I think that Gidget's character perfectly encapsulates the idea of "Wonderland" - how our dreams get warped and changed by adulthood, circumstance, and society until they're ugly and broken.
I'm very curious to see what happens with Bucks and Saydie in the last part, as we don't really know that much about them (apart from Bucks' cameo as the axe-wielding final boss of every arc). I also wonder if we'll learn what Iggy's real wish was. (I wonder if it was to reconcile with his childhood friends?)
I LOVE the general themes and ideas behind this game, and I think they're something that almost everyone can relate to. Past affections and regrets; how things that you do in the past - things that you do out of emotion, or momentary anger - things that you don't mean - can have a really profound effect on your relationships and the people around you. How your actions have CONSEQUENCES, no matter how young or naive you were. How you grow up and regret what happened in life and how you treated the people around you. How even if you get another chance, you can never take back the things that you did, the things that you said - you just have to grow and learn and try to heal.
If I had to describe this game in one word, it would be: raw. Raw and authentic and vulnerable and painfully real. It's one of those works where I think, "THIS IS ART" and "I'm truly glad that I was born on this world, so I could experience this."
Thank you so much for the experience, Carrot; it's truly one-of-a-kind. I will be waiting (patiently) for the final part!