AHHHHHH THE FINALE IS OUT AHHHHHH I CAN'T BELIEVE IT??? IT'S HERE???
I'll touch on the technical aspects a bit here, though not too much as it is a Carrot game, we already know that these will be great...but the SHEER AMOUNT OF CGS, the INCREDIBLE AMOUNT OF ART, the ANIMATED CUTSCENES, the sprite movements...it was all so dynamic and REAL and immersive that I couldn't tear my eyes away, not even for a second. The prose was wonderful as always, and the raw vulnerability of it - as we enter the emotional crescendo - really hit me in the heart in a way that I can't explain.
The themes and the way that the story concluded, without spoilers, are nothing short of flawless. Everything was incredibly well-conceived from start to finish, everything was so TIGHTLY wrapped up with cohesive character arcs and full-circle moments...and this story was just BURSTING with so much compassion, kindness, understanding, and empathy...both for others, and for yourself. Aside from the obvious horror aspects, this is a story that I would recommend to anyone, and I MEAN ANYONE.
=========SPOILERS FOR ARC 5.2=============
MY HFGHGFGHJGHJGHJ REACTIONS
I'm very sorry these thoughts might be a bit disorganized as I was basically writing them as I was playing...
I love the way that the arc starts off with the gang having a warm meal together - it's just so NOSTALGIC and comforting (especially with the beef stew) and such a contrast to what came before. Even when Genzou and Orlam start to fight, it's different - they're just bickering, and Gidget calms them down immediately, and the relaxing track keeps playing in the background - it really hammers home that things have truly changed between them.
After that, rather than being comforted by someone - Iggy reaches out someone for comfort. He realizes that it's natural to want to feel someone else's "warmth" - and it almost feels like he's also acknowledging that he has the right to love and be loved, that he's deserving of human companionship.
I PLAYED GENZOU'S ROUTE FIRST BECAUSE I HAD TO I WAS GOING TO SAVE HIM FOR LAST BUT I COULDN'T STOP MYSELF
AHHHHH Iggy cleaning Genzou's wound is SO SWEET and also very touching - after all of these loops where Genzou was the one comforting Iggy, the one "cleaning Iggy's wounds" - it was so nice to see Iggy reaching out to Genzou in this way. Finally recognizing that Genzou WASN'T fine, that he was just pretending to be - and that even Genzou didn't care whether he was fine. He just swept everything under the rug. THEN IGGY KISSES GENZOU AHHHHHHHHHH PROACTIVE IGGY AGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHH (gosh the white background REALLY makes this CG pop in an AMAZING way, then the gradual fade to the background as the realization sinks in - SO GOOD)
THE PARALLELS WITH THE PHONE CALLLLLLL in the beginning of the game, the first "route" deciding factor is you deciding who to call - Genzou, Orlam, or Gidget - but your choice then doesn't really matter, not really. No matter who you call, only Genzou picks up. However, here, you can call the person you CHOSE, and it "unlocks" the door (and it's such a LOVELY metaphor for Iggy finally "reaching out" - to contact the friends that he's been estranged from for so long). And it's only THEN, after Iggy reaches out, does the door to "move forward" - to move past all of the hurt and trauma of the past - open.
THE WAY THAT BUCKS TURNS INTO A MONSTER - perfectly reflective of how she views herself while also acting as a metaphor for how her friends didn't really recognize what she was going through. (Side note but the sketchy black and white CG of Iggy as his hand got cut off was SO GOOD)
AS WE GO THROUGH BUCKS' FLASHBACKS I WAS REALLY TEARING UP, you can see how she was alienated by the people around her and even her friends - the little comments that really "wore her down" - saying that she was a killer whale, a monster, etc - even when they meant it in a positive way. How they shaped how Bucks viewed herself and her own worth. How Hunar was the only one who reached out to her - who treated her differently (calling her a princess, worrying about her getting hurt, seeing her as someone other than a big, strong oaf.) AND THEN THE SNAPPING POINT WAS HUNAR CALLING BUCKS A MONSTER - the one person who saw Bucks as she was. I really had very little sympathy for Bucks until this point, and yet after this I was completely on her side, despite the absolute VILE things she did - it's just a testament to how strong the writing is that I was able to care so much for her in such a short amount of time.
IT'S ABSOLUTELY PERFECT THEMATICALLY, as the entire story has been about this group that was "close" but never really recognized the problems that others were going through because they were so wrapped up in their own issues. The choice to end on Bucks - whose problems we've never seen, who seems so strong and relatively simple-minded, who has a happy family and seemingly no troubles - is a perfect one - recognizing all of the problems that she was facing, even when no one (except Hunar) was looking.
THE SEQUENCE WHERE BUCKS SHRINKS IS SO GOOD, until she's finally kneeling in front of Hunar - and she looks SO SMALL in comparison to him, so vulnerable. (It REALLY contrasts the first non-childhood CG from OW, where Bucks is heaving Iggy over her shoulder, and she looks so big and strong.)
AND THEN THE BABY REVEAL DFGDGD THE CORRUPTION OF INNOCENCE, turning her into "fuel" for the warped "Wonderland" - it's SO PERFECT DFGFDGDG
ANDDDD we got confirmation on the results of Iggy's wish from the first arc! His wish was so "heinous" that he was cut off, and instead he was bent to the wishes of others. It's so perfect from a character perspective - Iggy, unable to assert his own desires and wishes - instead trying to please others, to make them happy. (YAY I got confirmation that the Iggy in each route WAS bent into a shape to please his companion of choice! It's also a really interesting take on a "dating sim" - where, instead of deliberately acting in a way to please your beau of choice, you're warped into a shape that fits them).
Another side note but I love how, in this arc, there's so much silence. It's pretty unlike previous arcs and other carrot games, which used so much music - but here, there are pretty long stretches where there's complete SILENCE and it's perfect - it's so calm and yet unsettling, really making you focus on the words and visuals on screen.
GDFDFGDGDG THE CLIMAX, WITH IGGY REMEMBERING WHAT HIS ORIGINAL WISH WAS, and Saydie saying that he can CHOOSE to be happy. Then when Saydie vocalizes her wish - that she wishes to be killed, and the tree DELIGHTS in it, in the innocence of that desire - it really hammers home how HYPOCRITICAL the tree is. After all, Iggy and Saydie's wishes were the same - to disappear, to be killed (although Iggy's desire was due to guilt, while Saydie wanted to be freed from her suffering). I LOVE how you aren't given a choice to break the cycle - it really hammers home how this is Iggy's story now, and how he's finally taking control of his life. And the destruction of Wonderland - this warped, twisted place that fed on children's hopes and dreams - is a good parallel for Iggy as well - destroying his need to be responsible for his friends' happiness, paving the way for him to make himself happy.
I WASN'T EXPECTING TIME TRAVEL, the chance to redo everything, but fgfhgfhfhgf it made me so happy to see, I really wanted to see all of these guys get their happy ending (and it didn't seem possible with the original iteration). I love the fact that they still all make the same mistakes - it's what happens AFTERWARD - Iggy reaching out to his friends, and in Hunar and Bucks' case choosing not to commit to a life that didn't make them happy - that makes a difference.
DGDFGDFGDFGDF I LOVE HOW THE "STAY BY YOURSELF ENDING" TRANSITIONS SO SEAMLESSLY INTO OUR CINDERELLA AGHHHHH OUR CINDERELLA IS CANON IT'S REAAAALLLLL (I do love how it also gives you the option of "not committing" to a love interest but leaving the possibility open down the line! And gosh I'm so glad that the "idealized" world of Our Cinderella is canon AGHHHHHH I WASN'T EXPECTING IT AT ALL) And I do really like how, even in the "happy endings," it shows that Iggy's life wasn't perfect - that he's still anxious, that he still has things to work on. Because that's the way life is. It's not perfect; it's flawed. And that's okay.
Onto Orlam's route and DFGDFGDF THE SLOW DANCE, I really love how it's the perfect capstone to all of the "dances" Orlam and Iggy have had up until this point - Orlam falling into Iggy's pace, doing something that he's comfortable with. (BUT GENZOU IS IN DESPAIR AFTER YOU PICK THE ORLAM ENDING WHY WOULD YOU DO THIS, and Gidget too dfgfdg it is interesting how, when you picked Genzou, Gidget and Orlam seemed much more chill about it LOL) And AWW I loved the ambiguity of Orlam and Iggy's relationship - how it was difficult to label, in the end, but they didn't need to "bend" to anyone's expectations.
And finally, Gidget's route - AGHHHHHHH GIDGET IS APOLOGIZING I LOVE IT, it's such a full circle for them and really fitting for the conclusion of the route. Since Iggy and Gidget were the most "entangled" pair (and Genzou with Orlam, and Bucks with Hunar) - this reconciliation is very fitting. And the realization that they've both been wearing masks their entire lives - RELATABLE.
I LOVE HOW IN ALL OF THE ENDINGS, Iggy is wearing his ace-themed hoodie, it really emphasizes how he's comfortable with himself and his identity. And in all of them, there's no label for what Iggy has with any of his partners - they're not boyfriends, they're not married, they're not friends - they're just themselves, living as they are, by their own rules.
Okay now that I'm done with my AHHHHHHHH REACTIONS AGHHHHFHGHF I'll try to calm down and leave some coherent thoughts here.
Final Conclusions
There are SO MANY themes and concepts in OW, all told to perfection through the different routes and characters, that I can't detail them all (and I've touched on a few of them before, in Essay #1 LMAO). The mistakes that you've made, how what you say affects others. How both your own expectations and the expectations that others have for you can shape your identity and self-worth. How you need to seek your own happiness in order to support others. How important reaching out, communicating, and supporting others in their time of need is. The time travel - the ability to go back and redo everything from the start, but better this time - is a happier conclusion than what I was expecting, admittedly. But at the same time it's perfect. They can go back to a time before Wonderland corrupted them - with its expectations, with its desires - and they can live freely. And it shows how even the smallest actions can change their lives so much. That just reaching out a hand to a friend in a time of need can be all the difference in the world.
I loved that, in the end, the final villain was "Wonderland" itself. And in the end, Wonderland wasn't "childhood" - as being a child, with no worries or regrets, IS wonderful. No, Wonderland is this oppressive, corrupting entity that delights in what it thinks childhood SHOULD be - purely innocent. Wonderland is the amalgmation of all of the expectations, the rejection, the self-hatred - all of the things that are weighing down on our characters, preventing them from fully accepting themselves and being happy. It curses our cast for their "corruption" - for bringing lust, and sadness, and anger, and everything - into its "perfect paradise" - when those are all things that just make us human. And only when you free yourself from that vision of how you SHOULD be - how you expect yourself to be, how others expect you to be - are the characters' wishes truly freed - and they can finally fulfill them in their own way, on their own terms.
At first, I found Saydie's life to be rather melancholic - killed by her mother, brought back as a monster by a corrupted Wonderland, and then finally killed by Iggy - but in a lot of ways Saydie was just as much of a metaphor as Wonderland itself. Iggy needed to move past not only the "corrupt" Wonderland, but also the "childish, innocent" Wonderland - the idea of that "pure" childhood, when there were no problems to overcome. Only when he accepts that life is MESSY, that everyone is flawed and everyone makes mistakes and life won't be perfect - is he able to reach a "happy ending." And so him killing Saydie, this embodiment of "innocence" - makes so much sense. And at the same time Saydie also represents the "ideal life," the life you're expected to have - as people are expected to marry early, have children, and live that perfect "dream life," as Gidget described. So killing her (or the corrupted version of her) - is also like killing those expectations. (And, I do like how Bucks and Hunar DO think about having kids in the end - but on their own terms, when they've had a chance to live their lives how they want, and pursue what they want to pursue. And I wish that Saydie can live happily in the new timeline - in a world where her existence is appreciated and cherished.)
While OW is a deeply queer narrative, its themes are also quite universal. Iggy is asexual, and that is a big part of his character, but at the same time his desire to be loved as he is, his fear of not being able to love his partner in the way they want - is a really universal feeling. Similarly, when Iggy and Gidget talk in Gidget's route about the "mask" that Gidget wore to cover up their confusion regarding their sexuality, Iggy understands Gidget's feelings, despite not having exactly the same problems.
I found the conclusion to Iggy's arc to be INCREDIBLE. In Arc 1, he hates himself for not being able to bring his friends happiness, so deeply that he wants to disappear (and, when you learn that his original wish was to make his friends happy, it makes so much sense). In the end, he breaks free from any sort of expectation, any sort of need to PLEASE anyone, to make anyone happy - and makes his own choice, for his own happiness. And, only after making sure that he's happy is he able to support others. It's such a meaningful and powerful message that I think everyone needs to hear.
In the end, Iggy's life isn't all that different from how it was before, but I think that makes a lot of sense. His problem was with how he viewed his life - and how he acted regarding his relationships. He's not rich, he's not an entrepreneur, he's not happily married - he's living his own life, with happy relationships with his friends, and that's HIS happy ending.
I'll conclude by saying that I can't say how important this story is to me. How deeply personal and moving it is. I teared up so much while reading it, and cried at parts. There were so many aspects that felt so true to my own life and my own relationships, parts that made me feel really vulnerable and exposed and SEEN. There are some things that you experience that carve their existence onto your soul - good and bad things, and you carry them for the rest of your life. Our Wonderland is one of those things for me.
Thank you very much for making this masterpiece, Carrot; I am your dearest fan, and I'll never forget this experience. Thank you.