Our Wonderland is about many things: the lasting bond-and bind-of friendships, small moments that linger and build and corrode, making the choice to begin to redeem oneself, the limits of redemption in the face of prolonged and overwhelming harm, the imposing presence of identity denied and acknowledged until being finally accepted, the many faces of different people to different people, and the way that love and pain and sadness, and above all, those moments where we choose to be and do better, define our lives and move us forward. Our Wonderland makes you reconsider your own relationships, what self-reflection you may need to do about them and yourself, and how your love and the love in your life warps and makes us. All of this is possible because of just how passionately and attentively made the game is from top to bottom, from the sheer multitude of expressive sprites to the deft character writing to the detailed and deliberate artistic direction in all aspects. It commands your attention from start to finish, demanding that players patiently unfold the layers making up this fraught cast of characters and their entanglements, and it deserves that attention in full; for doing so, players are rewarded with a story and experience that pulls out every emotion and reaction over the course of its runtime in a way that’s just utterly special.
It’s been some time since I’ve played the game, and even since I’ve written down the notes that would make up this review, but my feelings haven’t diminished in that time at all. Every time I think about Our Wonderland, I end up lost in thought for a bit, going back to that place where five friends played a fateful game, and I shiver a little.
Go play this game. Take your time. Enjoy yourself. And maybe check up on your friends after you’re done. Then get them to play, too.
