Carroty, carroty, carroty... WHAT HAVE YOU DONE???????????????
I'll have to be honest with you, I CRIED GOSH I NEVER CRIED SO MUCH PLAYING A VN????????????????????? I'll explain in the spoilers part why but AAAAH MY HEART IS ACHING AND I'M CRYING (transparent lol) TEARS EVEN AS I'M WRITING THIS YOU MADE ME NUMB AAAAH (for players trying to understand what this means: the climax of part 5 1 1/2 is very emotional, and the perfect conclusion to what has been going through so far, and sets all the characters before what is the final confrontation).
The art? IMMACULATE, gosh, I loved the sprite work (at first I thought "Wow, Orlam looks like a [redacted for spoilers]" AND THEN THE PLOT AND THEN WOW????). I have to highlight the quality of the animations too, some parts of this VN really just feel like watching a animated feature!!!!!! The way the things are presented, the timing with the EXCELLENTLY chosen tracks (for instance, the one played in what I'll call the "rabbit hole" is a song I genuinely like! Thanks for the discovery!), WOW?????? I would say it was as amazing as usual but somehow, everytime it all gets better erfrgbhrfrfv undefeated Ren'Py animator, the inspiration behind me playing more with colour matrixes, animations and blur in my own games erfgntr
The writing also was extremely good for a stylistic standpoint!! I loved how there was a lot of French expressions, some I didn't even know were used in English (well, admittedly, this only concerns "bric-à-brac", but the more you know!). I don't think I ever underlined how good the writing is in your game, but let me emphasise it here: the vocabulary is always perfectly chosen both to describe what is happening and to set the mood. The characters all have a very distinctive way of talking which helps selling their personalities.
Now, that's all I can say without spoilers, so now, if you guys can forgive me, I'm going to spoil below.
***
ORLAM ISN'T THE ONLY ONE WHO NEEDS TO TAKE HIS HEART OUT OF HIS CHEST APPARENTLY BECAUSE YOU HIT RIGHT WHERE YOU SHOULD!!!!! Orlam deciding to end his own suffering by BASICALLY BECOMING A ZOMBIE (that's what I actually thought when I saw his sprites: "Wow, he looks like a zombie??") BECAUSE ALL HIS MEMORIES BRING HIM AWFUL FEELINGS??? HIS ABUSE? HIS PAST RELATIONSHIP WITH GENZOU (somehow, it really gave an Adam x Alex vibe although YOU MADE IT SO MUCH MORE EMOTIONAL 3EFVBGFTEBDFDERFGHNGERFV5214DERFVB)??????? And the conclusion???? The climax?? Genzou finally opening up to Orlam, and holly golly did I not expect you to take the internalised homophobia turn (although Orlam is bi if I remember correctly)? Genzou just bullying Orlam because he represents everything he hates about himself?? It's hearbreaking for the both of them!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Orlam finally becoming human again (well, if you go beyond the metaphor, finally feeling a bit of peace about his trauma) once Genzou finally acknowledges that the way he was treated was wrong?? When Gidget and Iggy couldn't? When Genzou could have just insulted him as he's used to???? This made me cry so much, you have no idea Carrot, I have a headache so I hope I make sense but it was intense and beautiful????? Certainly my favourite scene in a VN ever????????????????????
In general, I also liked how the characters start taking accountability for their actions and decide to forgive each other (Iggy forgiving Gidget, for example, for everything they did to him in Wonderland; and reciprocally, Gidget forgiving Iggy for everything he said to them IRL; Genzou admitting he isn't a good person and needs to do better, and actually DOES better!!!). And the fact Orlam's character arc here is all about questioning this?? Is it enough to be sorry to excuse one's actions?? Can words heal years of trauma, of abuse or of resentment and bitterness? The answer is of course "no", but they are a starting point, it's finally accepting to adress the problem, to acknowledge its existence and to tiptoe your way to healing. It was addressed very well, and that's why the final scene with Orlam felt so emotional! Gosh, you certainly made of Orlam my favourite character (despite Gidget actually frightening me more for asexual reasons), when he was my least favourite before!!!!!
Regarding the action, I enjoyed the contrast between the threats in act 1 and the same ones in this part. While they participated in paiting the world the characters fell in in Arc 1, and were tools to let us explore the depths and dangers of Our Wonderland, they hold here so much more narrative weight! The building-up made throughout the whole game is nothing short of brilliant, Carrot, and it was intense!! I also really enjoyed the whole dyanmic between Jerry, the characters, their connection (even to childhood memories), and the whole "let's make a big plan to reach out to Orlam", it really set an interesting vibe which contrasted so much to what we got after, in the most perfectly crafted way.
Carrot, I really don't know how to conclude my reviews anymore. This is nothing short of a masterpiece, but I guess I already said that in the past... This game is intense, this game is beautiful, this game is everything a person, a soul, an artist, a writer, a human, heck! a carrot could put into a game. This is grandiose, and thinking of the time it must have taken you, of the care you put into this, of the love, the insecurities, the vulnerability you accepted to share with us... I just want to thank you for making me experience all this (I'm crying again writing us, because I'm genuinely moved)... All this feels somehow so personal and yet so intense? More than an inspiration to all game devs, as I explained before, you're just this kind of people, or souls, or hearts, or whatever we look for afar, so close and so far, that we immediately identify with and which has so much to tell; and yet, yet, it's almost as if we couldn't dare to brush you, because what you are giving us is already so intense, so strong and so generous? I'm sorry this review is less analytical than usual and more on the emotional side but I guess that's what you get for turning me into a crying mess (and I wouldn't have it any other way)!