Review: Escaping Wonderland
As soon as Escaping Wonderland was announced it instantly shot up my most anticipated games of the year, as Down the Rabbit Hole was such a fantastic experience and pleasure to play. Even when revisiting before the release of Escaping Wonderland the experience was just as fun as before.
Release Date: September 26th 2024
Developer: Cortopia Studios
Publisher: Beyond Frames Entertainment
Price: £15.99
Reviewed On: Meta Quest 3
* Access Provided For Review *
Finding Yourself
Escaping Wonderland is a standalone story from Down the Rabbit Hole, so there is no need to play the original first (although I would recommend checking it out). You will be playing as an all-new protagonist called Molly, who has been pulled into the world from her distant past with little memory. As you work along side residents of Wonderland to figure out how to get back home, and unlock more information on Molly as her memory starts to return.
Charming Puzzle Game
The game stuck to what made the Down the Rabbit Hole great, which is giving you puzzle game which is not overly difficult, with them being quite self-explanatory. Again this allows the player to concentrate on the beautiful work the team have done with the dioramas and the overall design of the game without getting frustrated by the puzzles.
Outside of the puzzles you complete with Molly, you can also become involved with them and also transported into the scenes. Some require your involvement from the God view point, as you move things around in the levels to help create paths. Then you might need to go into the diorama from Molly’s view point and put together parts and look for clues. Another thing is the diorama of Wonderland will be opening up around you as you move into the next room/chapter, in your God mode state roots will grow that you can grab to manipulate and rotate your view of the world.
Then you will also be taken into the diorama for some conversations with characters, this gives you a number of responses – some of which will help you shape Molly’s memories as she learns more about herself. This could be talking to returning characters like the Caterpillar or the White Rabbit or new characters introduced for this saga in Wonderland.
The final element are hidden collectibles in each chapter these are; pieces of a picture for that part of Wonderland, a playing card (used to shape Molly’s character), glasses from Mr. Moles collection and a cassette tape. These are not overly difficult to find if you are keeping an eye out for them – and outside of the playing cards are not a requirement for the story. But, it adds something a little extra to the game.
Wonderland Brought To Life
As previously mentioned and following on from the first game, you are a hole with a diorama being created around you. What really blows my mind is you can go and look at any part of the world when you want. Also, if you look around and up and down every area you visited is still open around you. This even continues when you go into the world from Molly’s view point, turning round and seeing all the other rooms around you is fantastic.
Cortopia Studios have carried on with the same visual style that mixes cartoon style with a little bit of realism. This was a great choice as this works perfectly with the diorama and the fact it is a fairy-tale. With a big improvement coming from the extra power available on the Quest 3, allowing it look sharper than before, which really allows these little dioramas and story come to life.
With the use of audio finishing off the world building perfectly, with light music that keeps that fantasy feeling and environmental noises that are not over baring and work perfectly for each area you visit. Then the most important area of the audio for a game that has so much charm and story to tell, the voice acting is fantastic. From the narrator to every whimsical character you meet in Wonderland being voiced so clearly and perfectly.
Comfort
The Verdict
Cortopia Studios have taken everything that worked great in Down the Rabbit Hole and improved on every aspect – which is no small feat as the game was so good. Bringing an all new protagonist and stand alone story, which plays out perfectly as you learn more about Molly’s past, and shape her character through some of your choices in the game. With puzzles that never become too difficult, which allows the charm of the world, characters and story shine as well. Make sure you don’t overlook this charming title and even Down the Rabbit Hole if you have yet to play that.