Lemma Soft Forums

Hello! Carrot here, and I’m currently working on my second game (first being a non-VN). I’ve been making some good progress lately, so I thought I would do an actual write-up/detail page for the game in case anyone is interested or would like to follow the progress and/or ask questions. I’ll also use this space to post more general updates and keep track of overall progress since I don’t have a space for something like that yet (and it somehow still feels too weird to me to make an actual dedicated itch page for it yet).
Eleven-year-old Iggy wasn’t sure what he was expecting when he dragged his friends out to the middle of the woods to attempt a strange ritual from an old book he found in the dumpster at school, but his wildest imagination couldn’t have prepared him for the land of wonder and magic that awaited them at the bottom of that old willow tree.

Now, however, it’s twenty years later, and he and his friends are past the age of make-believe and pretend. The wonderland of their youth has become nothing more than a far-off dream, until one night, Bucks and her newborn daughter disappear without a trace. Soon, Iggy and his friends find themselves being pulled back into that world of childish glee—only their wishes and desires aren’t so innocent anymore, and the world has twisted itself into a land of corruption, evil, and lust that’s scarcely recognizable.
Our Wonderland is a horror-fantasy visual novel focusing on the struggles, issues, and deteriorating relationships between five childhood friends (amplified to horrific effect). It contains five different arcs, each with its own ending, and your choices affect the amount of peril the protagonists experience (hint: how many times Iggy violently dies), as well as the final ending (hint: who Iggy ends up with at the very end, because apparently in some messed-up way, this is also the world's worst dating sim).

Features:

• Five different arcs with endings

• Storybook-style visuals

• Lots of dramatic sound effects

• 170+ CGs and counting (will update as I make more progress)

• 183,000+ words of script and counting (will update as I make more progress)

• 4 cinematic ending sequences (to eventually include 5)

Main Characters:
Content Warnings:

• Strong adult language

• Strong graphic violence (both illustrated and textual)

• Sexual violence/assault/unwanted sexual advances

• Disturbing and potentially triggering elements

• (for Arc 3) Topics involving suicide, self-harm, and self-poisoning

• (for Arc 4) Strong sexual themes, very uncomfortable sexual situations (extra strong)

• (for Arc 4) Intense and disturbing scenes with violent imagery (extra strong)

• (for Arc 4) Bullying and harassment, bigoted comments related to gender

• (for Arc 4) Drugging

These are the general content warnings. You can find a more-detailed list of warnings with an arc-by-arc breakdown on the itch.io game page!

Screenshots:
Gory Screenshots:
FAQ

How many endings are there?

There are technically five endings—one for each arc. But the structure is a bit different from other multi-ending games in that the first four arcs lead up to the final arc, which acts as the One True Ending™. You'll need to play through all the arcs to complete the game and story, but you'll be able to choose the order you play them in (except for the first and last arcs).

Do my choices affect the romantic elements in the game?

Not really. This isn't a dating-style game where you can choose which character to get close to—it's more of a preset narrative that explores various possibilities. However, without revealing too much, your choices do affect details in the epilogue, some of which are romantically-inclined.

Is the game LGBTQIA+-friendly?

Yes, one arc in particular includes a homoromantic relationship, and both biromanticism and asexuality come up more generally.

How much gore is there?

There’s a fair amount, though my art style isn’t particularly realistic, so I can’t say for sure who will and won’t be able to handle it. I’ve included a couple of linked/hidden screenshots in the screenshot section that are indicative of the types of gore you’ll see, and you can check them if you’re unsure. If there are any specific types of gore you’re averse to, you can also reach out and ask me specifically if it’s included.

Are there jump scares in the game?

No, I’m not a fan of jump scares in general, and this isn’t really a jump scare type of game anyway.

What program did you use for the art?

I drew all of the character art and CGs in Aseprite. BGs were done in Gimp.

When will the game be finished/released?

I don’t have an answer to this. I’m a one-person show, so everything is dependent on my progress. This is a game I’ve been thinking about and wanting to make for literal years, and a lot of the stuff explored hits me pretty close to home on a personal level. For the first time, I’ve actually gotten considerable work done and made tons of progress and am really on a roll, so I’m feeling good (otherwise, I wouldn’t be making this post to begin with). I will try to keep updating the progress numbers so people know its current general status.

Current Progress:

• Arc 1: Writing 100%, Coding 100%, Art 100%

• Arc 2: Writing 100%, Coding 100%, Art 100%

• Arc 3: Writing 100%, Coding 100%, Art 100%

• Arc 4: Writing 100%, Coding 100%, Art 100%

• Arc 5: Writing 0%, Coding 0%, Art 0%

• GUI, Menus, Title: 80%

The first, second, third, and fourth arcs of the game have been released! You can download the current version of the game here:

• itch.io: https://carrotpatchgames.itch.io/our-wonderland

If you’re interested in keeping up with production, I try to post on my Twitter at least every few days—if not every day—with random screenshots or details about what I’m currently working on/obsessing about. You can also reach out to me there or here if you have any questions!

I hope if this sounds interesting to you, you’ll come check it out!

Interesting style, good luck!

papillon wrote: ↑

Fri Oct 22, 2021 3:38 pm

Interesting style, good luck!

Thank you very much! I will do my best!

---

Also as a quick update, I've updated some of the progress numbers in the original post. This week was mostly work on art for the second arc, some writing and art for the third arc, and work on some death scenes and dialogue choices. I'm up to 65 CGs now (it's getting ridiculous). Also, I will likely need to update the gore screenshots, as some of the stuff I've drawn recently is (in my opinion) a bit worse than the examples I gave, and I want to make sure people have a good grasp of what they're in for. However, some of the worse stuff is a bit too spoiler-y, so I'm not sure how to handle it yet.

Along with that, I thought I'd share some gifs that show off the style of my CGs. In keeping with the storybook-ish feel, I've done them in a way so the characters kind of "pop-in." Also, depending on the scene, I create additional frames for more expressions or even character movement to give it a bit of a half-animation feel and (hopefully) make it feel somewhat immersive (since I'm not talented enough to do full animation).

Here are are a few that show off what I'm talking about a bit:







As a final point, I'm thinking of potentially releasing the first arc as a demo/"episode 1" type of thing. The first arc is pretty close to completion—it just has a bit more art to do that I've been putting off, and I'd need to do some work on the menus and GUI, which I've also been putting off. It would still be a little ways off but potentially a way for people to be able to try it out sooner. We'll see!

Popping back in for some more updates after another week-ish of progress! I have officially decided to release the first arc of the game separately—I think it will work well as it contains a complete story and ending, so will be a good chunk for people to experience as I work on the rest of the game. In fact, back in my original ideation for this game, the first arc would have been the entire game (though I'm really happy I didn't stick with that). For that reason, I'm now prioritizing the remaining art for the first arc—mainly a couple of CGs that I either put off or only decided to draw recently, some death scenes, as well as the intro and ending sequences, which both require a considerable amount of art. I imagine that I'll be able to finish up the rest of the first arc artwork within the next few weeks, after which, I'll send things off to beta testers to make sure it's all polished and as bug-free as possible.

Some additional notes—I updated some progress numbers, as well as the gore screenshots in the main post, as I felt that some of my more recent artwork was a bit more graphic than the examples I originally gave and I want to ensure everyone can accurately judge whether it's too much for them.

Also, I've been working a bit on the GUI and finally have an actual title screen, so thought I'd share that, along with a random selection of new screenshots!



(click image to see the full size)



I will hopefully have more info about the first arc release soon!

This looks like an interesting tone and cool concept. I'm officially following and hope to see that first Arc soon!

Inksword wrote: ↑

Fri Nov 05, 2021 1:37 am

This looks like an interesting tone and cool concept. I'm officially following and hope to see that first Arc soon!

Thank you so much!! That really means a lot, and I'm glad you like it so far!

---

Update-wise, I'm happy to say that I'm VERY close to having the first arc complete. I finished up the lengthy ending sequence, finished up the intro, and have been working on other various bits and bobs, such as a few new CGs, some additional GUI stuff, some death scenes, and some random clean-up/polish. Probably later this week or early next week, I will start looking for a handful of people to beta-test to make sure there aren't any bugs or anything weird going on that I've missed because my brain has turned to mush from playing through it too many times. I will make a post on Twitter about it, but if anyone reading this thinks they might also be interested, you can shoot me a message here, on Twitter, or via email at carrot(dot)patch(dot)games(at)gmail(dot)com to let me know.

Before I head off, here's a gif from the ending sequence:

I'm happy to announce that I've just released Arc 1!

I also have a trailer!


You can download Arc 1 on itch.io and Game Jolt!

itch.io: https://carrotpatchgames.itch.io/our-wonderland
Game Jolt: https://gamejolt.com/games/our-wonderland/665098

My goal now is to finish up the remaining art for Arc 2.

Hey, all! It's me again! Just a quick update that I've released a (pretty lengthy) new devlog going into detail about my production processes, art processes, etc. (which also includes a couple sneak peeks of future arcs, too)! If you're interested, you can check it out here on itch:

https://carrotpatchgames.itch.io/our-wo ... ses-devlog

Feel free to let me know if you have anything you'd like to see a devlog about in the future! Have some parting art for your troubles:

Hey, all! It's everyone's favorite neighborhood Carrot, here, with a shiny new devlog that also couples as a progress update! (For those that don't want to read the whole thing and, instead, want the most important deets injected straight into their veins: Arc 2 will be releasing soon! Barring any potential major issues.)

But if you do want all the juicy details and fun new tidbits about Arc 2 coupled with my patent-pending inanity and typical quirks, check it out here:

https://carrotpatchgames.itch.io/our-wo ... ess-update

And, as always, some art for your troubles (the first of which is the new cover image I drew for itch!):

I finally got a chance to sit down and play through the first arc after having this open in a tab basically since it came out - and wow! What a polished and cool VN.

I've read your dev logs where you've talked about how you approached the art in a way to help compensate for your shortcomings, and it's really effective! I love the unique art style for characters and monsters, and the paper doll/'stage play' animation style really brings it together. I know it's another thing to pull together, but I would consider making a 'gallery' for some of the CGs; I think it'd really highlight all the effort you put into the art.

The story was also really engaging - I'm looking forward to seeing your later arcs! I think all the characters are effective, though in particular I'm looking forward to seeing more development for Gidget (the 'Iggy being a jerk to her' flashback was super effective to me as a girl that was on a robotics team lmao)

Damn, really cool style and great presentation! Gonna keep and eye on this one!

Autumnotopia wrote: ↑

Wed Jan 12, 2022 11:58 pm

I finally got a chance to sit down and play through the first arc after having this open in a tab basically since it came out - and wow! What a polished and cool VN.

I've read your dev logs where you've talked about how you approached the art in a way to help compensate for your shortcomings, and it's really effective! I love the unique art style for characters and monsters, and the paper doll/'stage play' animation style really brings it together. I know it's another thing to pull together, but I would consider making a 'gallery' for some of the CGs; I think it'd really highlight all the effort you put into the art.

The story was also really engaging - I'm looking forward to seeing your later arcs! I think all the characters are effective, though in particular I'm looking forward to seeing more development for Gidget (the 'Iggy being a jerk to her' flashback was super effective to me as a girl that was on a robotics team lmao)

Oh, gosh!! Thank you so much for playing and for your kind words!! That makes me super happy to hear and I'm so glad that you're liking it so far! Your words about my art especially make me really happy as I sometimes get really self-conscious about it lol. A CG gallery is definitely something I'd like to do—I looked into it a bit before releasing Arc 1, but got a bit overwhelmed, so decided to try it again later. If I can, I'll probably try to get one implemented for the full version of the game once it's all complete!

And awwww, I'm really happy hearing you say that you like Gidget!! She'll get a lot more development and you'll get to see more of her backstory, etc., once I get to Arc 4, which will be the "Call Gidget" arc (though I apologize, as it'll take me a bit before I reach production of that arc, though I really hope I'll be able to finish everything within the year).

DarkChibiShadow wrote: ↑

Thu Jan 13, 2022 7:07 pm

Damn, really cool style and great presentation! Gonna keep and eye on this one!

Ohhhhh, thank you so much!!! That really means a lot! I hope that you'll end up liking it!

Well, that was fucked up! (In the good ways. )

papillon wrote: ↑

Fri Jan 14, 2022 4:49 pm

Well, that was fucked up! (In the good ways. )

Hahahahahaha, I take that as a compliment
Thank you so much for playing—it means a lot!!

ARC 2 IS FINALLY HERE!

• Return to Wonderland!

• F-fall in love with your best friend???

• Definitely don't get tortured, mutilated, or eaten!

• Come to terms with your (a)sexuality!

This arc focuses a lot on Genzou and the relationship between him and Iggy. I’m both excited but also nervous about it as it hits on a lot of themes cLoSe tO hOmE lol. I hope you’ll enjoy it!

Read all the deets and download the new arc here. You’ll also find instructions for carrying over your save data if you already have a save file from the Arc 1 version.