Introduction to Disney’s Twisted Wonderland game

Disney’s Twisted Wonderland is getting an English release in US and Canada in a week’s time! I was originally disappointed that I wouldn’t be able to play the game but thankfully I figured a way to make it work on my iPad (thank you Apple for making it easy for us to switch our country code). I have been eyeing this game since many months ago when I saw the merchandise in La Tendo. The game was launched in March 2020 in Japanese only and has become wildly popular due to the 22 male characters you’ll get to know in the course of the game. Just to clarify, this is NOT an otome game so there is no dating simulation or any romantic nuances to expect from your interaction with them, though there is nothing stopping you from swooning over their artwork and their bad ass attitude.

Yes as the name suggests Twisted Wonderland is not your typical goody two shoes fairyland where everything is happy ever after. It takes a leaf from the movie The Descendants as this game focuses on the villains in Disney’s movies and gives a rather interesting twist to their motivations. You will also realise that all the 22 characters have their own quirks and dysfunctions which makes them real and easier to connect with compared to perfect Prince Charming who doesn’t exist in real life. I like it that Disney is going down this route to help us recognise that we don’t have to be perfect to be loved but I hope it doesn’t swing to the extreme that we celebrate evil as a result.

Based on what I’ve seen of the gameplay, Twisted Wonderland plays like a visual novel coupled with elements of gacha, character levelling, turn based battles, rhythm games and ongoing side events. Given Disney’s rich history in storytelling and the context of Disney villains, I look forward most to reading the stories and the plot twists as we navigate through the fine lines of right and wrong. What’s more, all the lines are fully voiced in Japanese and the characters are animated in Live2D making for an immersive experience, almost like watching an ongoing anime!

The Japanese version of Twisted Wonderland released its Chapter 6 Part I in end August 2021 with Part II slated for release in October though there doesn’t seem to be any news yet. Each chapter is broken up into short segments making up to a total of 256 segments to date. Come to think of it, Mr Love has already progressed to Season 2 Chapter 9. Together with the 36 chapters in Season 1, they have easily doubled the amount of content in comparison. Mr Love remains undisputed in terms of storytelling for me so we shall see if Twisted Wonderland would be able to upend this. With seven villains and their respective worlds to explore, as well as 22 characters to learn more about, I guess there will be a lot of room to grow and develop.

For reference the Great Seven are

  1. Queen of Hearts from Alice in Wonderland – a strong leader who values rules and discipline above all else in a world of madness
  2. Scar from Lion King – though he wasn’t born as king, he took the throne through effort and elaborate planning, creating a kingdom where there is no discrimination
  3. Ursula from The Little Mermaid – a sea witch who endeavored to help all the unfortunate merfolk fulfil any of their dreams as long as they could pay her high price
  4. Jafar from Aladdin – a cunning adviser to a foolish sultan who saw through the ruse of a street rat trying to trick the princess. He became powerful after he acquired a magic lamp and became sultan himself
  5. Queen from Snow White – a beautiful queen with a strong will and never give up attitude to remain the most beautiful in the world
  6. Hades from Hercules – the ruler of the underworld crawling with evil spirits. He took on his role without complaining and ever taking a vacation so his sincerity won him many powerful followers
  7. Maleficent from Sleeping Beauty – the most powerful magic user of all time which surpasses that of all the other 6 greats, yet is noble and elegant

I have never seen the villains painted in such light before and taken from this lens, they really don’t seem so bad and even worthy of admiration. Just that certain other less edifying details of their deeds have been conveniently omitted from the story as well. In the first 7 chapters of the game, we will learn more about each of this villain and also the characters who live in the respective dormitories.

Think Harry Potter and how each student belongs to a faction based on their skills or temperament, the same goes for students at the Night Raven College. You begin the story finding yourself abducted to this school of magic even though you are unable to perform any magic and is also unable to return to your own world for some mysterious reason. The headmaster has no choice but to house you until he figures a way to send you back. In the meantime, you are enrolled as a student and given the task to perhaps teach the wayward students how to work together.

I’ll leave the character introductions to later once the game is launched and I play it for myself. In the meantime, here’s some really cool looking artwork to whet your appetite.

Heartslabyul – Ace Trappola, Trey Clover, Deuce Spade, Riddle Rosehearts (leader) and Cater Diamond
Savanaclaw – Jack Howl, Leona Kingscholar (leader), Ruggie Bucchi
Octavinelle – Floyd Leech, Azul Ashengrotto (leader), Jade Leech
Scarabia – Jamil Viper, Kalim Al-Asim (leader)
Pomefiore – Rook Hunt, Vil Schoenheit (leader), Epel Felmier

Ignihyde – Ortho Shroud, Idia Shround (leader)
Diasomnia – Sebek Zigvolt, Silver, Malleus Draconia (leader), Lilia Vanrouge
May be an anime-style image of text that says 'ILLUSTRATION: YANA TOBOSO ©Disney. Published Aniplex COUNTDOWN 1 DAY DisnEy TwISTED-WO NDERLAND ツイステッドワンダーランド'
Headmage Dire Crowley “For I am gracious”

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