Wunderling is a game that launched back in March 2020. Yesterday, March 8, 2022, the game received a free DX update. The update brings new levels, puzzles, items and more. Wunderling is basically a 2D collectible endless runner puzzle platformer.
I didn’t make it into the DX content yet, since you have to beat the original game to get there. So, instead of reviewing the new content, I would like to instead talk about my love for this great storytelling.
The game Wunderling begins with a fantastic MacGuffin.
noun: MacGuffin
/məˈɡəfin/
an object or device in a movie or a book that serves merely as a trigger for the plot.
In the opening sequence of Wunderling you play as Carrot Man. This level is something like a classic Mario Bros level. You start as Carrot Man (aka the Mario character) who is stomping through the level taking out little veggie minions (aka the goomba characters).
Next comes the twist. Carrot Man is not the good guy in this game, he’s a menace. He’s stomping on all of these little vegetable creatures who just seem to be minding their own business. The witch, Kohlrabi, along with her cow cameraman come to report on this incident. She then gives one tiny veggie goon the power to jump.
From there, Wunderling shifts focus to the tiny veggie minion. The jumping veggie must now chase down that evildoer, Carrot Man. The gameplay shifts to an endless runner, where you have to complete level after level, collecting items, cassette tapes and treasure chests. The chests are filled with customizable items for your wunderling.
Interesting Story
What makes this story so interesting to me is that I have always had the idea of a story that focuses on a goon who works for a super villain. Someone who gets knocked out by Batman or Spiderman. I always think who are these goons? Sure, some of them are just bad people who want to hurt the hero. However, I’m sure many of them ended up in this life after making some bad choices.
Where would the Joker or the Kingpin go out to recruit their big strong goons? I can think of a few places. Failed athletes and wrestlers, ex-bouncers, dishonorably discharged soldiers, even firefighters. Think about it, Firefighters work 24 hours straight and are off for 48 hours. That’s a lot of free time to do some gooning and stuff.
The story of this game lifts the gameplay that much higher to me. I have played plenty of endless runner games like this, but for some reason the story of going after Carrot Man in the back of my mind makes me really want to succeed.
I haven’t gotten too far, but there’s also this part where your wunderling is transformed into a dragon and burns Carrot Man. Sometimes great gameplay is all you need for a good, addicting game. Other times a great story makes a game interesting enough. Wunderling does a good job of blending both. We have this fun story, and although the levels start off a bit simple they get more challenging as you go.
Wunderling first released in March of 2020 on Steam and Nintendo Switch, Xbox One and PlayStation 4. Yesterday, March 8, 2022, the game received a free new update, Wunderling DX.
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