Wunderling (2020)

Wunderling DX is an interesting take on the "villain becomes a hero" concept in that you're basically a minion setting out to stop the hero.  While I can see some players may be turned off by the simplicity of the game and the easiness of the early-going, there's enough content and collectables to keep things fresh throughout your journey as an underling setting out to stop a hero.  As backwards as that concept may seem, I thoroughly enjoyed my time through Wunderling DX.

Wunderling DX really impressed me in the end. Going in I expected yet another run of the mill hard platformer but the concept here felt fresh and new and kept me hooked through the adventure. It’s also rare for me to feel compelled to return to previous levels to grab all the collectables. Also, high praise goes to the developers for not featuring a single buzzsaw. Readers of my work will know how much I love that tired troupe. Wunderling DX is just wonderful and you should give it a go. But if you still need convincing there is a free demo on eShop to try.

Wunderling DX isn’t the kind of game-changing platformer that’s going to draw in all kinds of crowds. That said, the story adds a fun punch to the gameplay while its mechanical twist is worth checking out for fans of the genre. If you love platformers, Wunderling DX is a well-designed, inventive one of those. If you don’t, it’s not going to change your mind.

The story in Wunderling is about a magical kingdom with talking, walking vegetables, lead by a unique hero called Carrot Man who is on a quest to save Princess Pea from an evil witch and her talking cow. What first appears to be a typical platformer is soon turned on its head as the lead character bounds off the screen, and you soon realise he’s not the main focus here. Instead, the Evil Witch wants her hero to thwart Carrot Man’s reign. So after one of her minions is head stomped Mario style into the ground, she decides to take steps to stop Carrot Man’s advance and creates her hero from the fallen goon… she names him Wunderling!

The simple controls are a welcome change from the standard side-scrolling platformer. The level design is really spectacular as well, leaving me smiling many times when I finally figured out how to get to certain places. Somehow, the platformer genre continues to entertain me, and Wunderling does a great job of bringing something both fresh and tried and true.