Alice Beyond Wonderland 9+

I love this game and all the games by these developers. Obviously a lot of time and effort went into creating them. Especially like how they don’t need fancy animations or graphics to tell a story - they don’t even need you to meet other characters along the way. You’re really the only person in the world, there’s no interaction with others - this really supports the eerie feel of the story, which is all about trying to find out where your friends have gone.

I only didn’t give this game a 5 star rating, because I feel there are three *minor* improvements the developers could make:

1. As another reviewer said, the hints system could be made clearer. Some of the hints just read “solve the puzzle, then...” - but if the puzzle is the thing you’re stuck on, you really need a picture of what the solved version looks like! I’ve played a few puzzle games before where the “hints” system gives the player a choice of a cryptic “clue”, OR you can opt for the complete solution if you’re really stuck. This is helpful because you can choose if you just want a nudge in the right direction, or if you really need the answer spelled out - maybe something like this could be added for future games?

2. The music is quite repetitive and is the same music through the game. There’s so much Creative Commons, free music out there that the developers could have used, that I’m kind of confused as to why they didn’t. It would be nice to have different background music for different areas, and perhaps different times in the game. Listening to the same, mournful tune which seems to loop over about 30 seconds is quite wearying and actually detracts from the gameplay experience - which is a miss on the part of the developers, because music should enhance the environment.

3. Some of the wording and grammar is a bit odd. I’m playing the game in English, and I’m wondering if the developers wrote it in another language and translated? There’s only one instance where the meaning of something isn’t actually clear (something is referred to as “pristine”, and you need to know *which* something is being referred to in order to solve a puzzle - but the word “pristine” in the context makes no sense). I feel like a read-through and edit from a native speaker who is *highly proficient* in each language the game is presented in, could help clear up some of the clunky wording.

Other than these two though, I’m really impressed with the puzzles, the eerie atmosphere - and how they did so much story with what is really quite simple graphics! Definitely recommend :) (just maybe mute the music and listen to your own in the background, and use google for a walkthrough if you get stuck on the hints).

Thanks!

I’m a seasoned point and click gamer and always find these games manageable and easy to navigate. I’ve played the last few you’ve done and they’re rather enjoyable. However, I find this one scrambled in it’s structure and even, when needed - the hint system mirrors the obtuse layout of puzzles. Is the back button supposed to be positioned so far up in the screen? It’s always over or under the items menu and at the moment, it appears it could also be positioned over the very position where I need to use an item ( shovel to dig ). Just a bit of feedback.

I have started the game from beginning twice and each time I can’t get past the right hand puzzle to get the water to flow at fountain. I get the puzzle right but it won’t register as completed. I have also closed game turned phone off and in and it happens each time I try the puzzle.