History VideoGame / Wunderling

'''Wunderling''' is a 2D PuzzlePlatformer released for the UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch and UsefulNotes/{{Steam}}, developed by Bitwave Entertainment (formerly Retroid). Billing itself as a "[[TheGoomba Goomba]] Simulator," the playable character, the titular "Wunderling", is a [[TheGoomba low-level enemy]] who has been miraculously granted the power to jump! Thus, they are always moving and can only turn around when they hit a wall, in true Goomba fashion. It is up to the player to time their jumps well, while using their environment to manipulate the Wunderling's movement. The original version of the game released in 2020. Its first update, "Kohlrabi's Ruin," launched in 2021, and added a new world and a proper ending. Its second update, which added a PlayableEpilogue and is titled "Wunderling DX", was released in 2022.

'''Wunderling''' is a 2D PuzzlePlatformer released for the UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch and UsefulNotes/{{Steam}}, developed by Bitwave Entertainment (formerly Retroid). Billing itself as a "[[TheGoomba Goomba]] Simulator," the playable character, the titular "Wunderling", is a low-level enemy who has been miraculously granted the power to jump! Thus, they are always moving and can only turn around when they hit a wall, in true Goomba fashion. It is up to the player to time their jumps well, while using their environment to manipulate the Wunderling's movement. The original version of the game released in 2020. Its first update, "Kohlrabi's Ruin," launched in 2021, and added a new world and a proper ending. Its second update, which added a PlayableEpilogue and is titled "Wunderling DX", was released in 2022.

* NoPronunciationGuide: To an English-speaking audience, the first obvious pronunciation of the title is "Wonderling," with a "woh" sound. However, the fact that it's spelled with a "W-U" also suggests the more German-sounding "Voonderling," with a "vooh" sound. The official trailers pronounce it "Voonderling."

* TheCameo: In the PostEndGameContent, Zoe from VideoGame/AlwasAwakening makes an appearance in one of the hidden chest rooms, summoning a block onto a pressure plate in order to open a gate for the Wunderling.

* TheCameo: In the PostEndGameContent, Alwa from VideoGame/AlwasAwakening makes an appearance in one of the hidden chest rooms, summoning a block onto a pressure plate in order to open a gate for the Wunderling.

* DownerEnding: The BadEnding, "Witch's Win," [[spoiler:has the Wunderling, Carrot Man, and Dash all die in a giant explosion, while Kohlrabi is free to take over the kingdom]].

* HumanResources: Upon reaching the end of the game, [[spoiler:the Wunderling's origins are revealed to be that they were made out of the pureed remains of denizens of the Vegetable Kingdom]].

* NiceJobBreakingItHero: The whole reason why Kohlrabi took over the kingdom, as she reveals in "Rabi's Ruin", is because [[spoiler:Carrot Man was planning to run away with Princess Pea, and told her that she should ignore chancellor Kohlrabi advising her to stay because of how ugly Kohlrabi is; Kohlrabi overheard this, and became focused on her vanity, sacrificing the entire royal family in a ritual to make herself beautiful]].

'''Wunderling''' is a 2D PuzzlePlatformer released for the UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch and UsefulNotes/{{Steam}} in 2020, developed by Bitwave Entertainment (formerly Retroid). Billing itself as a "[[TheGoomba Goomba]] Simulator," the playable character, the titular "Wunderling", is a low-level enemy who has been miraculously granted the power to jump! Thus, they are always moving and can only turn around when they hit a wall, in true Goomba fashion. It is up to the player to time their jumps well, while using their environment to manipulate the Wunderling's movement. The original version of the game released in 2020. Its first update, "Kohlrabi's Ruin," launched in 2021, and added a new world and a proper ending. Its second update, which added a PlayableEpilogue and is titled "Wunderling DX", was released in 2022.

* HundredPercentCompletion: Collecting every flower in the game is mandatory to received the GoldenEnding. There's also all the costume pieces and all the cassette tapes, collecting all of which grants you the final costume item. [[spoiler: It's a ShoutOut to WebVideo/TheCompletionist, the Completion Beard, because the game was written by Jirard's good friend Alex Faciane.]]
* AddedAlliterativeAppeal: Every single level has an alliterative name. Right down to the two endings: [[BadEnding "Witch's Win"]] and [[GoldenEnding "Rabi's Ruin."]]
* AndYourRewardIsClothes: Every level contains a hidden treasure chest that contains a costume piece. You can combine them in all sorts of wacky ways to make a bizarre custom Wunderling. Your reward for getting absolutely everything in the game is the final costume piece: [[spoiler: [[WebVideo/TheCompletionist The Completion Beard.]]]]

* DeconReconSwitch: The game starts as a subversion of classic video game plot tropes: The villain "kidnapping" the princess is just trying to look after her after the death of her parents, while the "hero" is a narcissistic vigilante who's wreaking havoc across the kingdom in an attempt to "rescue" the princess, mostly in the hopes of [[RescueRomance getting with her afterwards.]] However, collecting all the flowers and getting all the Princess's diary pages shines new light on the situation: [[spoiler: Despite his [[MrViceGuy excessive pride]], Carrot Man really ''was'' one of Princess Pea's closest friends, and he actually understood and accepted that [[IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy she didn't reciprocate his feelings]], even though he was still coming to terms with it. Kohlrabi, meanwhile, despite putting on a nice facade, has been messing with dark powers to TakeOverTheWorld for a long time, and Dash admits she got away with it because Dash herself was too enamored by Kohlrabi to stop helping. Dash even admits that her behavior was [[ToxicFriendship "messed up."]] After his good friend went missing, Carrot Man went mad with grief trying to figure out what happened to her, and in the end, he has a HeelRealization, performing a HeroicSacrifice in the BadEnding, while, in the GoodEnding, he realizes that heroism isn't working out for him and he decides to change his career. Dash even asks the Wunderling not to think too badly of Carrot Man in the end.]]
* DownerEnding: The BadEnding, "Witch's Win," [[spoiler: has the Wunderling, Carrot Man, and Dash all die in a giant explosion, while Kohlrabi is free to take over the kingdom.]]

* GoldenEnding: Getting all the flowers unlocks the "Rabi's Ruin" ending: [[spoiler: Dash realizes she can't be complicit in Kohlrabi's plot any more, and convinces the haggard Carrot Man to team up with her and the Wunderling to defeat Kohlrabi. The Wunderling defeats her, and in her last moments, [[DeathEqualsRedemption Kohlrabi gives up the crown of the kingdom to Dash.]] Dash becomes the new queen, Carrot Man decides to retire from heroism to be a plumber, and the Wunderling finally, finally gains the ability to [[YouHaveResearchedBreathing start and stop whenever they please.]]]]

* YouHaveResearchedBreathing: The Wunderling becomes hero material because Kohlrabi, through a magic spell, gives them the ordinary ability to jump. [[spoiler: In the final cutscene, they finally become free of her magic and gain the ability to walk freely. They're back to constantly moving in the PlayableEpilogue, with Dash commenting that "old habits die hard, huh?"]]

* AndYourRewardIsClothes: Every level contains a hidden treasure chest that contains a costume piece. You can combine them in all sorts of wacky ways to make a bizarre custom Wunderling. Your reward for getting absolutely everything in the game is the final costume piece: [[spoiler: [[WebVideo/TheCompletionist The Completion Beard.]]

* WeaksauceWeakness: In the "Witch's Win" ending, the Wunderling (who has been capable of respawning at checkpoints throughout the game) is revealed to be incredibly weak to [[spoiler:vegetables. Eating them, specifically; Carrot Man sacrifices himself by letting the Wunderling eat him, causing an explosive reaction]].

'''Wunderling''' is a 2D PuzzlePlatformer in which the playable character, the titular "Wunderling", is always moving. The original version of the game released in 2020; an updated edition with more content, titled "Wunderling DX", was released in 2022.

* MultipleEndings: The original version of the game only has one ending: "Witch's Win", in which [[spoiler:the Wunderling, Carrot Man, and Dash all die, and Kohlrabi uses their funeral as propaganda]]. The ''DX'' version added a second ending for [[CollectionSidequest collecting every flower]], "Rabi's Ruin", in which [[spoiler:Kohlrabi's revealed to have killed the Princess, and after being defeated by the Wunderling, realizes the error of her ways and passes leadership to the more benevolent Dash]].
* NiceJobBreakingItHero: The whole reason why Kohlrabi took over the kingdom, as she reveals in "Rabi's Ruin", is because [[spoiler:Carrot Man was planning to elope with Princess Pea, and told her that she should ignore chancellor Kohlrabi advising her to stay because of how ugly Kohlrabi is; Kohlrabi overheard this, and became focused on her vanity, sacrificing the entire royal family in a ritual to make herself beautiful]].

* HeroAntagonist: Carrot Man is the hero of the Vegetable Kingdom, and it's his mission to rescue Princess Pea from danger.

* HumanResources: Upon reaching the end of the game, [[spoielr:the Wunderling's origins are revealed to be that they were made out of the pureed remains of denizens of the Vegetable Kingdom]].

* HeroicSacrifice: In the "Witch's Win" ending, [[spoiler:Carrot Man forces himself down the Wunderling's throat in order to cause a chemical reaction that blows the whole castle up. Unfortunately, Kohlrabi survives, and rallies the
citizens of the Vegetable Kingdom to puree themselves into more Wunderlings during the funeral]].

* CollectionSidequest: Every level has unbloomed flowers along the main path, and the Wunderling is tasked by Dash the Cow to collect as many of them as possible; collecting all of a world's flowers rewards them with [[spoiler:a page from Princess Pea's diary]], and in ''DX'', collecting them all unlocks [[MultipleEndings the good ending]]. In addition, some levels have a chest that contains a cosmetic item, and some require enough chests from other levels to be opened before Dash lets the player reach them.

citizens of the Vegetable Kingdom to puree themselves into more minions during the funeral]].

* MultipleEndings: The original version of the game only has one ending: "Witch's Win", in which [[spoiler:]]. The ''DX'' version added a second ending for [[CollectionSidequest collecting every flower]], "Rabi's Ruin", in which [[spoiler:]].
* NonStandardCharacterDesign: Nearly every character looks different from one another. The Wunderling looks like a monstrous pear, Carrot Man looks like a carrot with arms, legs, and a face, Kohlrabi is a green-skinned witch [[spoiler:whose true form is a PlantPerson]], Dash is a cow that can sometimes stand on her hind legs, and Princess Pea [[spoiler:is shown in flashbacks to be a faceless pea]].

* VillainProtagonist: The titular Wunderling is the Vegetable Kingdom equivalent to TheGoomba, and it's the player's mission to fight Carrot Man and make him lose all of his lives. [[spoiler:However, they can pull a HeelFaceTurn in the DX's "Rabi's Ruin" ending.]]