Wonderful Everyday Down the Rabbit-Hole
- August 30, 2017
- KeroQ
- 3h median play time
Get on Steam"Wonderful Everyday Down the Rabbit-Hole" is a surreal adventure game where players explore a dreamlike world inspired by Alice in Wonderland. Interact with quirky characters, solve puzzles, and uncover the mysteries of the bizarre rabbit-hole realm. The game features a unique art style and immersive atmosphere, providing a memorable experience for fans of the unusual and imaginative.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game features a beautifully crafted narrative that explores deep philosophical themes and character development.
- The soundtrack is exceptional, with many memorable tracks that enhance the emotional impact of the story.
- The unique storytelling structure, which presents the same events from different perspectives, keeps players engaged and intrigued.
- The game contains extremely disturbing content, including graphic depictions of sexual violence and abuse, which may not be suitable for all players.
- The pacing can be inconsistent, with some scenes dragging on unnecessarily, leading to moments of boredom.
- The initial chapter may mislead players into thinking the game is a lighthearted yuri visual novel, only for it to take a dark turn in later chapters.
- story400 mentions
- 27 % positive mentions
- 71 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The story of "Subahibi" is a complex and often disturbing narrative that intertwines philosophical themes with deep emotional experiences, exploring topics such as trauma, bullying, and existentialism through multiple perspectives. While some players find the storytelling to be a masterpiece that challenges their understanding of reality, others criticize its pacing and the excessive inclusion of graphic content that detracts from the overall narrative. Ultimately, the game is praised for its unique structure and character development, but it requires a strong stomach and a willingness to engage with its darker themes.
“And after a gut-wrenching story, the characters have their emotionally uplifting optimism at the end, finding a sense of purpose and peace despite the overwhelming hardships they've faced, which was so impactful to me.”
“The story's strongest moments are some of my favorite moments in any visual novel.”
“A wonderful, philosophical, and emotional story that you only get to experience once you install the free patch.”
“This is just suffering-porn (and literal porn) hiding between some pretentious philosophy and an Inception rip-off of a story.”
“The story wants to talk about the psychological impact of sexual trauma, and sometimes it depicts it with the horrifying seriousness the topic obviously requires, but then other times it's just part of some bit; I understand the poignancy of having traumatized characters living a life of uncomfortable passive oversexualization, but for a lot of the scenes it's clear that the intent is for you to be laughing along or worse, which completely undercuts what the rest of the story is going for.”
“My problem comes with the fact that only about 40% of the game is relevant to the actual story; the rest of this game's playtime comes with characters who don't matter at all, even one of the main characters ends up being completely irrelevant by the end of the story.”
- music79 mentions
- 58 % positive mentions
- 38 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its emotional depth and atmospheric quality, with many reviewers highlighting standout tracks that enhance the storytelling experience. While some noted inconsistencies in the soundtrack's usage, the overall consensus is that the original score is memorable and beautifully complements the game's themes and visuals. Many players express a desire for the soundtrack to be more accessible, reflecting its impact on their enjoyment of the game.
“The amazing and so well captured atmosphere is furthermore being supported by quite a unique soundtrack, many times featuring classical music, something you don't see every day and even less frequently in visual novels.”
“The soundtrack is great, and the characters are engaging.”
“The music is a huge highlight here.”
“The music so far is a little forgettable.”
“Art, music, interface and even the characters are all subpar - average level.”
“It saddens me that the OST is not available as a DLC on Steam, since I would love to purchase it if available.”
- graphics48 mentions
- 31 % positive mentions
- 63 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many praising the artwork and character designs as beautiful and atmospheric, while others criticize certain visuals as inconsistent or dated. The game features graphic and explicit content that some players find excessive, which can detract from the overall experience. Despite these criticisms, the visuals are often noted for effectively conveying the game's intense themes and emotional depth.
“The visuals and CGs are beautifully drawn, and the soundtrack of the game is also very memorable; together they blend in very well into the game, expressing the situation and the mood perfectly.”
“The artwork and character designs are really pretty and unique, and the voices fit the characters really well.”
“Its artwork, voice acting, and depth are brilliant, and all credit goes to the developer and staff involved.”
“The graphics: 6.5/10 for modern standards.”
“While I did stay interested until the end, the game's graphic content felt needlessly excessive at times, and there are themes and content that will definitely not be a fit for everyone.”
“The game can be very creepy and frankly, quite brutal at times, even if it's not super graphic, so it's not recommended for people who are weak to topics such as bullying, rape, murder, humiliation, drugs, and physical torture.”
- emotional41 mentions
- 98 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 2 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is described as a profound and intense journey, eliciting a wide range of feelings from joy to despair, often leaving players in tears. While some find the storytelling deeply impactful and thought-provoking, others criticize it for being overly disturbing or exploitative of emotional responses. Overall, the narrative is characterized as a complex blend of philosophical themes and raw emotional experiences, making it both a rewarding and challenging experience for players.
“And after a gut-wrenching story, the characters have their emotionally uplifting optimism at the end, finding a sense of purpose and peace despite the overwhelming hardships they've faced, which was so impactful to me.”
“I cried three times, and my personal outlook on life is forever changed.”
“It portrays three-dimensional characters and their experiences in a wild but believable series of events leading up to some pretty emotional moments; if a game can elicit an emotional experience from me, it must be doing something right in its storytelling.”
“But as the game tells you, once the mystery of the game is solved, it's just a boring story.”
- humor17 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is a complex blend of dark comedy and awkward situations, often juxtaposed with serious themes like sexual trauma, which can lead to a dissonance that some players find unsettling. While some appreciate the depth and intellectual humor, others feel that the comedic elements undermine the gravity of the narrative. Overall, the humor is described as both intriguing and divisive, with moments that can elicit genuine laughter amidst a backdrop of disturbing content.
“It's weird, it's interesting, it's disgusting, it's depressing, it's funny, it's all sorts of things.”
“One scene might have you laughing because the weird characters are awkwardly trying to make sense of each other, which is exactly how high school went for me, while moments later, you will be faced with some graphic and taboo subject matter that will make you question whether or not you should keep moving forward, and trust me, it always gets worse before it gets better in this game.”
“It kept me giggling and laughing all throughout the middle sections of the story.”
- atmosphere11 mentions
- 36 % positive mentions
- 36 % neutral mentions
- 27 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is highly praised for its dream-like and mysterious quality, effectively enhanced by a unique soundtrack featuring classical music. The beautiful artwork and high-quality backgrounds contribute significantly to the immersive experience, creating a captivating and sometimes disturbing ambiance that draws players in. Overall, the combination of music, visuals, and storytelling creates a rich and engaging atmosphere that resonates with players.
“The amazing and so well captured atmosphere is furthermore being supported by quite a unique soundtrack, many times featuring classical music, something you don't see every day and even less frequently in visual novels.”
“I'd like to avoid as many spoilers as possible, so I have to be really vague here, but that dream-like, mysterious atmosphere the game has from start to finish is really magical and grabs you, pulling you in.”
“The art work is mostly great, and it's overall very atmospheric.”
“Besides my personal issue with the explanation for the mystery, the atmosphere is completely different.”
“Immersive, disturbing atmosphere.”
“The atmosphere, the way each puzzle fills the gaps.”
- character development10 mentions
- 30 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 30 % negative mentions
Character development in the game is generally considered adequate, with each character possessing a unique personality, though relatability varies among players. Some reviewers feel that the use of sensitive topics like rape and bullying for character growth is somewhat exploitative, detracting from the overall enjoyment of the story. While the artwork and character designs, particularly for female characters, are praised for their beauty and uniqueness, male character designs are viewed as less appealing.
“The character development is there, and each character has a unique personality; some are easier to relate to than others, but that's probably because it's subjective.”
“The artwork and character designs are also really pretty and unique, and the voices fit the characters really well.”
“+ beautiful art with very pretty female character design and a surprisingly large number of high-quality background CGs that enhance the atmosphere significantly.”
“The character development is there and each character has a unique personality; some are easier to relate to than others, but that's probably because it's subjective and I can't find myself to relate to all of the portrayed characters.”
“Using subjects like rape and bullying as character development feels kinda cheap to me.”
“Character development is ok.”
- gameplay8 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
The gameplay is largely criticized for being minimal and lacking interactivity, with many players describing it as more of a visual novel than a traditional game. Significant content is locked behind a patch, making the experience feel incomplete without it, and the gameplay is considered straightforward with no real difficulty. While choices can impact the story, the overall gameplay experience is rated low, often viewed as an enhanced reading experience rather than a game.
“This is a gameplay-light visual novel, so don’t go in expecting much interactivity, but the choices do have major enough impacts that making sure to save and venture down each path is highly advised.”
“Look past the fact that it might contain content that you don't like or want to see, or that it has Japanese animation styled art, or isn't really a game per se, but rather a book, if you will, (and this is coming from someone who plays games that focus entirely on gameplay with no plot) and go into this game with as little knowledge of it as possible.”
“There is no real gameplay and this should be viewed essentially as a book enhanced by visuals and sound for sequences not able to be conveyed by text alone.”
“All of this is locked behind a patch on the Steam version; however, the game is completely worthless without this patch, as most of the game's content (multiple chapters of gameplay) is locked behind it.”
“There is no difficulty involved in the gameplay; there are some very straightforward, spoiler-free guides on the Steam community for this game.”
“There is no real gameplay, and this should be viewed essentially as a book enhanced by visuals and sound for sequences not able to be conveyed by text alone.”
- optimization2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The reviews highlight a lack of consistency in optimization, comparing it to the unpredictable performance of the moon, which shines brightly some days while being nearly absent on others. This inconsistency suggests that the game's optimization may vary significantly, impacting the overall experience.
“The sun curtsied and exited stage west after a routine dazzling performance, only for the moon to stumble onto stage and give a capricious show (for you see, some days he shone bright while other days it was like he wasn't even there).”
“Amazing performance, splendid skills for vocabulary (and fitting OST).”
- replayability1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players note that the game offers good replay value, particularly for those who enjoy revisiting it after completing a full playthrough.
“The game has excellent replay value, especially if you're interested in exploring different choices after completing a full playthrough.”
“There are so many different paths and outcomes that it encourages multiple playthroughs to experience everything.”
“Each playthrough feels fresh due to the variety of choices and strategies available, making it highly replayable.”
- grinding1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding in Subahibi to be tedious, as the convoluted writing style and heavy foreshadowing can make progress feel slow and cumbersome.
