Wunderling or should I say Vunderling is a squishy low-level video game henchman who looks like a kind of, well, lemon. Apart from the obvious exception that this elliptical fella has arms and legs and a proclivity for bouncing on things.
Swedish game company Retroid has developed an original title that has all the charm of 80’s platform games with a modern zesty twist. This goon can’t stop walking; in fact, there’s a whole host of Mario-esque moves that root this game firmly in my distant childhood.
Built with Unreal Engine 4, Retroid has crafted something that looks like it will appeal to anyone who has a retro love of cute platform games. The scrolling levels are set in the Vegetable Kingdom full of lush, bright colors and weird characters to rudely walk past since Wunderling is unable to stop or change direction.
There’s also a talking carrot, creatively named – The Carrot Man, Princess Pea who appears to be, yes you guessed it, a Pea and a cow that makes a regular appearance; no, I’m not taking any kind of Hallucinogen while writing this – the only thing I’m high on is coffee.
Wunderling’s master is the evil sorceress Kohlrabi, who’s a kind of wild cabbage – are you getting the vegetable references here? This lemony goon has been created to help her control the veggie kingdom as her henchman. Why is there always a power-hungry vegetable that wants world domination.
As you play, you can unlock different moves like “Boost” and “Wall-jump,” which should help you squish those baddies or should I say goodies. There’s also an emphasis on planning ahead since you have to navigate treacherous levels and solve puzzles while on the move. This game looks like it will give you that nostalgic 80’s gameplay with plenty of original content thrown in.
Wunderling will be released in early 2020 for PC and Nintendo Switch.
