Game: Wonder of Blue
Genre: Action, Adventure, Indie.
System: Steam (Windows)
Developer|Publisher: Velveteen
Controller Support: Yes
Steam Deck: Playable
Price: US $5.99 | UK £4.99 | EU €5,99
Release Date: November 26th, 2025
Review code provided with many thanks to Velveteen.
Wonder of Blue – Down the Rabbit Hole
Wonder of Blue is a top-down dungeon crawler inspired by the Game Boy era and wrapped in an Alice in Wonderland theme. That’s certainly enough to spark some curiosity. After spending time with it, though, I came away with fairly mixed feelings. I certainly didn’t dislike it, and there’s definitely some charm to be found here. Unfortunately, it never quite managed to leave a lasting impression. It feels like a game with a lovely presentation that struggles to match it with equally engaging gameplay.
Familiar Adventures
You play as Liddell, a young girl exploring a series of labyrinths inspired by Wonderland. Along the way, you’ll battle strange creatures, discover treasure chests, collect new power-ups, and eventually face a boss before moving on to the next area. It’s a very straightforward structure. In many ways, it reminded me of classic Zelda dungeons, although without the puzzle-solving. Instead, the focus is almost entirely on combat and exploration. Find the exit, defeat whatever stands in your way and keep pushing deeper into Wonderland. It’s a formula that’s easy to understand, making Wonder of Blue approachable from the very beginning.
A Lovely Retro Presentation
Without question, my favourite part of the game is its visual style. Wonder of Blue wears its Game Boy inspiration proudly, and it captures that nostalgic handheld look wonderfully. Everything feels clean, colourful and pleasantly simple, especially if you have fond memories of portable adventures from the ’90s. The Alice in Wonderland influences are equally enjoyable. They’re not overly dramatic, but there are plenty of little nods throughout the adventure that fans of the classic story will appreciate.
The game even lets you swap between different colour palettes, including several inspired directly by the original Game Boy hardware. It’s a lovely touch that adds even more retro personality. There’s also an optional 8-bit soundtrack if you really want to lean into those nostalgic vibes, and I always enjoy seeing developers include these kinds of extras.
Simple Controls, Mixed Combat
Mechanically, Wonder of Blue keeps things fairly uncomplicated. Liddell has a standard sword-like attack, a charge attack for extra damage and a graceful twirl that lets her dodge attacks. Later on, the twirl becomes more useful through upgrades, eventually allowing you to destroy incoming projectiles and making movement feel much smoother.
You’ll also discover magical item cards that function like special attacks. They consume magic points, giving you a limited number of uses before needing to recharge. My favourite weapon wasn’t particularly magical at all. Throwing a cat at enemies never stopped making me smile. It’s exactly the sort of wonderfully odd humour you’d hope to find in an Alice-inspired adventure.
Unfortunately, the combat itself never quite reached the same level of enjoyment. One issue I ran into repeatedly was enemy positioning. Many enemies have a habit of getting right on top of your character, making it awkward to fight back. Your sword often feels just a little too long in these situations, turning encounters into more of a struggle than they perhaps need to be.
Where It Started to Lose Me
My biggest issue with Wonder of Blue isn’t that it’s difficult. It’s that I found it rather repetitive.
Like most roguelikes, you’re expected to replay sections after defeat, gradually becoming stronger and learning more with each attempt. Normally that’s a gameplay loop I enjoy, but here I struggled to find the motivation to jump back in after losing. The opening areas simply became a little tedious after a while.
Enemy variety feels fairly limited, and although treasure chests offer different abilities during each run, many of the upgrades didn’t feel particularly exciting. I found myself relying on my basic attacks far more than on my magical abilities, simply because they felt more dependable. The result is a game that never quite develops that “just one more run” feeling that the genre often thrives on.
Plenty of Ways to Play
To the game’s credit, Velveteen has included several options to suit different players. There’s a more forgiving Casual Mode that lets you retry after defeat, while Wanderlust Mode is aimed squarely at players looking for a much tougher roguelike challenge. Wanderlust+ also offers fixed dungeon layouts for those who prefer a more traditional dungeon crawler experience over random generation. I always appreciate seeing developers include options like this. Not every player enjoys the same level of challenge, so having different ways to experience the game is a welcome addition.
Conclusion: Feeling Blue
Wonder of Blue is one of those games that’s very easy to like, even if it never quite becomes one you’ll remember for years afterwards. Its Game Boy-inspired visuals are genuinely charming, the Alice in Wonderland theme gives it plenty of personality, and the low asking price makes it an accessible little indie adventure. At under five pounds, it’s certainly not an expensive gamble, especially with a free demo available on Steam if you’d like to try it first.
Where it falls short is in the gameplay loop. Combat lacks a little impact, progression feels slower than I’d have liked, and the repeated dungeon runs never developed the momentum that keeps me coming back to great roguelikes. That doesn’t make Wonder of Blue a bad game. It’s simply a modest adventure with a lovely presentation that doesn’t quite capitalise on its strong ideas. If you’re a fan of classic Game Boy aesthetics or have a soft spot for Alice in Wonderland, there’s enough here to make it worth a look. Just keep your expectations in check.
Sometimes cheap and cheerful is exactly what’s needed, and Wonder of Blue comfortably fits into that category. It’s a pleasant little journey through Wonderland, even if it doesn’t become an unforgettable one.
Final Verdict: I Like it
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