Disney Twisted Wonderland Review

Trapped in Another World

Have you ever wanted to go to a college inspired by some of Disney’s classic villains and meet some cute boys while you’re at it? Well, now you can, because Disney Twisted Wonderland from Aniplex Inc. is accepting new students! Only those who use magic are allowed to study at the prestigious Night Raven College to become some of the best mages in the world. Wait, what do you mean you can’t do magic? How did you even get here then? Well, you can’t be an official student, but you’re free to stay here and figure out a way back home. Who knows, you might make new friends, learn things and even find romance.

The Dorms & The Boys

First, pick one character to eventually have a romance with from seven different dorms. The Queen of Hearts dorm is Heartslabyul; the dorm for Scar is Savanaclaw; and Ursula’s dorm is Octavinelle. Scarabia is Jafar’s dorm; Pomefiore is with the Evil Queen from Snow White; Ignihyde is for Hades and Diasomnia belongs with Maleficent. Depending on the dorm, there are two to five characters to choose from. For example, I decided to go with Malleus Draconia, the housewarden of Diasomnia. He’s a descendant of the fae and an immensely powerful mage. The problem is, I’m 14 chapters into the game and I haven’t even met him yet! Not a complaint, though I do wonder how long it’ll take. Regardless, multiple characters mean quite a bit of replay potential. You could spend hours playing this game, which is a bonus.

All the characters are boys, despite how pretty they all look. Manga and anime fans might recognize the art style as Yana Toboso’s, the creator of the popular Black Butler series. In addition to the detailed art of the boys and their various outfits, Toboso was also behind the concept and main story of Disney Twisted Wonderland. The writing also has no grammatical or spelling errors often typical with Japanese to English translated games. Additionally, the writing helps every character’s personality shine through and separate them from the others. Dire Crowley, the headmage of the college, is a bit on the eccentric side, but won’t hesitate to punish troublemakers. And Grim, a cat-looking creature with fire magic, is very impulsive and quick to anger, and often drags you into trouble. All-in-all, whoever you come across is bound to be entertaining to speak with.

Musical Battles

The game is divided into chapters, and some of those chapters have fighting segments. One way to fight is with Twistunes. As a rhythm game, you must tap the screen when the notes reach a circle to cast spells and earn points. I recommend playing with the sound on, it’ll help. Twistunes has three types of gameplay: when the notes are green, you can tap anywhere. When they’re blue, tap on the left, and when they’re red, tap on the right. Notes appearing at the same time means you’ll have to tap simultaneously. Tap on rhythm to get a Perfect and rack up points to earn rewards. Points are on a scale from C, B, A, S and SS, with C being the lowest. Try to get Perfect a lot to get the highest score. Rewards are gems and Thaumarks, the latter of which are used to buy character cards in the shop.

Character cards are needed to summon characters to battle in regular turn-based fights. Besides the shop, you can summon them from the Mirror Chamber. This gives you a chance to see different boys in their different outfits, like their school uniform, PE uniform, ceremonial robes and more. All cards have different rarities ranging from R, SR and SSR, with R being more common and typical. The higher the rarity, the more powerful the character will be. Select who gets to fight or let the game auto select for you. Then tap auto to watch them battle on their own in an adorable chibi-style. Every battle has turn limits, usually five, and if a battle lasts for five turns, the battle will end after turn five. You win by either defeating your opponents before the five turns are up, dealing more damage or getting the enemy’s HP to zero.

A Dark Fairytale

Disney Twisted Wonderland takes seven classic Disney villains and turns their legacies into a competitive magic college. You have no idea how you came to this world, especially since you can’t use magic, but at least you won’t be bored. Meet unique characters inspired by the Queen of Hearts, Maleficent, Hades and more as you try to find your way back home. Spark a romance with one of the many boys you meet and watch them cast magic in adorable chibi battles. It’s a guarantee you’ll have a magical time with this game.