Japanese publisher Regista Co., Ltd. has released Alice in Wonder Underland - AIWU -, a dark fantasy exploration adventure now available on PC via Steam and Nintendo Switch.
If you grew up fascinated by weird, quiet Japanese indie games like Yume Nikki, this one should be on your radar. AIWU is built around surreal spaces, unsettling vibes, and that specific feeling of walking through a place that looks normal at first… until your brain starts going, “wait, something is off lah.”
The game follows Alice and her companion Noir Bunny as they travel through strange connected worlds while searching for Alice’s missing voice. Instead of pushing players down a fixed route, AIWU leans into non-linear discovery. You explore, collect odd items, unlock connections, and slowly piece together what these worlds are trying to tell you.
One of the big hooks is the game’s outfit-based ability system. Alice can collect different costumes, and those outfits help her reach new areas or interact with the world in different ways. Regista says there are more than 30 handcrafted worlds to explore, so this is very much the kind of game where poking around and getting lost is part of the appeal.
The collected items are not just random collectibles either. As players gather unusual objects scattered across the worlds, patterns begin to form. These discoveries can be revisited in Alice’s room, where they come with hand-drawn illustrations and commentary. For fans who enjoy lore hunting, visual storytelling, and “what does this mean?” theorycrafting, that sounds like the good stuff.
AIWU also has a pretty interesting origin story. According to the release details, the concept has been around for over a decade and was originally imagined as a manga before becoming a game. That explains why the whole thing has such a strong illustrated identity — this is not trying to look like every other indie pixel platformer on Steam.
For Malaysian and SEA players, the timing is nice because niche Japanese indies are way easier to access now compared to the old days. PC players can just check it out on Steam, while Switch owners may need to use their usual supported eShop region setup, since the launch listing mentioned EU and NA Switch availability. Either way, it is a good fit for handheld play — especially if you like slow-burn exploration games you can dip into at night with headphones on.
There is also a 20% limited-time launch discount, though the exact RM pricing will depend on your platform and region. If you are the type who likes atmospheric Japanese games, dreamlike horror without cheap jumpscares, or exploration titles that reward curiosity more than reflexes, AIWU feels like one to wishlist at minimum.
Not every game needs to be a 100-hour open-world grind, bro. Sometimes you just want a strange little rabbit companion, a missing voice, and 30 worlds that make you slightly uncomfortable in the best way.
Source: Automaton Media