Guilty Alice — Cheshire Cat Let’s Play & Review!

I think I’m going to do a Let’s Play of this route’s sweet ending. Just as a special first Halloween post service. This was a bad idea because it took me two weeks to complete.
This will have spoilers. For my spoiler-free comments, control-f “Final Thoughts” and see whether this route is worth buying or not.

The basic premise of Guilty Alice is that Yui, known in Wonderland as Alice (Alice is the name all intruders into Wonderland receive), has to create a “heart crystal” for the Queen of Hearts as penance for destroying hers. To create a crystal, you have to fall in love. And that’s where the bachelors come into play.

Cheshire’s story starts with Yui wondering how she’s going to create a heart. One month isn’t much time to fall in love, after all. She falls asleep and ends up in Wonderland. Specifically, Gentania. In the other routes, you learn that Gentania is a dangerous place to be. And shortly after she arrives, she runs into danger. Two patrolling knights aren’t exactly trusting of her. As she tries to get away, Cheshire Cat appears to save the day~

 

Cheshire Cat comes and does a little magic, completely obliterating them. As in, they no longer exist. Not a single trace. Uhh… That’s actually impressive…. and scary…. mostly scary at this point….. especially since Cheshire has that creepy mask…

 

But no fear, he didn’t kill them. He “wished” them back to the castle, that’s all. I bet we never see those knights again. How do we really know? Hm Hm?? But in any case, don’t worry, Cheshire’s not a murderer. For now.

 

She thanks him for helping her, and Cheshire is a little put off, noting that she would thank someone like him for aid, and calls her kind.

Yui: Awfully kind? Not really… Who wouldn’t thank someone for coming to their aid?
Cheshire: Even when that someone is myself?
Yui: Of course. Even when that someone is a strange man in a cat hood.
Cheshire: A strange man, huh? Is that what I am?

He sounds amused and leans closer to peer at my face. As close as he is, I still have no idea what expression he has behind that [mask].

 

How can we be this early into the route and getting the feels? Howwww???
Cheshire says she’s innocent, and he hopes she never loses that innocence because it’s a drastic and irreparable change. Yui is like “wut is this dude rambling about” and Cheshire changes the subject to romance, specifically, who is she planning on getting with? Well, Yui doesn’t know. He suggests Sakuto because he’s good stock, but Yui isn’t impressed. She wants to know what’s going on before she chooses a bachelor. Rather reasonable, I think.

Cheshire agrees to answer her questions to help her along. She asks where she is, he replies “Wonderland, obviously.” That smart little…! Such a cat thing to say, don’t you think? Anyway, he tells her she’s in Gentiana as she thought. She asks what he was doing, and he replies that he was searching for her. Yui calls his bluff, and he replies that she shouldn’t worry much, because

“Everyone has a secret or two. But don’t worry, mine aren’t that big.”

Yeap, if that’s not code for something, I don’t know what is. Better get my tissues ready…

The biggest mystery Yui has is Cheshire Cat. He was there in the shop when she found and accidentally destroyed the Queen of Heart’s heart. Cheshire decides she wants to know his secret. So he takes off his hood and reveals his real face.

And tells her his real name is Noir.

 

Oh, girl, you’re telling me.

And there go the first two things I thought wouldn’t appear until the end. I wonder his this route is going to go…

He insists she doesn’t tell anyone about this, then teleports her to Chalk Castle with Prince Sakuto. After explaining what happened (minus the reveal), Sakuto lets her stay in a guest bedroom at the castle. We meet Bill and the twins and she has a nice time with them.

The next day, she decides that she’s not going to make a heart and is going to find the person who stole the Queen’s heart instead. You go girl! She goes to Crimson Castle to look for clues. That’s the Queen’s residence, and not exactly a good place for her to be, but…

???: I’m guessing Sakuto explained to you how to get here?
Yui: No, Bill did. I thought Prince Sakuto would refuse, and so… Hey!

Haha, this was too cute.

 

Noir pulls her away into the bushes. He tells her she stands out too much, so he gives her his poncho to wear as camouflage. Umm, he does know that stands out even more, right? Hahaha. Yui notes it has his warmth () but the thought vanishes with the realization that Queen is right by them. The Queen ponders if Alice (Yui) will be able to make a heart, and her knight assures her the heart will be made. The Queen notes an Alice has never been able to make a heart before.

As this is going on, Noir is becoming visibly upset. His fists are clenched, his face is grimacing, he is watching her intently. After she leaves, he seems sad. Yui concludes that he must be in love with the Red Queen to have that sort of response around her.

In a move that I wish all otome games would follow from now and forever, instead of keeping her thoughts to herself, as soon as the Queen leaves, she asks him straight up: “You actually wish to present a ‘Heart’ to the Queen to get her attention, don’t you?”

Noir doesn’t quite answer her question, and instead redirects the topic. “…Even if that were true, it doesn’t change the fact that you have no choice but to produce said ‘Heart’.”

Yui is not having any of that. She demands the truth. She accuses him of using her. When he saved her and told her his real name, she started to trust him a bit, but his cool demeanor upsets her. She screams that she wants to go home… and a portal opens up!

They fall inside and they’re stuck in a weird wormhole. Out of the corner of her eye, Yui sees a mysterious person, but Noir grabs her hand and pulls her to him. He tells her they have to get out, but well, they’re in a free fall.

Suddenly a bright light surrounds them and they’re back in Yui’s world. Noir is there too, looking fly as all hell. That man is fine. Yui thanks him for saving her again, but he says he didn’t do it out of concern for her. She concludes that it is out of obligation.

A knock interrupts them. It’s Mad and Ash, two of the bachelors. They invite her to a tea party. She declines because she feels sorry for Noir, sitting alone in her room. But when she goes back to it, he’s gone. She goes outside and finds him surrounded by people who think he’s a movie star. I told ya’ll he was fine.

They talk. Noir tells her he didn’t save her out of kindness, which Yui takes to mean he did it out of obligation. She teases him about his handsome features and then asks him why he wears the hood in Wonderland. As expected, he evades the question.

She teases him by calling him a criminal on the run, which he doesn’t deny the possibility that he could be on the run, but he does inform her that of the two, she is the only one branded a criminal. This gets her down a bit.

Noir calls her strange and admits that after her outburst in Wonderland, he thought she wouldn’t want to talk or see him again. She apologizes for losing control of her emotions. Even if she was upset, she didn’t need to act out like that. He tells her that she wasn’t too far off in her accusations. He wants her to create a ‘Heart’, and the queen does have something to do with it.

She tries to get him to clarify the statement, but he interrupts and says he’d rather discuss this in private over lunch or something, not in the middle of the sidewalk. She agrees and they go to a cafe where they meet… Mad and Ash! As the usual, they’re having themselves a little tea party.

They don’t know what Noir’s real face looks like, so they assume she’s on a date with a guy from her world. When it comes time to introduce him, however, she stumbles on thinking of a name and uses Noir. He looks upset, but is forced to play along with her mistake. His table manners are impeccable (Hmm, could he be royalty? A fallen kingdom, perhaps?) and everyone takes notice of it.

After the tea party ends, they go on a walk. Noir opens up to her and decides to tell her why he got her involved. A long time ago, he, Ruber — the Queen of Hearts, and Sakuto were friends. As they got older, they parted ways, but Ruber became obsessed with hearts. They gave her great magical power, enough so that the Black King noticed and wants to fight back to exert his dominance. Afraid they were going to go to war, he began stealing and breaking her hearts in hopes that if her magical power shrank, the Black King would not see her as a threat. The final piece of his plan was to find an Alice who would create a ‘Heart’, to show Ruber what it takes to create a ‘Heart’, and hopefully get her to see what she’s caused.

Yui is crushed. If it wasn’t obvious before, it is now. Noir is using her. She asks why an “Alice Heart” is so special, and he says that they are more powerful than anything else in Wonderland. Yui asks him if he loves Ruber. He’s surprised by the question, but says he’s known her since they were kids and she’s more like a little sister to him.

He admits that he used her in order to create a heart and in doing so, put her in danger.

And that pisses her off. Can I just say how much I love Yui right now? Like, this is the best MC I’ve played in months. She doesn’t hold back and tells him exactly what she thinks — “I don’t care why you did it! It was a horrible thing to do! I’m not some pawn on a chessboard. I’m a human being and I have feelings!”

Noir responds solemnly, “… Yes, I know.”

They walk back to her apartment in silence. Yui is worried about going back to Wonderland when she sleeps. If she ends up in Gentiana again, she may be in danger. Noir calls her, but she ignores him and continues her spiral of worry. He finally gets her attention and informs her he’ll be spending the night at her place.

Noir: I’m staying at your place tonight.
Yui: … You’re what?!
The audacity of his suggestion leaves me stunned.

 

He explains that the spell cast on her seems to affect those around her and by staying with her, he can go to Wonderland with her and make sure she’s safe. He’s rather reasonable, and she admits thus. He then starts to tease her a bit. First saying not to worry, they won’t be sharing a bed, unless she wants to.

That, of course, has her in a fluster. He continues that a sofa is fine by him, and not to worry, he wouldn’t attack her (attack=sexual situations) even if he wanted to, he’s not that kind of guy. His innuendos are starting to annoy her, so she answers back that she’s relieved she can sleep soundly. He takes a step to her and she steps back, and they repeat this until they’re in her room in the dark.

Noir: Then again, if it would enable you to produce a ‘Heart’…
Noir: I’d be willing to change my mind.
He steps closer and takes my chin in his hand.

Yui: !
He then gently lifts my head up, forcing me to look at him.

 

The teasing is too much. Yui tells him to stop and he starts laughing.

He continues teasing her by suggesting they make a heart together. Yui warns him she’ll get him back by someday being charming enough to wrap him around her little finger. He is greatly amused by this and remarks that he’ll look forward to it.

Late that night, he goes into her room. She wakes up, but pretends to sleep. He strokes her hair and apologizes for using her and says he doesn’t expect her forgiveness. The latter comment bothers Yui. She wonders why he doesn’t expect her to forgive him.

Mad Hatter and Ash go back to Sakuto’s castle. They mention meeting a man named “Noir” in Alice’s world. Sakuto is surprised and seems off-put by that remark. “No, it couldn’t be…”

When Alice wakes up in Wonderland, she’s on a giant chessboard. The pieces are moving () and one cries out, that an Alice can give them eternal life if they kill her.

Welp.

She tries to run away but they surround her. Just as things look dire… Noir comes to her rescue~

LBR, we knew that was going to happen.

Noir attacks the remaining pawns. Yui decides to grab a sword and start attacking herself. She manages to take a black pawn down. Noir compliments her. “Hey, nice work!” She responds that she needs to pull her own weight and defend herself at the very least. He responds, “Heh, that’s the spirit, Yui.”

Just then… Sakuto appears!?

He grabs a sword and starts fighting the pawns too. They fell them one by one until Noir finally cuts down their commander. The battle is over. Sakuto explains that the white pieces were from his kingdom, Gardenia, and the black were from the Black Kingdom, Gentiana. Yui mentions the odd thing the pieces said when they saw her, and Sakuto tells her that there are odd rumors going around as of late. They say blood from an Alice can grant immortality.

Yui says it’s ridiculous, after all, if her blood could grant immortality, wouldn’t she be immortal? The rumors worry her. A criminal one moment, a giver of immortality the next. To add to her woes, the Black King seems rather taken with this rumor and really wants her blood, so to speak.

Sakuto warns her to be careful and then turns to Noir. He wants to talk to him. Noir throws a couple of sarcastic remarks, but Sakuto summons the white pawns and surround him, forcing him to come along.

The moment they get to the castle, Sakuto demands Noir to take off his mask and reveal his face. Noir tries to play dumb, but Sakuto calls his bluff. With no other choice, Noir takes off his hood and reveals his true face. He greets Sakuto rather formally and Sakuto returns his gesture. “[It’s been a long time,] Prince of Gentiana.”

Yui and I have the exact same reaction reading this: “…Wait, what?! Prince of Gentiana!?”

Her mind goes in circles. Gentiana is after her, yes. But Noir saved her just a moment ago. But he also admitted to using her and needs a ‘Heart’. Could he be lying about his motives?

Yui: N-Noir… are you really the Prince of Gentiana?
Noir: …
Noir remains quiet a moment, then finally answers.
Noir: …That’s right. The same Gentiana that’s fighting Gardenia and plotting to kill the Red Queen… I’m their prince.
His voice sounds heavily self-depreciating.

Yui responds that it doesn’t change anything. The Noir she knows and spent time with isn’t evil. Noir is surprised by those remarks. She continues voicing her beliefs in him and concludes by asking if there is anything else he’s hiding from her.

 

She isn’t quite believing him and asks him several more questions, each more silly than the last. He tells her not to humor him, seeing through her attempts to cheer him up. Sakuto says he has something to discuss with him, alone, and they leave. Once they do, Mad and Ash show up. Of course, they were looking at the tea wares of Chalk Castle.Yui asks them about Gentiana. Ash tells her his home country was wiped out by Gentiana. He alone barely managed to survive. He wandered around, wanting to die, until he met Mad and was finally able to find something to keep him going. He warns her that Gentiana is dangerous. She asks about what role Noir could have had, and Ash replies that there were rumors of him leaving the country long before the war started. Yui is relieved by this, but Ash reminds her that he’s still their prince.The scene cuts to Noir and Sakuto. Sakuto wants to know what Noir has been up to since he left. Sakuto finds out that Noir was using Yui. He’s not pleased. Noir acknowledges this.

As he continues, his voice grows softer and he struggles to get the words out. Sakuto’s demeanor changes from anger to sympathy. He admonishes him, “How can I get angry if you talk like that?”

This is all so touching. Sakuto asks why he didn’t ask him for help, and Noir responds that he didn’t want him to get involved. There didn’t need to be a third country at war. He then tells him that he’ll be leaving to go investigate the rumors. Sakuto asks if he’s going to take Yui with him, and he doesn’t say anything in response. Sakuto says he’ll tell her that he’s gone, seemingly reading his thoughts.

Yui wonders what she should do next after Sakuto relays the information. Her feelings confuse her. On on hand, she’s angry about being used, on the other, she can’t be upset knowing why he used her. Sakuto tells her that she should follow him, knowing if she knew a couple more details that he did, she wouldn’t feel confused at all.

He advises her to learn about him more.Yui thinks that it’s a good idea and asks where he went. Sakuto tells her if she hurries, she can catch him before he leaves the castle. (Uhh… did we forget that he has teleportation powers? How do we know that he just didn’t go bye-bye right away?) She barely manages to catch him. Noir is surprised that she’s there.

Yui: You were going to leave without me? That’s pretty cold!
Noir: I’m sure Sakuto reminded you. I’m the prince of the country that wants to catch you..Why are you chasing after me? Aren’t you afraid of me?
Yui: Not at all.

Yui reaffirms why she can trust him. She was scared at first, yes. But she also knows that Noir behind the mask is a different person. He was honest with her whenever she asked him questions. She trusts him completely. Noir starts laughing.

 

“Like you’re one to talk about being odd!” she retorts. I do love their little back-and-forth banter. She reminds him of one thing — she still hasn’t forgiven him for dragging her into this entire mess. Noir puts his hand on her head and says, “I’ve made a mess of your life, and that’s unforgivable so… it’s a bit of a relief to hear you say that.”

So many feels right now uwaaa~

He tells her about his Father and how evil he is. Yui tells him she’ll go with him to investigate and all she needs is a hood like his that conceals her face. He summons a magic circle and tells her to wait there and teleports without another word. After he leaves, she sees a pink rabbit. She follows it and ends up in the same weird world she fell through earlier in the story. There, she meets the same figure that looks like Disney’s Alice. She holds out her hand and asks Yui to come with her. Just as she’s going to take her hand…

Cardia, the Red Queen’s knight grabs her. He tells her that due to the rumors she is going into their custody. He handcuffs her and treats her like a prisoner. She at least wants to inform Sakuto and the others [by extension, Noir] of her whereabouts, but he refuses, saying the Queen left him no orders for that.

After she leaves, the ominous figure leaves some choice parting words…

I really have no clue who this could possibly be right now.

They enter Protea and the queen’s subjects are none too happy to see her. They think bringing her there will bring Gentiana to them. Cardia has difficulty controlling the crowd and just threatens to chop off the head of all dissenters. That quiets them… except Humpty and Dumpty !?

The little twins throw a tantrum and demand them to release Yui. Cardia says if they don’t stop he’ll have to chop off their head. Joker comes out from the crowd and tells the twins to stop. Cardia tells Joker to teach the children some manners. He responds, “Manners? You mean like the way you’re treating Yui right now?”

Man, I love that guy. Do give his route a try too, it’s great.

Cardia says they have taken her into protective custody and Joker notes that a girl in handcuffs is hardly in protective custody. They argue some more and Joker snaps his fingers… and he has the handcuff keys in his hand!

He did a little pickpocketing while dealing with the twins. The twins distract Cardia while Joker removes the handcuffs. Yui wants to run away, but he advises her to go with him anyway, because it’s only prolonging the inevitable and will only make the queen more upset. He tells her he’ll let everyone know where she is and what’s happening. Yui agrees and they leave. Cardia is pleased she didn’t try to escape and they continue to the castle.

While en route, Yui reflects on the situation. Her mistake was following that rabbit, which made the queen think Gentiana used magic on her. She also thinks about Noir and what he said about the Black King being so ruthless even family would be killed for his ideals. But all that does is invoke a feeling of hopelessness so she stops.

Cardia takes her to the queen’s private chambers. There are hearts everywhere. She is proud of her collection and the magic they give her. Yui tells her that no matter how many hearts she collects, she still won’t have what she truly desires. This angers the queen. Before she can punish her, a knock on the door interrupts them.

Cardia rushes in and tells her the prince is here. Red Queen is unfazed and tells him to remove Sakuto from the premises. Except it’s not Prince Sakuto it’s…

The queen is stunned, to say the least. Yui is overjoyed to see him. Noir says he came after Joker told him her whereabouts. He notices the red marks on her wrists from the handcuffs and becomes upset. Meanwhile, Cardia tries to pick a fight. Noir sends him away with one of his teleportation circles, leaving the two alone with the queen.

The queen finally realizes that Noir and Cheshire Cat are the same person. Noir chastises her for not noticing sooner. There’s a certain… darkness to his words in this part that are simultaneously horrifying and intoxicating. It’s hard to explain. But I haven’t read anything like this in an otome route before and I rather like it. It’s a nice balance between the two, unlike say, Black Wolves Saga, which is also a dark romance but seems keen on upping the ante on the “dark” part. There’s an allure in mystery that this game understands.

Noir tells the Red Queen they’ll talk later.

Noir: Sorry for taking so long. I’m sure you’re expecting the White Prince.
I respond to his indifference with…
[Choice] But the Black Prince is a pleasant surprise.

He pretends to look stunned and then a smile forms on his lips.
Yui: I half expected Prince Sakuto to show up after Joker said he would report back to him. However, in the back of my mind, I had a feeling it would be you.

HNNNNGGGG~ my heartstrings~

Their tender reunion is interrupted by an earthquake! To be more exact, an explosion! Gentiana is here and they’re declaring war!

They’re surrounded and have no choice but to fight. Noir bares his claws…and looks like Wolverine.

I… I am sorry. It’s such a tense moment, and all I can see now is Hugh Jackman in my head.

Bill and Sakuto appear and say they’ll hold them off while they escape. But the Red Queen refuses to leave her hearts. Noir tries to talk her out of it, but it turns into an argument. Yui tries to reason that living is more important than material items…but not even that works.

In the end, she creates a barrier that blocks the entrance to her room and they escape. As they pass by the courthouse, they run into the Black King himself.

Noir fights the King and while that’s happening, a girl in a maid outfit comes to attack Red Queen and Yui. Yui takes a blow for Red Queen and ends up injured. This upsets Noir and he lands the finishing blow to the Black King. Noir and the Black King have a short talk, but it’s nothing really spectacular, imo. Somehow, the idea of his father, no matter how estranged, dying like that should have been an intense moment, but it fell flat. This is probably because we’re in Yui’s POV and this is really something that is super personal to Noir. The game has gone into his POV once before, so I’m not sure why they couldn’t do it again here. It’s a lot more interesting than Yui’s POV, anyway.

Afterwards, Mad is healing everyone and Yui goes to find Red Queen. She and Yui have a little heart-to-heart and I feel like over time they will become good friends. While talking about Noir, Yui lets it slip that she’s jealous of the way he went out of his way to protect Red Queen. This embarrasses Yui. She hasn’t realized the extent of her feelings yet. But Red Queen goes on to say that he’s like a brother to her and there’s no romance between them. Red Queen decides to let all of her hearts go.

Noir shows up after that, and he’s happy that she’s finally let the hearts go. Yui asks how long he’s been there and he replies from the very beginning.

So that means…

HE HEARD EVERYTHING

Yeaaaappppp that’s pretty embarrassing. She asks him about what he heard, but it turns out he was too far away to hear things. He just wanted to make sure she wasn’t attacked by the Red Queen. Yui is pretty relieved by this, which confounds him.

Noir: Now you’ve got me curious though. Just what were you talking about?
Yui: I-It’s a secret! Only us women can know!
Noir: … Uh-huh.

Noir decides to give up and focuses instead on her arm injury. They argue about the severity of her injuries compared to his, and of course Mr. Tough Guy is perfectly fine with his own injuries, but her arm injury needs to be healed stat. Red Queen finds this amusing.

Yui: But you’re injured too, and here you are wandering around.
Noir: Unlike you, I’m used to it. Now come on, let’s get you healed.
Red Queen: Hehe. Surprising how considerate he can be, isn’t it? Although, in this case, I sense something more than consideration.
Ruber (Red Queen’s real name) looks rather amused as she watches the two of us.
Noir: Ruber, stop teasing.
Red Queen: Whatever are you talking about?

Heehee, this is all too adorable for me~

They go to Mad Hatter to get healed, but he’s exhausted. Ash tells them about a nearby spring that has healing properties, so Noir decides to take Yui there.

Well, Ash’s definition of nearby isn’t exactly near because it takes them all day to get to the springs. Yui is admiring the beauty of the spring and turns to talk to Noir…and he’s topless.

And here we go, the hardest decision of the game:

Sadly, option B does not put you en route to the Sweet ending. He is taking off his clothes because the healing will be quicker. With those words, he goes into the spring and swims away. She sticks her arm in the spring and lets it heal. It’s so relaxing she spaces out. Noir is fully healed and dressed by time he comes to get her. He teases her a bit and she starts to pull her arm out of the water but her reflection smiles back…and she didn’t smile.

She’s pulled underwater and nearly drowns if Noir didn’t come and save her.

There’s something wrong.

She looks like Joker with his two-tone hair now >>;;

They’re not really sure what is going on.

Yui: I thought it was all in my head, or that I was just tired, but then I saw it earlier in my reflection on the water’s surface…
Noir: You saw yourself with yellow hair, like you have now?
Yui: Yeah… But strange things happen all the time in Wonderland. I’m sure it’s nothing to worry about, right?
Noir: I hope you’re right. Things like that hole from before are becoming frequent occurrences. I wonder what’s going on…

Noir looks like his calm demeanor is about to crumble.

Well, that’s it. If Noir is spooked — I. AM. OUT. O-U-T. BYE. BYE.

They decide to rest and end up back in the real world. Yui’s hair is normal there, much to their relief. She decides to make them breakfast. Noir loves it. But then he says:

Noir: If you can cook this well, you should be able to snag a husband with no problem.
Noir: … If you actually had a boyfriend, anyway.

RIGHT TO THE HEART. It’s done, my soul has been snatched.

But then he goes on to say, “This breakfast will be a good memory, at least.” And I go from having my soul snatched to falling into a puddle of goo. Why are you talking like that? That sounds like…

Yui says that is a little dramatic, and he goes along with it, saying that while he’s being dramatic he loves the tea too.

They decide to go shopping for more tea after breakfast. After they’re done, they go to a cat cafe. And the cats there absolutely adore Noir. He’s not really a cat person, or rather, he’s not really an animal person, and it’s cute to see him bewildered as to why cats love him so much.

After that, Yui tries to take him someplace else, but he stops her. He knows that she’s doing it out of concern, but he doesn’t want her to worry anymore. He’s not sad so much as he’s confused. His father was an enemy and an obstacle, and he’s not really sad about his death, which is the most sad thing about the situation.

They go back home and Yui fixes a stew for dinner. He compliments her on her cooking again, and she makes the comment that it’s weird to hear him flatter her that much. They go back-and-forth a little bit (I don’t want to spoil all of them here) and then he tells her they need to talk.

Welp. I guess we’re about to know the reason why he’s been acting odd, right?

And he tells her everything’s been solved and he won’t be coming back, and he doesn’t want her going back to Wonderland.

The choice reflects my thoughts, “No!”

This is a heartbreaking scene. Noir’s sadness is reflected in his dialogue. It’s exactly like a breakup. My poor heart! He ends with “I don’t have any right to say this… but I don’t want to hurt you, Yui. It’s not that I’ve grown to dislike you. Please remember that.”

And he leaves.

But that night, when she goes to sleep, she ends up back in Wonderland. And that weird girl is there. She speaks in riddles that don’t make much sense, and they’re interrupted by Joker. Actually, it seems Yui was dreaming in Wonderland, and that’s where she met the girl… or something. It’s all very odd and weird.

The first thing Joker comments on is how her hair is two-toned like his now. (LOL) They talk a bit and Joker talks about his past and why he’s called Joker. It’s a negative name in Wonderland, but to Yui, a Joker is a trump card and a cool name. This makes him embarrassed and obviously happy, but he also notes that she shouldn’t say things like that, otherwise Noir will get jealous.

Yui is confused, and Joker tells what happened when he went to go get Sakuto back when she was handcuffed and being taken to the Red Queen. Noir happened to be there and he wasn’t exactly calm when he learned about what happened, and he pretty much left in a rush.

When he finishes telling the story, Noir comes and he’s not too happy to see her back in Wonderland. She explains that she didn’t come out of choice. They decide to get to the bottom of the story and go to ask the two most powerful mages in Wonderland, Mad Hatter and Red Queen, about it. They’re just as clueless as Noir and Yui.

Cardia interrupts to say that the Gentiana soldiers that are being held prisoner are making too much noise. Noir goes downstairs and tells them they’re free to leave the prisons and go back to their home country. Yui asks if that’s okay, and Noir’s all ‘yeah, ruber won’t care i’m doing her a favor’ LOL I guess so….

They go back to Gentiana and Noir asserts himself as King. As his first decree, they will rebuild Santorina, Ash’s country, that was destroyed by them before the events of the story happened. Noir then gathers all the leaders of each kingdom for a council meeting. They all agree to live in peace.

Siam comes to serve them all tea. When he gets to Yui, he stops and appears rather nervous. Being the treasure he is, he calls Yui ‘The Black Queen’.

Yui’s mind is spinning. Of course, if he called her that, it would mean they look like a couple, right?

Ruber joins in and says, “It wouldn’t be so bad if that happened one day, would it?”

And Yui becomes a ball of embarrassment.

Noir tells them to stop joking around, but he’s obviously embarrassed too. Oh god, this is all so adorable~

Siam tells her to introduce herself if she’s not the Black Queen, and so Yui says “I am Alice!”

Everyone puts on their “WTF” face and they’re like, “Why are you calling yourself Alice?”

But she can’t remember her name.

Noir reminds her of her name, and she’s all “oh, right, that’s my name.” Ruber theorizes that her memory may have been rewritten with magic and then notices that her hair has turned completely blonde. Noir grabs her hand and takes her out of the room.

Noir notices her eyes have changed color too. She’s stunned and stands there in silence. Noir embraces her.

He begs her not to go anywhere. She promises him she won’t. She tells him she’s happy there’s someone who is that concerned for her. What’s happening is scary, but with him there she feels calm. He apologizes for telling her to stay away from Wonderland.

Noir: Just now, when I thought you might be going somewhere far away…that’s when I finally realized something. Us parting… never seeing you again.. I can’t bear the thought.
Yui: Noir…
Noir: I thought I understood. I thought I was ready. But now…
Noir stops speaking momentarily and smiles sadly.

He continues and tells her his feelings. Just as he’s about to say “I love you”, everything turns white.

They’re in a mysterious forest, the same forest where Yui had her earlier nightmares and met the mysterious blonde girl.

She introduces herself as Wonderland.

Noir isn’t having any nonsense. He demands her to tell them her real name.

She says that she is Wonderland, as in, she is the world they are in.

….I see. This, this is an unexpected turn of events. I am pretty much in a “WTF” state right now. Do you see, authors? This is how you do a twist.

She explains that Wonderland is made of people’s dreams. Like Yui’s dreams. But people wake up from dreams, and when they do, Wonderland will be gone. Yui and Noir are both in a state of disbelief at this point. Wonderland says that everyone and everything will disappear. She takes them to the weird tunnel that Yui fell into at the beginning of the story and says everyone in Wonderland was born there. Noir should know and remember this. This is where he came from.

Noir struggles for a moment, but the memories come back to him. He doesn’t want to believe it but he knows deep down what she’s saying is the truth. He was born from a dream.

Yui is upset. She doesn’t want it to be true. If it’s true, then what Wonderland says is true, and he’ll disappear. Yui wants to know if there’s a way to save him, save everyone.

Wonderland says there is one way to save everyone… if she and Yui become one entity. She holds out her hand and tells her to take it and save everyone.

As Yui goes to take her hand, Noir slaps Wonderland’s hand away and demands to know the details behind this arrangement. They argue and Wonderland gives in and details what becoming one entails.

Wonderland: This is a dreamland. In order to keep this world from disappearing, we need to make it real. To do that, we have to take this world and merge it with the spirit of Alice’s world. Of everyone else, you, Alice, were particularly suited to merge with me. You looked like me and you had the ability to love this dream… That’s why I summoned you to this world.

Noir argues that he was the one who brought her in, but Wonderland notes that she has control of everything in this world, and he only did what she wanted him to do. Noir demands to know what will happen to Yui once they merge and Wonderland replies that Yui won’t exist anymore. She has to sacrifice herself to save the world.

 

Raise your hands if you thought self-sacrifice would be the ending to an Alice in Wonderland inspired game. Anyone? Anyone? If yours is up YOU ARE A LIAR.

 

Wonderland decides to give her a choice and they’re back at Gentiana’s castle. But they don’t have much time to talk. The moon is a bloody red.

It’s the end of the world as we know it. They get their memories back and learn they’re all dreams. Yui says that she doesn’t believe they’re dreams. She has memories of them all. They are real. But she’s changing too. Her hair is longer. Her clothes are the same as Wonderland’s.

She hugs Noir.

Noir: …Yui?
Yui: …Noir? Even if I forget who I am… don’t you ever forget me, okay?
You’re full of secrets, and pretend to be cold and heartless… but the truth is, deep down, Noir, you’re the kindest of them all.
And I want you to remember me.
My grip is strong. I feel as if I am engraving my own existence into him.
Noir: …Hey, stop talking like that. What… what are you thinking?
Noir’s voice faintly trembles.
Noir: Yui, you.. you can’t…!
Yui: Yui? Who’s that? My name is Alice.

LEGIT CRYING RN

Noir stops her. He tells her that he knows when she’s lying. He doesn’t think it’s right for her to sacrifice herself for their sake. And so, he says that she doesn’t need to, and they will be erased when the dream is over.

After he says that, the ground disappears below them. She’s back in the tunnel and falling. Each person of Wonderland passes by her, and they talk a bit. There are a lot of touching scenes in this part that I’m not going to detail. Please support the publisher and buy the route!

And last… Noir.

He holds her. He asks if she’s prepared. She responds that she is. She doesn’t really feel that way inside, but she doesn’t want to worry him. If she makes him worry in their last moments, she will regret that.

Noir: Heh, when I first met you, you were a timid little girl, fearful about making a ‘Heart’ with someone… I never imagined that you’d so quickly turn into this strong, attractive woman. No, that’s not right. I’m the one who’s changed, so now I can see how attractive you really are.

He tells her to go back to her world and not save them.

She refuses. Both worlds are precious to her, and she refuses to choose between them.

Yui: More than anything else… I want to be with you.

 

This CG is so freaking pretty omg

A ‘Heart’ appears. Their ‘Heart’. It’s gorgeous and in its reflection, Yui sees her real self. Noir realizes that she’s not a part of Wonderland anymore. The heart shines brightly. Wonderland shows up and wonders if she’s going to disappear since they didn’t become one.

Yui grabs her hand and promises her that they won’t disappear.

Then the world is enveloped in a white light…

We’re in the real world. Noir bought her a latte and hands it to her. He teases her a little.

Because of their ‘Heart’, the world was saved. And since then, they’ve been a normal couple in love. By day they’re in Yui’s world. By night, they’re in Wonderland.

In Wonderland, they’re hard at work at rebuilding Santorina. Siam is still calling Yui the Black Queen. In fact, everyone has taken to calling her the Black Queen. Hahaha

Wonderland is now a citizen of Wonderland like all the other characters. She is affectionate to Yui and calls her a sister. Because the naming is a little odd, Wonderland asks Yui to rename her. Yui decides to call her “Alicia”. Maryanne (the maid that hurt her arm earlier in the story) comes and escorts her away and gives her a box. Inside is a beautiful black dress. She tells her to change and wait for Noir. After changing, Yui loves the dress. It looks gorgeous on her. She decides to run and thank Noir. Maryanne tries to stop her but.. well… hahaha

Yui runs down the hall and crashes into Noir. He teases her a bit and takes her to the balcony.

He proposes.

He tells her all sorts of sweet things and just as they’re about to kiss…. they’re returned to Yui’s world. Noir thinks that it’s a prank by Alicia, but it doesn’t matter, in fact, the world they’re in right now is just right for the things he wants to do to her…

 

Final Thoughts (Spoiler-free Review):
This was a fantastic route. Noir is mysterious and scarred, and you do get a sense of them opening up to each other as time passes. Yui is a great heroine to play avatar to. She is righteous and courageous and the moments where her and Noir go back and forth in their playful bickering are adorable. They’re a great couple and it’s fun reading their interactions.

The only bad thing I have to say about this route is that is not quite as exciting as I thought it would be, compared to the last SWD game I played, but everything else more than makes up for it. The last ending arc in particular is something I would have never predicted!

Of the two routes, Alice and Sweet, I preferred Sweet. Alice doesn’t quite have the same charm to the choices, their little banters aren’t as cute, and the ending wasn’t nearly as romantic or good. There’s also several elements of the story that lose their heart afterwards. While in Sweet there’s a believable romance, in Alice the ending has more of a scripted feel. I like they they went out of their way to have two endings, but there is clearly a best route here.

My heart scale is defined as follows – 5 hearts = a story everyone will fall in love with, regardless of preferences; 4 hearts = a well-done story that people who love the concept will adore, and people who don’t may end up liking it; 3 hearts = if you like this type of story or this type of hero, then you will enjoy this, but those who do not like either of those things will probably not; 2 hearts = it had potential, it squandered it; 1 heart = just a waste of time from the get-go; 0 hearts = why was this made?