As far as writing goes, I'm not sure how much of the difference falls to the language barrier instead. I don't know how good the Wonderland translation is so far, but I played without it on my end for practice; so it's hard for me to compare actual writing quality. That being said, the text log in Grimm is much better than any other game after it, holding on to the actual attack information if you want it. The QTE system also led to them amping up followup damage to extreme levels, which makes it harder to interact with the extended attack patterns as well. Beyond that, the actual attack text is similar in absolute terms, though with more distinct loss scenes in Grimm's camp.
But what I meant by experimentation or surprise was about the different mechanics various fights employed. Some characters don't have binds at all, others do, and how they change while they have a bind is very different. The bride has a possession status effect to inflict. Occasionally you get an enemy like the Grizzly whose finisher is actually an instakill rather than just a strong attack. In the same tower you get a level drain mechanic far more interesting and less oppressive than in any of the later games. The maid has her temptation, the busty phantom will eventually suffocate you and force a defeat scene. Various enemies have stamina drain during holds. Hard Succubus can use an unbreakable bind. Midgame lamia gain damage over time. Then in lategame level drain is used to the extent that you actively have to interact with it instead of just avoiding it. It's the most experimentation with encounter design that any of their games have had.
Wonderland only has the Nurse inflicting reason ailments, the armies draining levels, Queen Cow's puff puff, Dormouse's dependency, and the universal temptation system. Beyond the QTE system leading to heightened damage and drain levels for the card armies, I like all of those but the last one. But it's just not much; even Friend did a lot more experimentation thanks to its talk system.
The other thing is a bit nebulous, I guess I'd call it "grounding". In Grimm, you always had a good sense of how much damage you'd take, and this amount of damage felt "grounded". So hard-hitting attacks and other mechanics have more meaning, especially as one drop to 0 HP causes a loss. Defense also felt like it mattered more, though beyond being able to 0 incoming damage I don't really have any specific reason for that. But in Wonderland, if you accept the half HP temptation, it's extremely straightforward in nature (the entire thing follows a universal script) and hits too hard to offer any interaction. There's no descent into that temptation, you just get tempted and will practically always lose from there if you're fighting an enemy of any strength. It doesn't feel like it makes any sense as to how much damage attacks deal.
