American McGee’s Alice might be the most twisted re-telling of a classic fairy tale ever conceived, and the result is a haunting jaunt down psychosis lane. Released on October 6th in 2000, American McGee’s Alice merged the imaginative realm of Wonderland with the mind of a psychotic, damaged protagonist. In this third-person action Platformer, feeling lost and afraid is just part of the design.
The story begins with Alice asleep in her bed, dreaming of tea with the Mad Hatter. While she slumbers, a fire starts in the living room that soon encompasses the entire house. She is awakened by her wonderland friends in time to escape… but not in time to warn her parents of the flames. Alice escapes from the house after hearing her parent’s final screams.
This loss drives young Alice to a psychotic breakdown, and she is administered to Rutledge Insane Asylum with a white rabbit doll as her only possession. Ten years after the incident, the White Rabbit seeks her out through the childhood relic to bring her back.
Alice returns to wonderland to find it in tatters, twisted and broken to reflect her damaged psyche. Only a select few inhabitants, like the White Rabbit and the Cheshire Cat, have Alice’s best interest at heart. The Red Queen now controls the world without compromise, and once trusted characters like Tweedle-Dee, Tweedle-Dum, and the Duchess now possess quick tempers and violent tendencies. Even the iconic Mad Hatter has lost the last of his marbles. (To be fair, his name was the Mad Hatter when Alice was sane, so his sanity was already in question. “Tea Time,” however, didn’t used to be a euphemism for torturing the March Hare and Doormouse).
After eleven years, the game (understandably) shows its age. Textures are big, blocky pixels that don’t look great up close. Wall decals are occasionally as big as Alice’s head. Characters have very static countenances that barely portray the desired emotion. (In the few moments when Alice cries, she places her hands over her face. I suspect that was easier to animate then tears and a frown.)
The controls, while competent, can feel sluggish. Each attack animation for the melee weapons is very lengthy. The basic Vorpal Blade can be thrown instead, but there is a period of downtime before it can be tossed again. When you have enough magic power to make use of effective long range weapons (and you will end the game with many) melee isn’t a problem. When the magic bar runs low though, the lack of defensive maneuvers leaves trading blows with the enemy as the only option (and you end up looking like a couple of Rock ‘em Sock’em Robots designed by Todd Mcfarlane). Thankfully most enemies will drop magic over their mangled, bloody corpses.
The jumping also feels a little stiff. Once in the air, Alice is locked into a particular direction, and slides a little upon landing. When the jumping puzzles get specific, this can lead to a few unwarranted slips off the edge. This wouldn’t be such a frustration if the game was a little clearer on the penalty for missing jumps. Some rooms will place you back at the door and allow you to try again, while others will outright kill you, forcing a reload of a previous save.
The conceptual design and the incredible attention to detail make it a pleasure to re-play despite aged controls. In the Mad Hatters realm, giant ticking clocks fly overhead, their clockwork exposed. Swirling vortexes spit out grand double doors that open and close around you. The surreal level design is awe-inspiring, and the voice acting is strong enough to convey appropriate emotions despite the blocky character models. The dialogue is very clever, offering up comical and serious moments alike. The Cheshire Cat (played by Roger Jackson) always has a witty line for the current situation. “Here is a riddle,” he says as Alice obtains the croquet mallet for the first time. “When is a croquet mallet like a billy club? Whenever you want it to be.”
The corrupted world of Alice is so carefully crafted that even the instruction manual offers insight. The booklet is written from the perspective of Alice’s attending physician as he tries a plethora of methods to cure her. Elements of what the doctor observes trickle into the game’s narrative, giving the player a new outlook on the events within Wonderland. The doctor writes. “A pair of orderlies were cursing at her and threatening her with leather straps.” When Alice encounters Tweedle-Dee and Tweedle-Dum, Dee remarks, “Who let her out then? They’ll blame us most like.” It's mesmerizing how Alice’s life in the asylum and the twisted machinations of Wonderland are fused together, creating a narrative that exists beyond a computer screen.
American McGee’s Alice is still an amazing experience, regardless of its age. The creativity and inspiration far outshines even larger current day blockbuster titles. The level designs are as memorable as a Salvador Dali painting, and the narrative has all the careful craft of a John Irving novel. Acquiring Alice eleven years after the fact though, is no small feat. Digital distribution services like Steam, Impulse, or even GOG.com (Good Old Games) do not offer Alice. Since its now out of print, copies of Alice frequently go for as much as eighty dollars on ebay.
The good news is that a sequel, Alice: Madness Returns, is slated for release later this year. If the original proves difficult to obtain, another terrifying trip into Wonderland awaits on June 14th.
You can find the doctors notes, painstakingly typed out by FAQ author Lsnake, here.
Also, here's a great Let's Play from Helloween4545. You can see the opening cinematic in the first few minutes:
