Trigger warnings include: Family death, references to child sexual assault and exploitation, mental illness, and psychiatric hospitalisation
Alice madness returns is a 2011 cross-platform game created by American McGee. Regarded as a gothic cult classic this game has been a staple for old fans and new fans alike. A recent boom in its popularity invited me to explore the game myself and upon completion it is far from the classic and whimsical tale by Lewis Carrol. The game follows Alice Lidell, an orphaned girl in the slums of Victorian England as she traverses two realities, that of a dying wonderland and that of the “real” world as she attempts to uncover the truth behind her family’s deaths. The game covers a variety of mental illnesses, childhood sexual assault and exploitation, violence against children and family death. American McGee the creator of the game has confirmed that Alice’s dark themes come from his dysfunctional childhood where a “bizarre” series of events happened one being his biological father assaulting him and attempting to “gouge” out his eyes. The game is visually incredible with littering’s of gothicness from character design to locations to Alice’s various dresses. The soundtrack is beautiful and the story dark and emotional, overall, I loved this game and even more so Alice’s fight against the trauma that threatens to destroy her.
A look into Alice’s wonderland at first seems magical yet jumbled as the game starts out relatively peaceful, an enchanted forest with a flowing river and a snarky grinning cheshire cat as our guide. However, as we venture further something seems off, black sludge is infecting wonderland, forming itself into enemies. Adversaries and friends alike are being destroyed and inhabitants are worried, they know something is wrong and it is up to Alice to save it.
The game doesn’t shy away from the realities of child abuse and the devastating effects that survivors carry into adulthood. This theme of abuse is never far from Alice as in one of the opening sequences there are children on the street with cardboard signs around their necks, walking sexual advertisements. Another instance of this is the reoccurring doll enemies, as you play this game you smash broken dolls and destroy baby doll heads. Perhaps a reference to how Alice’s childhood was destroyed, her youth stolen from her in the house fire that killed her family.
The horror of the game lies in it’s mystery and clues as Alice tries to remember information about her past. At the end of every level there is a fiery door to walk through where more titbits are revealed. Visions of this trauma is consistent and violent with Alice trying to piece together what little clues she has. These flashbacks seem reminiscent of PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) as Alice is haunted by the flickering’s of this destructive fire. Alice’s memories are also something you can collect in game, some in plain sight and some hidden with dialogue from her family, her psychiatrist, and other doctors. Mental illness is always prevalent with some fans theorising Alice could be suffering from Schizophrenia or acute psychosis due to her “visions” of wonderland. There is also a very disturbing sequence near the conclusion of the game where Alice is wearing a straight jacket, her head shaved and her face stained with tears. You walkthrough the halls of the asylum, where she was previously housed, and it is clear Alice has suffered immensely at the hands of others attempting to “fix” her mental illness.
Perhaps, the biggest metaphor in the game is the train. It’s huge, dark, and fiery, it’s carriages mirroring gothic cathedrals. It rushes through wonderland leaving destruction and fire in it’s wake. The train represents Alice’s trauma, her mental illness, everything that is wrong in her life that has come to destroy her inner world. Throughout the game Alice is urged to catch up with the train and in fact that is what contains the truth, what Alice has been chasing all along. When Alice boards the train in the game’s conclusion there is a fight with the final boss, Dr Bumby, the psychiatrist who runs the orphanage. In the end he takes the form of a puppet master and is one both physically and metaphorically. He has been abusing Alice and her fellow orphans through hypnosis in order to sexually exploit them for profit and for his own satisfaction. To Alice’s horror it also revealed that Dr Bumby had sexually abused her younger sister and upon her rejection he set the Lidell family home on fire subsequently killing them all. He has been controlling these children and Alice but ultimately, he pays the price when Alice defeats him.
Alice’s journey is one of dark acceptance but not forgiveness. The truth about her family, her own sexual exploitation and mental illness is revealed and the cause is destroyed however, Alice is still trapped in an unsure world, where it seems London has been taken over by wonderland, half reality half fantasy. However, for now, Alice seems satisfied that her main adversary is no more. I think the narrative of Alice Madness Returns is dark, unsettling, relatable and therapeutic to play. The game contains some heavy themes which may not be suitable for everyone but watching Alice fight to try and save her safe inner world is empowering and anyone with love for the gothic is assured to appreciate the game as much as I did.
In the end, the main beating heart of the story is this: save wonderland so you can save yourself.
Writer who loves gaming, horror and more!
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