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Queen of Hearts
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The following information may be inaccurate or incomplete as it is still in its proposal stage and is subject to change.
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Alice: Asylum
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Developer Unknown
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Image gallery (39)

Alice: Asylum is currently a hypothetical video game proposal by American McGee as part of his vision for the series. It would be the third video game installment in the Alice series and a sequel to Alice: Madness Returns. It is one of two Alice projects aimed for a release in the 2020s, the other being a TV series which is confirmed to be in development.

Asylum was originally envisioned as being primarily a chronological prequel to American McGee's Alice, however, the newest draft has introduced new ideas that render this idea inaccurate. Asylum is intended to be the finale of an Alice trilogy, and assumes the player has already experienced both American McGee's Alice and Madness Returns, both of which are vital to the story. Alice: Otherlands is not important to the plot of Asylum and is rather inconsequential to whether or not it is experienced before or after Asylum.

Because Electronic Arts is difficult to fund another Alice and is very protective over IP rights, Asylum is intended to be crowdfunded. McGee originally intended October 2018 for the launch of the crowdfunding campaign, although it was put on hold.[1] In November 2018, McGee mentioned that the legal proceedings are going smoothly.[2]

Over the years, McGee has brainstormed the concept of the game, collaborating with artists and fans on his Patreon, preparing art, writing the story/design, etc. In August 2021, McGee released a potential game script and narrative outline, meaning the story of Asylum is already done for the most part.[3]

McGee said having EA as publisher isn't necessarily their goal: "We're working to self-publish or publish through other channels. Licensing the IP from EA and developing/publishing independently is the goal." He also mentioned that he intends to obtain permanent holdership to the Alice IP/license, so that he has the creative freedom to do what he wants with the series in the future, such as creating official Alice games, merchandise, a potential book, film, etc., without going through obstacles dealing with EA.[4]

If the crowdfund is successful, it is intended to be developed for PC, and for PlayStation 4/PlayStation 5 and Xbox One/Xbox Series S/X if Sony and Microsoft approve. He also mentioned the possibility of Nintendo Switch.[5] However, he also stressed that it really depends on which companies are willing to help with the project - as many platforms as possible is ideal.

McGee once floated a October 2021 release date for the game, but this was made impossible as time went by. No plans or announcements have been made regarding an official release date which currently remains unknown and yet to be determined at this time.

On April 7th, 2023, McGee announced that EA had passed on the project and that EA was unwilling to sell or license the Alice IP. Since the Alice: Asylum team had "exhausted every option for getting a new "Alice" game made," the project was officially cancelled.[6]

Plot[]

NOTE: This section is based on information which has been garnered over the years and does not necessarily represent a final version, and parts of this plot summary have likely changed visions. The most recent vision has been compiled in the August 2021 design outline. Additionally, this entire plot and characters section is essentially a spoiler. To skip past potential spoilers, go to Gameplay.

The truth of Asylum[]

Asylum was originally envisioned as being primarily a chronological prequel to American McGee's Alice, however, the newest draft has completely scrapped this idea, showing that it is actually set after Alice: Madness Returns; while the player begins the game as a 13-year-old Alice in Wonderland, Alice matures as the game progresses to become her current adult self in Madness Returns, and so the player plays as an adult Alice for the vast majority of the game. Alice is retreading many of her memories, experiencing flashbacks, from the past to the present. In doing so, this allows Asylum to explain certain questionable plot elements from previous games, such as why the "Queen of Hearts" is called the '"Red Queen" or why Alice "doesn't really like sweets", while simultaneously, pushing the overall narrative of the series forward.

In the latest script, Alice is shown to be suffering from severe amnesia at the beginning of the story, and it is so bad that she does not remember Wonderland or the Cheshire Cat. Alice proceeds to remember her life; after the beginning tutorial, Alice remembers her family being deceased. She proceeds to remember her time in Rutledge Asylum, as well working for Bumby at the orphanage. Eventually, Alice regains her memories and is caught up to the present.

Alice: Otherland would be set after Asylum, although the last scenes of Asylum are set after Otherlands.

Asylum focuses on some plot threads that were not answered in Madness Returns. Some examples include:

  • What happened to Wilton J. Radcliffe and Pris Witless during Madness Returns? Alice had episodes with them, but they were not touched upon. It is notable that the August 2021 draft explains more about Radcliffe, but not address how Pris reacted to Alice having a mental episode on her rooftop, nor explain the incident where Radcliffe disappeared in Madness Returns.
  • What happened to the children of Houndsditch Home for Wayward Youth after the game? Who will become their new caretaker?
  • Why is Alice in Londerland, will she be able to escape from it, and will she be able to control it? Cat remarked that Alice could not return home.
  • Who is Alice's "replacement" that Bumby was waiting for, and how would she/he react to the events that unfolded at the end of Madness Returns? It is suggested they arrived in the train station not long after Bumby's death, and they would've been confused by Bumby not being at the train platform.
  • How would society react to Bumby's death and mangled body be found on the train tracks at the train station? He is said to be a respected member of society. Would Alice be suspected and would she be able to live as a free woman, or could she cover it up as a suicide since no one else was apparently in the train station? Would society and the police really believe the claims of a "madwoman" as Bumby claimed? Would Alice be involved in a court trial, and would Alice be able to uncover enough evidence to back up her claims?
  • Nan Sharpe is a caring figure for Alice who would've most likely tried to find Alice after her mysterious incident with Radcliffe to see if she had her found her rabbit doll, only to discover Alice has disappeared and be concerned for Alice's safety throughout Madness Returns. What was Nan up to in the latter half of Madness Returns, and how will Alice explain what happened with Bumby to Nan?
  • How did Alice get employed at the Royal Opera House in Otherlands? Especially if there is a possibility she was a murder suspect in Bumby's likely death case.
  • Given that the Liddell family was a wealthy family, they would've most likely been given burials and gravestones at a cemetery. Did or does Alice ever visit them eventually?

When the idea was first announced, the Asylum subtitle was a reference to Rutledge Asylum. However, due to the nature of the story after the August 2021 story, it can be inferred that Asylum is actually a reference to Alice herself, as Alice is in an "asylum" in her own mind, unable to take back complete control of her body in reality.

In the latest draft, there are two "twists" regarding Wonderland's nature: The circus is actually small and located on Mock Turtle's shell, and Alice was shrunken the whole time she was in it. The second twist is that after Alice explores all the other domains, it turns out she was in a snowglobe created by Hatter, as a "Wonderland in a Wonderland".

Premise[]

Alice chained close

A mentally ill Alice in the asylum.

Parts of the treatment (or perhaps more accurately, "mistreatment") of Alice Liddell during her 10-year stay at Rutledge Asylum, and Alice dealing with the tragic deaths of her family in the fire and the loss of her father, mother and sister. However, the bulk of Asylum is a new adventure set after Madness Returns. Asylum shows many flashbacks into Alice's childhood.

Plot and domains[]

Asylum Stages of Grief

7 Stages of Grief.

Map of Meaning concept art

An "atomic orbit" model for Wonderland.

Adding to the psychological themes of the series, Alice is envisioned as going through a modified Kübler-Ross stages of grief model: shock, denial, anger, bargaining, depression, testing, and, finally, acceptance. In order to fulfill the spot of an eighth (since the Chaos symbol has 8 sides), one will be envisioned as "slumber". Therefore, Wonderland will be extremely affected by this, with each of its domains being influenced by one of the stages. This is only through a symbolic perspective, as characters in Wonderland do not call the Queen's domain "the anger domain", for example. Additionally, Alice can revisit domains, breaking stereotypes that people in grief only experience each stage one time, and the events in past domains are referenced upon later; for example, the circus/denial domain is talked about frequently long after Alice has left it.

The envisioned domains and stages are currently unfinalized and there are some discrepancies between the artists. For example, an early vision includes the Hatter's Domain as part of "Denial".[7] Later on, another artist decided Hatter's Domain should be individualized as the "Bargaining" stage.[8] The Vale of Tears was once going to to be the Denial realm as the location of the circus, but the circus was given a new nature, and so the Vale has become the Depression stage.

A recent rough draft includes:

  • Slumber: This area is the part of Alice's mind which lets her revisit her subconscious dormant memories. It is in this domain where Alice sees the flashbacks of her life, and is able to talk to the Caterpillar here. Due to the nature of this area being a component of Alice, Alice is forced into this area as she recollects her memories. It also seems to have a Doors area where Alice can fast travel to the other domains of Wonderland.
  • Liddell houseShock: This area will be like a nightmare of Alice's family dying in the Fire. At the start, players will control 13-year-old Alice in a dark moonlit snowy area which will act as the tutorial, with a giant creepy Moon with a face watching over here. She proceeds to enter her house where she sees her burning family serve her a disgusting birthday cake which her family proceeds to eat. They cryptically tell Alice that something is her fault. An earthquake occurs and the Caterpillar appears who tries to encourage Alice to learn and find truth in her suffering. Alice looks in a looking glass and sees a shadow creature mimicking her action. The shadow is happy to finally find Alice, and when Alice reaching into the looking glass, it breaks and Alice suffers hundreds of cuts. When a large piece is about to pierce her heart, Alice grabs it and it transforms into a crystal Vorpal Blade. Alice finds herself back in her burning house where her family has disappeared. Alice hears a lullaby in the distance and faints.
    • It was once posited that there would be a "bomb" of sorts and Wonderland would be broken into many pieces, then each area of Wonderland will become an island floating in orbit around the "Chaos Core", just like the planets are orbiting the sun. The "Chaos Core" appearance could be a floating island with a massive crater in the middle, like a volcano, or a sort of inside-out black hole which is releasing fire and smoke and chaos into Wonderland.[9] However, no mention of this "bomb" shattering Wonderland into pieces is in the August 2021 design document, meaning the idea may have been dropped.
  • Circus/Amusement parkDenial: This part of Wonderland will be beautiful, wonderful, and "safe".[10] During the game, Alice's objective would be to escape the amusement park. At the beginning of this stage, Alice finds herself in a circus hosted by her animal friends such as Mock Turtle. The White Rabbit encourages Alice to explore the park. Creepily enough, the Moon Alice saw before is still in the sky. Major concepts include Alice being a prisoner of the circus, while characters Alice meets here insist she should relax and enjoy the show. Alice encounters Pris Witless as a fortune teller; Alice looks in her crystal ball and has another meeting with the Caterpillar and vision of her home. Alice mentions she knows her family is dead, but wonders why the second floor doors were locked, why the front door was open, and why she has memories of a centaur in her house. After some cryptic scenes, Alice finds herself back with the Caterpillar who reveals the shadow creature was a part of her. Alice then comes back to the circus, where she is in a giant demented tent run by Tweedledum and Tweedledee who reveal they were following the orders of the Queen of Hearts. After fighting the twins in a boss battle, Alice reaches the top of the tent where she finds a hot air balloon. Alice enters it and cuts the ropes.
    • The realm may contain elements of illusions and delusions, such as Alice seeing images of her house before the fire, or puppets of her family members. However, Alice will eventually be forced to confront what happened due to the absence of her family, and the reassurance the characters provide her with will gradually sound hollow, meaningless and fake. The scenario is envisioned to be Alice being forced into a humiliating circus by the Tweedle twins where she is forced into a silly clown costume. Because a single circus tent isn't enough for a level, there will also be an amusement park.
  • Moon - After the circus, Alice is envisioned to have a boss battle of sorts where she is in the balloon and must dodge the Moon's attacks. Its lullaby makes Alice sleepy. It turns out that the Moon is actually a flying facility fortress and is one of the Hatter's inventions. Alice discovers the Moon is a device (possibly created by Hatter) to make Alice forget her troubles. Alice destroys the Moon's lullaby machine by destroying its organic mechanical heart. Mock Turtle appears in this stage, begging Alice to stop her mission and to return to the circus. Alice refuses and obtains a chart to the Queen's Domain, and she pilots the Moon there. Mock Turtle tries to prevent her, and Alice ends up killing him. As the Moon crashes, Alice grows larger and she finds herself on grass, with Mock Turtle's body floating in a nearby pond. Alice looks closer and sees a miniature circus on his shell; Alice connects the dots that she was shrunken until now and forced into the circus by her caring friend, Mock Torture, in order to keep her happy. Alice holds the Moon in her hand and puts it inside her rabbit doll as a keepsake.
    • McGee envisioned Alice visiting Shadow Alice on the Moon.
  • Queen's CastleAnger: Alice, in the forest, sees the Queen's Castle in the distance. She navigates a hedgemaze and fights Card Guards. She comes upon a scene where she finds a group of Card Guards interrogate the shadow creature; the shadow releases a mass of black tentacles called Chaos; Chaos transforms NPCs and makes them attack Alice. Alice keeps traversing and encounters the Knave, then makes her way to a courthouse full of chess pieces who are forced to serve the Queen (this ties into the plot in American McGee's Alice where the chess pieces are under the Queen's control and is the beginning of their story). In the courthouse, Alice is blamed and found guilty, and Alice discovers the pieces are infected by Chaos. Alice obtains her Rage form here and defeats the Judge, a boss. The shadow appears and applauds Alice, saying she is learning, and makes Alice fall into a trap door. Here, Alice has another vision with the Caterpillar who talks to her about anger, and Alice sees flashbacks of her being violent in the asylum towards doctors and nurses. She says Dr. Wilson and Bumby talking about her, and Alice realizes Bumby is the centaur. After processing more of her emotions, Alice returns to the domain where the Knave motivates her to keep moving forward. Alice goes through a croquet area and a dungeon, and sees a being known as the Child of Fire who becomes infected by Chaos. Alice finally meets the Queen and the two argue; Alice blames the Queen for trapping her, while the Queen blames Alice for the Chaos infesting her domain, revealing Alice is responsible for it. The Queen and her Guards try to take away Rabbit, who is infested by Chaos, causing Alice to Rage, and she and the Knave defeat the Queen. They are relieved rabbit is fine. Alice spins in joy with the rabbit, but Alice's spinning causes a transition (this may be because spinning in dreams causes many dreamers to teleport).
    • American McGee: "I imagine an interior space of dark/burnt corridors filled with smoke and flames. Pools of fire and jets of flame erupting all around. It would be like walking into the brightest point of pain in Alice's psyche - all recalling the night of the fire which killed her family. An eternally burning building filled with burning enemies and traps, echoes of distant screams... excellent."[11]
  • Intermission memory: Alice has a flashback of her and Lizzie; Alice's carelessness causes her to bleed her knee, which Lizzie bandages, and Alice's mother scolds Alice. After her mother leaves, their father insists Lizzie look after her sister and says their mother is stern because she cares. Alice tries to touch her father which turns him into his ash, causing the house to ashen and dissolve, transforming it into a cathedral where a funeral is being held of her family. Alice approaches the caskets which pound from inside and have her family members voices from within, but as Alice approaches, the caskets burn. Alice also sees herself as a baby being christened which causes a transition back to the Anger Realm. Knaves implores Alice find the Hatter who is responsible for creating Manipulator enemies, but also knows how to fight against the Chaos. As Alice says bye to the Knave, he is killed by Shadow Alice.
  • Hatter's Domain - Bargaining: As Alice makes her way to meet Hatter, she encounters the Cheshire Cat. Alice finds him familiar, which offends Cat who has come to realize that Alice forgot much of her first adventure in Wonderland. Rabbit finds Cat terrifying and hides behind Cat who fades away. At this point, Cheshire Cat becomes a summonable ally at any time to offer in game clues, background information and lore, as he did in American McGee's Alice. Eventually, Alice meets Hatter and tells him she wants to go home back to reality, and of Shadow Alice and the Chaos. Hatter sadly reveals Alice is trapped in her mind for now, and explains Chaos from a scientific view and gives Alice a weapon which can help fight back against Chaos more easily. He says if Alice collects pieces of his device, they may be able to eliminate Chaos entirely and easily, and return home, but they are under a time limit where Wonderland will be consumed by Chaos if she does not find them in time. Alice returns to the Hall of Doors.
    • During this stage, victims of grief often seek to bargain with a figure, often "God" or a higher power, to make everything better, or give them a chance to see their deceased loved ones in an afterlife such as Heaven. Alice may encounter her envisioning of "God", as children often have abstract reasoning of "God". A possible stage for this is Alice's idea of Heaven, or potentially be Alice reaching her idea of "heaven" or perhaps only its gates. Some concept art imagines Hatter's Domain as this "heaven"-like place, due to its floating nature in the clouds. Another idea is that instead of "God", Alice seeks answers from the "wise" figures in her mind, such as Caterpillar or perhaps the Mad Hatter.
  • Vale of TearsDepression: Alice finds herself in a location called the Abyssal Station which is connected to the Looking Glass Railway, and the Infernal Train makes a cameo here. The Station is managed by the March Hare and Dormouse. Alice goes through tunnels under the station, finding herself in termite colony buried under the memory tree of Alice's mind. Alice has more visions of Radcliffe, Bumby and the Asylum, where Shadow Alice talks to her. Alice also faces the Dollmaker. It is revealed Shadow Alice was responsible for killing Bumby. After fighting the mecha run by the Hare and Dormouse, Alice retrieves a part of the device: the eyes. Alice then finds herself in front of the orphanage, with Radcliffe accusing Alice of killing Bumby. Alice realizes Shadow Alice will probably want to kill Radcliffe. Alice returns to the Hatter briefly to give him the eyes and enters Wonderland Woods which is unusually flooded. Alice questions the Mock Torture who implores her to find the Duchess. In her cottage, Duchess mourns her lost pig children and explains to Alice the value of sadness. Alice finds a crying statue of herself and mourns her family. She finds herself in London where she opens a desk drawer in Radcliffe's office, letting loose Chaos and swallowing. Alice then finds herself back in the domain where she brings tears to Duchess who concocts a cure to the sadness. Alice then visits a possessed Bill McGill and obtains a brain she needs and gives it to the Hatter.
    • As its name implies, victims of grief go through a stage of depression and melancholy, and often, "emptiness" and a "void". This is probably because the Mad Hatter in the previous domain told Alice that she is unable to return home out of Wonderland.
    • Concept art shows it may feature an aquatic section underwater. Alice's mission is to likely find some sort of happiness or joy while wandering through this part of the depression domain, which may be represented by toys and balloons as a means of coping with the loss. Art shows the "joy" stuck in a tree which Alice can't access because it's too far up, showing the difficulty that comes with finding joy when one is depressed.
  • Alice explores a flying storm of London where she meets the Carpenter. In this London, she finds a notebook in Bumby's office containing his memories, and makes he way to Radcliffe's office where she discovers Radcliffe was aiding Bumby in his child trafficking. Alice finally understands why Shadow Alice wants to kill Radcliffe and Shadow Alice appears and has a conversation with Alice. Alice returns to the Hatter where in order to complete his invention, Alice must sacrifice her rabbit doll containing a mechanical heart, but Alice decides against this.
  • Land of Fire and Brimstone - Testing: Alice's rabbit doll is eaten by the Jabberwock. Alice defeats him and frees her damaged rabbit. They try to find the Caterpillar but are intervened by the Queen. After a fight, it turns out this Queen is false and is actuality the memory of Alice's mother trying to help her by keeping the Hatter's head safe. Her mother's memory warns her of Shadow Alice, explaining that Alice fragmented her psyche as a coping mechanism, resulting in Shadow Alice's creation who has been corrupted by Alice's negative emotions. Alice sees a vision of Shadow Alice controlling adult Alice's body and holding Radcliffe at knifepoint. Alice makes peace with the memories of her mother and father, although they are eaten by Shadow Alice.
    • This stage is described as "seeking realistic solutions". The reality eventually starts to bite and the person realizes that they cannot stay in that deep, dark hole of depression forever. They thus start looking for realistic things that they can do. These may be taken on as 'experiments' to see if doing these things help the situation in any way. As this activity starts to work, at least in some ways, it is found to be preferred to the depression and so the person crawls out of that dark hole. This escape is often done with the support of friends, family and professionals who specialize in helping people in whatever situation this is. As Alice's house is located in this land in American McGee's Alice, her motive may be to create a sanctuary where she can always safely remember her family, as part of memories in her house. However, according to concept art, the Jabberwock will be encountered here, and will ruin her sanctuary.
  • Intermission: Alice wakes up in the Hatter's Domain. He explains that she is actually truly in Wonderland this time, and from the beginning, Alice was actually a in a slow globe as one of his inventions, as a "Wonderland in a Wonderland". Shadow Alice appears and unleashes Chaos on Hatter, destroying him, and consumes Alice after a boss fight. This results in the player control Shadow Alice in "Umbraland", and Alice's Vorpal Blade is transformed into a scythe. As Shadow Alice, the player revisits all the locations throughout the game, corrupting and transforming it with Chaos. The player is also forced to kill its inhabitants who flee. Shadow Alice then proceeds to kill her rabbit doll, resulting in a full minute of darkness and silence, but with glimpses and some distant voices to reassure the player their game has not glitched. Afterwards, the true Alice's voice is heard, remarking how she is still alive, and is surrounded by butterflies. Alice speaks to her Shadow about despite her suffering, she still had a remarkable time in Wonderland. A new lush Wonderland is created, where the rabbit doll joins the two Alices. It is shown that in reality, adult Alice did not like Shadow Alice overcome her and kill Radcliffe. With this new acceptance, Shadow Alice and Alice fuse and become one.
  • Ending: In London, Alice has spared Radcliffe. He flees, but Alice follows him, calling him out for all the terrible things he has been part of. A little girl, Angela, questions Radcliffe on what is happening but he angrily demands her to shut her mouth. Alice enters Radcliffe's Wonderland (or "Otherland") to destroy his mind, while Radcliffe is incapitated in reality. Alice invites some police officers into the room. Radcliffe, in fury, aggressively attacks Alice but is captured by the police. Alice proceeds to meet Angela, who is revealed to be Angela Radcliffe, his daughter, and asks Angela where she would like to go now, due to her father being arrested. Angela replies that she would like to go whereever Alice is going and the two leave.
  • After credits: Alice has opened an orphanage called the Liddell’s Home For Wayward Children. She is living in a beautiful home and proceeds to walk over to her nearby orphanage where she is greeted by the children. It is implied Alice has adopted Angela herself due to the name "Angela Liddell" being mentioned in the script. On the way to a tea party, Angela drops her rabbit doll. After a close-up of the rabbit doll lying motionless, it proceeds to get up and follow the children.

Miscellaneous art:

Characters[]

Ash render

Alice in her ash dress.

These characters may appear and be fleshed out more:

  • Alice Liddell – Self-explanatory, as she is the protagonist.
  • Rabbit doll - The rabbit doll is a companion that follows Alice throughout the game.
  • Shadow Alice - Shadow Alice is envisioned as being one of two main antagonists of the story. At first, her existence is kept a mystery, and she first appears as a cloud of darkness infecting Wonderlanders to become hostile towards Alice with an ability known as "Chaos". However, it is later revealed Shadow Alice is a part of Alice's vengeful psyche which has become her own being, consisting of her anger and rage towards Bumby and Radcliffe, and towards much of Alice's suffering. Shadow Alice was the one who killed Bumby; it is important to note that Shadow Alice is just as part as Alice as the Alice the player plays as, as opposed to an entirely separate being, which is why Shadow Alice can appear and manifest wherever Alice is throughout the story.
    • American McGee talked about the possibility of there being two Shadow Alices, one demonic (in order to explain Alice's Rage form in AMA) and one ghost-like (in order to explain Alice's Hysteria form in AMR). However, this idea appears to have been discarded in the latest draft.
  • Alice's mother, father and sister – In the draft, they will appear frequently in the game in flashbacks in the snowy Slumber domain.
  • Wilton J. Radcliffe – Radcliffe has a huge role in the story's draft, where he is actually one of two main antagonists (the other being Shadow Alice). It is revealed he was conspiring with Bumby in his child trafficking schemes.
  • Angela Radcliffe - Angela is a new character who is Radcliffe's daughter. She is a young girl who plays a small role in the ending of the game.
  • Nan Sharpe - While she was Alice's nanny, no mention of her is made in the recent draft.
Asylum Bumby

Bumby as a shop merchant, an idea which has been discarded in the latest draft.

  • Angus Bumby/Dollmaker – In the draft, Bumby appears in many flashback scenes. At first, Bumby was imagined as running a toy store by the Looking Glass Railway in the Depression domain, and acting as the game's "merchant" to upgrade Alice's weapons (toys). However, this idea has been apparently scrapped in the recent draft. In the draft, it is revealed that Alice never fully defeated the Dollmaker in Madness Returns, only injured him. Alice finally defeats the Dollmaker again in another redux battle. At one point in the story, Alice also reads Bumby's journal and learns about his tragic home life with his parents, learning how his jaded personality was formed. The narrative section has a disclaimer that this part is only meant to explain his evil, not justify it.
  • Dinah – It is possible that Dinah will be shown in a series of flashbacks, given that Dinah was Alice's beloved pet and confidant.
  • Rutledge Asylum residents – Likely considering how the game is called Alice: Asylum, parts of the game may be from their perspectives.
    • Nurse Pris Witless – Nurse Witless is imagined to appear in Wonderland as "Madame Priscilla", a fortune teller working alongside the Tweedles in the denial/circus domain.[12] It is unclear what happened to the real Pris in London in Madness Returns, so Asylum may touch upon this.
    • Heironymous Q. Wilson – No overt references are made to Wilson in the latest draft, although he may appear in flashback scenes.
    • The Orderlies
    • Nurse D-
    • Cratchet
  • Dr. Grantham - A surgeon who monitored Alice's case during her treatment at Littlemore Infirmary. He is only mentioned in Wilson's Casebook. He lost his sanity and is mentioned as having died in an accident with a surgical implement.
Cheshire Cat asylum redone

Concept art of the cat.

  • Cheshire Cat – Cat was originally envisioned as being cuter and plumper, and perhaps a bit more kitten-like, although he was called the Cheshire "Cat" in the first novel, not the Cheshire "Kitten". Concept art labeled "after fire" shows him with a mangy form, although this contradicts Alice telling him that he has become mangy at the beginning of American McGee's Alice. In the latest draft, Cat only appears about 30-40% into the game, likely with the intent of surprising players in a happy way who are reminded Cat is part of the universe, and the player can summon him at any moment like in American McGee's Alice where he offers clues and lore. Cat does not have a vital role in the game, although he appears in a few cutscenes to encourage Alice.
  • Mad Hatter – He is envisioned as being non-mechanical, and far saner than in American McGee's Alice, more akin to his personality in Madness Returns. However, he may show signs of increasing insanity through the game. A concept art from Omri Koresh shows that after an explosion in his laboratory hurt his friends, the March Hare and the Dormouse, he blames Alice, and makes himself a mechanical and higher body.[9] In the recent draft, Hatter is shown to be a major character in the game and Alice works with him to find a way to stop Shadow Alice and the Chaos so she can find a way home. Alice revisits him many times.
  • March Hare and Dormouse – Given that they are associated with the Mad Hatter, they are likely to appear, as they have also been depicted in concept art as being hurt by an explosion in the Mad Hatter's laboratory.[9] However, in the latest draft, they have a small role in managing the Looking Glass Railway in the Depression domain.
  • Jabberwock – Concept art shows the Jabberwock as a hatchling in an egg,[13] as this is a time for Alice's seeds of guilt to be implanted into Alice's psyche and gradually grow and fester. American McGee mentions the possibility of the Jabberwock being a sub-villain (the true antagonist is Shadow Alice), and that killing the Jabberwock is an illusionary quest and set of goals.[14] Concept art shows "The Jabberwocky and his spawn dominate a scene of fiery destruction, keeping with his allegorical position as the "Black Dragon" in his treasure-filled lair. The metaphorical representations here are at the core of Alice's internal battle." In the latest draft, Jabberwock appears as a boss, however, this contradicts American McGee's Alice where she defeated him, and his resurrection may seem forced.
Queen of Red Heart

The Queen of Red Heart.

  • Queen of Hearts – In the draft, Queen is appears in her castle. Concept art shows her appearing similarly to how she does in illustrations of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Eventually, she merges with the Red Queen, and becomes a more attractive, yet eerie being with a pale, mask-like face, and grows tentacles. She eventually plots/begins to seize control over Wonderland, as per American McGee's Alice. Underneath this mask, Omri Koresh imagines her true face as young Alice constantly seeing the Fire, "because it's her guilt that's literally eating her alive".[9] However, in the latest draft, the merging is not touched upon.
  • Red Queen – McGee mentioned on a livestream the merging of the Red Queen and the Queen of Hearts may be explored in this game. Concept art depicts the Red King holding the Red Queen who seems to be dying in the middle of a chess battle. Other concept art imagines the Red Queen as resembling Alice's mother.
  • White Rabbit – Given how popular he is and associated with Alice, the White Rabbit will likely appear. In the recent draft, he has a small role in managing the circus to keep Alice happy, but nothing more. He is not to be confused with the rabbit doll, a completely separate character.
  • Mock Turtle – Concept art shows he is envisioned as being almost exactly like he was in Madness Returns, with the only difference is that he looks more sad and depressed than ever,[13] probably due to the influence that the Depression domain has on him. However, this would be strange for a chronological perspective, making his appearance in AMA seem out-of-place.
  • Caterpillar – A concept art reveals that the Caterpillar may be located inside a frozen lake.
  • Carpenter – In Madness Returns, when Alice first arrives Dreary Lane Theatre, Carpenter greets her like they have met before.[15] However, in Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There, the two never meet face-to-face. It is possible that Alice may have met Carpenter during Asylum and she may have had a memory wipe after.
  • Tweedledum and Tweedledee – Given that the game takes place during Alice's stay at the Rutledge Asylum, and the Orderlies work there where they bullied her, it is likely that Tweedledum and Tweedledee will appear, since they are their Wonderland counterparts. Concept art shows them looking younger and smaller.
  • Walrus
  • Gryphon – McGee mentioned the possibility of Gryphon transporting Alice around the world.[8] This means there may be segments where the player controls Gryphon as Alice rides on his back in the sky.
  • Duchess – The Duchess appears in the latest draft, still residing in her cottage in the Vale of Tears.
  • Bill McGill – A possessed Bill McGill appears in the latest draft.
  • Knave of Hearts - The Knave of Hearts is imagined to appear in Queensland in the latest draft, as a helper of Alice, and the Queen of Hearts treats him poorly.
  • Humpty Dumpty

Since the Alice series teaches players about the original novels, some "new" (albeit "old" to those who read the original novels) characters may include Mouse, Eaglet, Lory, Duck, Pat, Father William, Puppy, Pigeon, Frog Footman, Fish Footman, Lion, Unicorn, etc.

Enemies[]

This is a guide for possible enemies.

Gameplay[]

Asylum Alice fire

Alice on fire, similar to Rage and Hysteria.

Asylum is envisioned by McGee as a third person action-adventure, although he also entertained elements of stealth.[5] Core mechanics include platforming, dress floating, pushing and pulling, shrinking and growing, time manipulation, weapon upgrading, zone-based unique mechanics, lock-on combat system, climbing and free jumping, and swimming.[1] Puzzles and mini-games are also intended.

Asylum will likely continue "Alice using toys are weapons" concept. A Pocket Watch (perhaps the Deadtime Watch) is shown in concept art, and could be used to slow down time and help with combat and puzzles. Other ideas include:

It is unknown if the game will have difficulty modes like previous games. Bosses will probably return, as many players were disappointed with the lack of them in Madness Returns.

McGee stressed that aspects like microtransactions and lootboxes do not fit the game.[5]

McGee said that multiplayer is not of the question, although he is focusing on single-player for now.[1] There could be a co-op mechanic with one playing controlling Alice and another controlling Cheshire Cat to solve puzzles, or as a means to give Alice support. However, given how Cat doesn't help Alice physically in the sequels, it does not make much sense for him to be a physical fighter. If playing alone, then Cat could be controlled by an AI, and there could be a character switch function. The possibility of a multi-player battle arena was also mentioned.

He is aiming for a 10-12 hours on a first playthrough, but emphasizes that these hours would be extremely polished to ensure these hours feel like a high-quality game with strong pacing.[5] While some may feel 10-12 hours is short, McGee wants to make it so that the game does not feel bloated or too long, as many players complained that Madness Returns is too long. However, he also mentioned DLC extended missions and collectibles for those who want more replay value.

Development[]

Ever since the release of Madness Returns, fans of the series have been wondering when Alice 3 would be released, or rather, the next Alice video game. McGee created two short films, Alice: Otherlands, with fans donating to it on Kickstarter. However, many fans were underwhelmed by Otherlands and McGee was still being flooded with e-mails about the next Alice game.

Fans once created a petition directed at Electronic Arts, entitled, "Let American McGee make a new Alice game", which gained over 25,000 signatures since its creation.[20] Meanwhile, another petition was created with the goal of "removing the series from the claws of EA" which received over 1,000 signatures.[21]

McGee has had difficulty working with Electronic Arts. Since Madness Returns, the majority of Spicy Horse disbanded, so if Asylum is made, then it may be outsourced. However, he also mentioned the possibility of creating a new team from scratch, as McGee has connections with many game developers.[22]

In 2016, EA told McGee that he needed a demo of the video game for them to consider. However, American McGee didn't have the funds or resources to produce a demo, and Electronic Arts apparently rejects a demo funded by crowdfunding like Kickstarter. Fans criticized EA's approach, as it meant the game would be caught in a Catch 22.

In 2017, McGee decided that Alice's time in Rutledge may be more interesting. He announced Alice: Asylum. McGee is currently trying to promote Asylum and get fan support. McGee is also collecting donations on Patreon in order to hire concept artists to create concept art for the game to boost popularity. A potential Kickstarter in October 2018 was put on hold.

McGee estimates the game will be developed along an almost 3 year schedule, in order to ensure a quality game that does not feel rushed.[1] He once floated a US$20 million budget.

In November 2018, McGee mentioned that the legal proceedings were going smoothly:[2]

Again, lots of progress going on behind the scenes. I wish I could say more but... With Party X, who are responsible for the legal/license aspects of Alice: Asylum - there's been a healthy exchange of terms, outlines, and other necessary elements. With Party Y, of whom there are several, and who are responsible for funding, publishing, distribution of Alice: Asylum, also a healthy "flow" of necessary elements. And, as mentioned above, we're making solid progress on the physical (studio) and personnel (dev team) aspects of the new game(s). I do hope to have more tangible things to communicate to you all by early 2019.

In the comments section, when asked what McGee meant by his mysterious "game(s)" comment, he confirmed it was not a typo, saying, "There are several things going on... yes. More details as soon as I am able to share them. :)"

In August 2021, McGee posted the "design narrative", which includes a basic overview the story, featured concept art and a script.[3]

In April 2023, McGee announced that the project had been cancelled due to EA passing on the project based on internal analysis, and that EA was unwilling to sell or license the Alice IP.[6]

After several weeks of review, EA has come back with a response regarding funding and/or licensing for "Alice: Asylum"

On the question of funding, they have ultimately decided to pass on the project based on an internal analysis of the IP, market conditions, and details of the production proposal. On the question of licensing, they replied that "Alice" is an important part of EA’s overall game catalog, and selling or licensing it isn’t something they’re prepared to do right now.

At this point, we have exhausted every option for getting a new "Alice" game made. With those answers from EA, there is no other way forward with the project. As such, we will be hibernating this Patreon page and related pre-production activities. The content will remain in place but we'll no longer present options for funding "Alice: Asylum" efforts via this (or any other) platform.

"Alice: Asylum" is at an end.

— American McGee

McGee would further write that he was no longer going to be involved in the production of any new Alice game and that his involvement with the Alice franchise was done.[6]

For my part, I have also reached an endpoint with "Alice" and with game production in general. I have no other ideas or energy left to apply toward getting a new Alice game made. Nor do I have any interest in pursuing new game ideas within the context of the current environment for game development.

This brings us full circle to the statement I made years ago which initiated EA reaching out to me to ask if I wanted to explore making a new Alice game...

I have no control over the Alice IP and no ability to make a new game happen. That control and ability rest entirely with EA.

If someone does manage to convince EA to make "Asylum," I would like to make clear that, from this point forward, I have no desire to be involved with that or any other Alice-related development.

My involvement with "Alice" is also at an end.

— American McGee

Gallery[]

Note: All of this is concept art and does not necessarily represent anything final.

General[]

Dresses[]

Trivia[]

  • In the ending of Asylum in the story draft, it is notable that Alice does not have her all of mental illnesses cured at the end of the story, and it is suggested she still has mild schizophrenia even in the epilogue, apparently having a hallucination in the end. However, she is still able to live a productive and satisfying life in reality with her new career, even in spite of her mental illnesses which she has under her control for the most part. The Alice series is noted by critics for its positive representation of mental health, and it could be argued that if Alice's mental illnesses suddenly disappeared, it would be unrealistic, undermine the themes of the series that have been built up, and be offensive for people who have mental illnesses. Even in Madness Returns, Alice still experiences hallucinations in both the beginning and the ending.
Alice study

Study of Alice with brown hair.

  • Concept art for Asylum shows Alice's hair as being auburn brown like in American McGee's Alice, rather than black like in Alice: Madness Returns. Alice's hair color has been a bit of a debate.
    • Before the re-draft of the narrative, McGee felt brown hair was the way to go, due to the reasoning that if it were black, it would weird people out who play in the AA > AMA > AMR order, as it would shift from black, to brown, to black. McGee felt it is more important to be consistent with the established canon instead of abiding to preferences. He also explained how some people's hair darkens with time and aging.
    • The narrative of Asylum was revamped in the August 2021 draft. While Alice would have brown hair as a child, as the game goes on, Alice matures, and her hair will likely darken a bit throughout the game to show Alice's maturation to the point where it is a dark brown close to black, Asylum essentially filling in a minor plot hole from Madness Returns.
  • It is unknown if any voice actors, such as Susie Brann and Roger L. Jackson, would return to reprise their roles, or if Alice would receive a new voice actress with a more childish voice. Roger did say that he was hoping for a new Alice game and said he is hoping he would work on it.[23]
  • It is highly likely Alice will have domain dresses like in Madness Returns. McGee said he is aware that Alice's different dresses were popular among fans, and concept art of various dresses have been made.
  • In concept art, Alice's dress symbols are sulfur and fire. Her necklace is a variant of the Symbol of Chaos.
    • Despite that the game is currently a draft, chaos necklaces are already being sold.[24]
  • McGee does not want Alice to have a love interest or boyfriend in the game, saying he "fucking hates" the storyline of a man "completing" a woman's story and solving her problems, emphasizing Alice does not need a shoehorned love interest to complete her story and never will.[25]
  • McGee does not want Charles Dodgson mentioned or referenced in the game.[25]
  • McGee said he definitely wants a lava world in the game because lava is cool.[25]
  • McGee wants the game to have high detail to both the foregrounds and backgrounds of the environments.[26]
  • McGee mentioned that he would like to remaster/port American McGee's Alice and Alice: Madness Returns to the systems Alice: Asylum would be on so that players could have the trilogy available.[26] Both games are already available on the PC and Xbox One, so this would likely be the PlayStation 4 and potentially Nintendo Switch.
  • If successful, the game would feature Kian How Yoa as music composer.[1] Chris Vrenna was mentioned as a possibility; he did the soundtrack of the first game and one song for Madness Returns.[27]
  • There might be a Collector's Edition that includes one of four head bust figurines with the appearance of a chess piece, in which one would be able to get one of these four: Alice Liddell, the White Rabbit, the Mad Hatter, and the Cheshire Cat.[28]
  • In the recent design document, it is revealed that there is intended to be a mecha fight. The mecha has become a bit of a joke in the fandom, because it was a hyped as the major boss battle of the Hatter's Domain in Madness Returns, only to be destroyed by random falling teapot. Its intended inclusion in Asylum could be seen as an apology and making up for the lack of boss fights in Madness Returns.

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 McGee, American (January 18, 2018). Alice: Asylum - Pitch Review - Emily Browning as Alice?! India Eisley too!?!?! Madness!. YouTube.
  2. 2.0 2.1 McGee, American (November 12, 2018). Busy, busy.... Patreon.
  3. 3.0 3.1 McGee, American (August 20, 2021). "Alice: Asylum" Narrative Outline V1.0. Patreon.
  4. McGee, American (May 23, 2018). Asylum Logo. Patreon.
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 McGee, American (January 4, 2018). Alice 3 - Asylum for Angelababy?. YouTube.
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 McGee, American (April 7, 2023). End of the Adventure. Patreon.
  7. McGee, American (January 14, 2019). Shock, Discord, Emotions, and Rabbits. Patreon.
  8. 8.0 8.1 McGee, American (May 7, 2019). The Looking Glass Railway + Asylum Patient Tags. Patreon.
  9. 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 American McGee. The Shape of Chaos. Retrieved on April 24, 2018.
  10. American McGee. A Glimpse of Wonderland. Retrieved on October 3, 2017.
  11. American McGee. The House of Fire and Furys. Retrieved on October 14, 2017.
  12. McGee, American (August 12, 2019). Out of The Circus - Into the Fire. Patreon.
  13. 13.0 13.1 McGee, American (December 11, 2017). Idea Hatching. Patreon.
  14. McGee, American (June 13, 2018). The Watcher, The Self, The Shadow. Patreon.
  15. Game's Little Playground (June 9, 2015). Alice: Madness Returns Game Movie (All Cutscenes) 1080p HD. YouTube.
  16. 16.0 16.1 16.2 16.3 16.4 McGee, American (August 5, 2018). Weapons of Mass PO!. Patreon.
  17. McGee, American (August 14, 2018). One Night in Bangkok. Patreon.
  18. McGee, American (August 6, 2018). The (Anti-PC) Pun Cannon. Patreon.
  19. McGee, American (August 29, 2018). Why So Cranky?. Patreon.
  20. Spell Bound. Let American McGee make a new Alice game. Retrieved on October 26, 2015.
  21. We want Alice III (A third Alice video game).
  22. McGee, American (November 13, 2017). Alice: Meow & Woof - Asylum Pre-Production, Madness Returns Returns, Out of the Woods, and PRIZES!. YouTube.
  23. McGee, American (October 31, 2018). Cheshire Cat (Roger Jackson) in the Asylum - Purrrfect!. YouTube.
  24. CHAOS NECKLACE. Mysterious.
  25. 25.0 25.1 25.2 McGee, American (July 12, 2018). Asylum: Dressed in Denial - Alice and The Alchemist's Tailor. YouTube.
  26. 26.0 26.1 McGee, American (May 14, 2018). "American McGee's Falling, Drowning, Dying 2000" AKA "Alice". YouTube.
  27. McGee, American (March 21, 2018). Let's Play "American McGee's Alice" with American McGee!!!. YouTube.
  28. McGee, American (April 9, 2018). Off With Her Head!. Patreon.

External links[]

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