| Vorpal Blade | |||||
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| Location | * Dementia [AMA]
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| Based on | Vorpal Sword | ||||
| DLC | Vorpal Cleaver [AMR] | ||||
| Assigned key | 1 [AMA] | ||||
| Series | * American McGee's Alice
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| Image gallery (21) | |||||
| “ | The Vorpal Blade is swift and keen, and always ready for service.
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The Vorpal Blade is Alice Liddell's primary and most iconic weapon in her journey to her Wonderland and Jules Verne's Otherland.
History
Through the Looking-Glass
The Vorpal Blade came from Lewis Carroll's poem "Jabberwocky", which was first published in 1872 as part of his novel Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There. The poem told the story of an unnamed boy who slayed the monstrous Jabberwock and became a hero in his town. The weapon the boy used was called the "Vorpal Sword" or the "Vorpal Blade."
American McGee's Alice
Alice found the Vorpal Blade before she passed by Mayor Elder's house. After obtaining the weapon, she utilized it against a club-type Card Guard and went on her way.[2]
Alice: Madness Returns
The Vorpal Blade found in the Vale of Tears.
After Alice ventured on in the Vale of Tears, she arrived to a place where the river was red and the earth was stained with blood. Following the trail, she discovered the Vorpal Blade lodged into the skeleton of the Jabberwock.
Cheshire Cat manifested beside her and re-introduced her to the weapon. The Blade dislodged itself from the skeletal remains and went into Alice's hand. She observed its intricate design stating that she did not come back to look for a fight while testing the Blade itself.[1]
Alice: Otherlands
Alice about to slice the ropes.
Alice always had her Vorpal Blade with her as she guided Jules Verne throughout his Otherland. She initially used her weapon to cut the ropes of the Cheshire hot air balloon that she and Verne were on causing them to plummet to the ocean below. She used her weapon again when she saw one of the Leviathan's tentacles shift into the image of the deceased Angus Bumby. She almost drew her weapon out, making the tentacle change its focus to the weapon for a short while before returning to its normal appearance and disappearing from the viewing window of the Nautilus.[3]
Usage
American McGee's Alice
The blade has two uses: a close-range melee weapon which lets Alice hack and slash at opponents, or as a throwing weapon where she can aim it at someone or something, and after a little time it returns to her hand. Like most first weapons in games, the Vorpal Blade has weak attacks but it does not use any willpower at all.
On the easier levels, the Vorpal Blade can be quite potent, with a single throw required to kill an enemy Card Guard. At higher difficulty, it is best used in tandem with other weapons, throwing the blade and using other weapons while waiting for it to return. The Vorpal Blade must also be used for a couple of the puzzles later on.
Alice: Madness Returns
The blade can be used by pressing X (Xbox layout on 360 and PC), Square (PlayStation layout), or left-click (mouse layout on PC). Again it has short-range and is slightly weaker then other weapons, but it is fast and can be used in conjunction with the Hobby Horse to deal devastating short-range combos.
The DLC version of the Vorpal Blade, called the Vorpal Cleaver, handles just the same as the original blade, but while holding it, enemies can only give 50% of the damage they normally deal.
Appearance
The Vorpal Blade is similar in appearance to a common household kitchen knife and nothing like a sword as it is called in "Jabberwocky". It has a long silver blade and a short brown wooden handle.
American McGee's Alice
The Vorpal Blade has a slight inward curve to the sharp edge of the blade and no additional detailing apart from blood trailing down from the end of the blade.
Alice: Madness Returns
Alice examines the blade.
The Vorpal Blade has sharp edge curves outward with blood all away along it, and both the blade and handle are engraved with floral patterns. The word "VORPAL", including its original manufacturing date, is engraved on the upper rim of the handle where its it joined together with the blade. Unlike the other weapons, its appearance does not change when upgraded. However, the trail of light left when swinging it changes, and the speed and number of slashes increase:
- Level 1: Completely blue, with three slashes
- Level 2: Yellow with blue edge, with four slashes
- Level 3: Blue with red edge, with four slashes
- Level 4: Red with black edge, with five slashes
Alice: Otherlands
The Vorpal Blade retains its sharp edge curves and blood stain, as well as its floral engravings in both the blade and handle and text engravings on the handle. Each of Alice's dresses during her journey in Verne's Otherland have different sheaths for the weapon and its design is commonly based on the dress she is currently wearing.
Vorpal Cleaver
The Vorpal Cleaver.
The Vorpal Cleaver, as the name suggests, looks like a butcher's cleaver with a big, rectangular blade with a hole in the top right corner of the blade which is used to hang it up. Like the Vorpal Blade, the cleaver has the same coloring, engravings in the handle and blade, and has blood along the sharp edge.
When the Vorpal Cleaver successfully slashes an enemy, a large slash appears with the alchemical symbol for Lead where the slash hits the target. The Vorpal Cleaver also gives a bonus of -50% damage taken from enemies to Alice when it is equipped.
Trivia
The Vorpal Sword in "Jabberwocky".
- Like many words in the "Jabberwocky" poem, "vorpal" is one that Carroll created himself, without intended explicit meaning. Although most of the nonsense words were explained, either later in the book and by Carroll himself, the writer said he could not explain this word.
- In both games, its appearance is based on that of a kitchen knife, however, the etched, floral design is inspired by the illustrations to the poem "Jabberwocky" by Charles Dodgson under the pseudonym of Lewis Carroll.
- In American McGee's Alice, if Alice is left idle long enough while holding the Vorpal Blade, one of several random animations will occur. She may practice swing the blade, twirl the Blade's tip on her finger then toss it up and catch it, run her hand along the Blade, examine the Blade, etc.
- The Saturn symbol (♄) appears every time Alice makes a successful hit on an enemy in Alice: Madness Returns.
- Alice does not need to use the Vorpal Cleaver for its effect to be active.
- Jack Splatter used the Vorpal Cleaver to kill Long Tim.[4]
- The Vorpal Cleaver is the only DLC weapon to appear in Alice's real world.
- It is loosely implied that the blade may have a will of its own, as the Cat says it is "keen and always ready for service," personifying it and suggesting it has a want to have Alice wield it and/or be used in combat once again. It is also seen flying into Alice's hands when she first discovers it, meaning that it can act on its own accord. However, it is unknown if the blade can move on its own, or if another force was giving it to Alice.
- This could possibly explain why Alice is so swift at fighting although having no real experience in blade fighting.
- A replica of the Vorpal Blade has been made for purchase by Epic Weapons. They sell several versions which include a replica from American McGee's Alice, a replica from Madness Returns and a mini edition. They also sell a stand which can hold either blade.
- The detail on the blade handle tip states the blade was manufactured in 1865. This was the date the original Alice's Adventures in Wonderland book was published.
- The Vorpal Blade did not appear in "A Night at the Opera", unlike in "Leviathan".
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Spicy Horse (2011-06-14). Alice: Madness Returns. (Electronic Arts). Scene: The Vale of Tears. Level: Chapter 1: Hatter's Domain.
- ↑ Rogue Entertainment (2000-10-06). American McGee's Alice. (Electronic Arts). Scene: Dementia. Level: Village of the Doomed.
- ↑ Edward Goin. (October 31, 2015). "Leviathan". Spicy Horse. Alice: Otherlands.
- ↑ Spicy Horse (2011-06-14). Alice: Madness Returns. (Electronic Arts). Scene: Billingsgate. Level: Chapter 2: Deluded Depths.
External links
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