Alice: Madness Returns

Alice: Madness Returns is an action-adventure video game released on June 14, 2011 in North America, June 16, 2011 in Europe and June 17, 2011 in the United Kingdom.It is the sequel to the 2000 Windows and Mac video game American McGee's Alice.


Plot
Madness Returns takes place ten years after the events of its predecessor, the same amount of time between the two games' releases. Alice was released from Rutledge's Insane Asylum at the end of the original game, and now lives in Victorian London under the care of a psychiatrist, where the traumatic memories of her parents' deaths in a fire continue to haunt her. Although she seemed stable for a decade, she now begins to experience previously repressed memories that indicate that the fire which claimed her parents' lives (which in the original game was seen to have been caused by a cat knocking over an oil lamp near the fireplace) may not have been as accidental as she remembered; these memories will take the form of retcons to the existing backstory. However, the stress caused by regaining these lost memories has caused her hallucinations and internal struggle to increase in severity, and she returns to Wonderland in hopes of security and comfort. Unfortunately, it has once again become warped by her growing insanity, and she must save its residents - and herself - from the evil that is taking over Wonderland and also embarks on finding the true cause of her family's mysterious deaths if she wishes to retain her precious sanity.

New and old characters will be appearing in the game. Alice will be the main protagonist, once again braving the horrors of Wonderland, armed with several unique weapons including her trademark Vorpal Blade; the Gatling gun-like Pepper Grinder; the Hobby Horse, a heavy-hitting melee weapon; the explosive Clockwork Bomb; and the grenade-launching Teapot Cannon. Gameplay footage has shown she can use an umbrella for defence. Alice can wear several dresses which are obtained in each new area of Wonderland.

New characters in Victorian London will appear, influencing Alice's psyche and having connections to her past. These include Doctor Bumby, Alice's London psychiatrist who uses hypnotism in his work; elderly Nurse Witless; Nanny, Alice's childhood nanny turned prostitute; and Radcliffe, a kind, obese lawyer. Doctor Wilson, Alice's psychiatrist during her time in Rutledge Asylum will also appear.

Wonderland will play a prominent part in the game, with its numerous inhabitants corrupted by Alice's madness and other origins. The Cheshire Cat returns as Alice's guide and cluemaster throughout the game, as well as the White Rabbit. The Duchess, now an ally to Alice, sends her on a quest to find pig snouts, which becomes a side-quest throughout the game. The Mad Hatter's steampunk domain has been taken over by the March Hare and Dormouse, who have embraced their automaton bodies and have constructed the Infernal Train, the new manifestation of Alice's inner turmoil. The Dodo will appear as a victim of the March Hare and Dormouse's Industrial Revolution-inspired factory.

The Walrus and the Carpenter appear as antagonists, ruling the Deluded Depths, an underwater realm. The Carpenter acts as a monstrous but eccentric showman, with the Walrus desiring to eat the oyster showgirls. The Mock Turtle appears as the admiral of "HMS Gryphon", named after the Gryphon. The Caterpillar appears in the oriental Mysterious East area, and will transform into a butterfly. The resurrected Queen of Hearts appears, guarded by undead card guards and the scythe-wielding Executioner. Tweedledum and Tweedledee appear in Alice's hallucinations of the asylum. The Insane Children from the first game reappear, fleeing from the Dollmaker, the mastermind behind the Infernal Train.

Developer    Spicy Horse
Publisher      Electronic Arts
Designer      American McGee
Engine         Unreal Engine 3
Platforms     Microsoft Windows

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