When the original American McGee’s Alice was released back in 2000, it was a messed up game. Since then there have been far more disturbing title released, but Alice set the bar high for the time. Filled with twisted and psychotic characters, it took the iconic ideals of Lewis Carroll’s Wonderland and made them into a psychological horror-filled war zone. The game quickly gained a cult following, and interest in the title has led to a series of aborted movie adaptations that began in 2000 just a few months after the game was released.
Rumors of a film adaptation refuse to die, but while a movie may be mired in Hollywood’s dreaded limbo, a sequel to the game itself is due later this year, and a new trailer has been released to show off what you can expect from Alice: Madness Returns.
In the original game, Alice had left Wonderland and already been through the looking glass. She has returned to her life, when a fire claims her family and sends Alice to an asylum. Ten years later the institutionalized Alice returns to Wonderland, which has been twisted to reflect her shattered psyche. Under the reign of the vicious Queen of Hearts, Wonderland is a macabre place filled with more horror than wonder. Alice soon escapes both the asylum and Wonderland, and returns to her life.
In the coming sequel, Alice: Madness Returns, eleven years have passed since Alice’s escape from the asylum, but the trauma of her family’s death continues to haunt her. To escape, she withdraws into Wonderland once again, but it is warped by her own mental state, and Alice is forced to help the citizens in order to help herself.
Check out the trailer below and look for Alice: Madness Returns on PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 during the 4th quarter of 2011.
[Warning: Trailer may not be suitable for all ages]