Alice: Madness Returns
Return to a corrupted Wonderland to uncover the truth behind a tragic fire.
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Aggregating review websites gave the Windows version 74% on GameRankings and 75/100 on Metacritic.[1] Alice: Madness Returns, an action-adventure game released in 2011, features a 19-year-old Alice who returns to a distorted Wonderland to find out what really happened to her family.[2][3]
Making and release
Rumors of a sequel to the original Alice first emerged shortly after that game's critical and commercial success, though the team was then working on the canceled spin-off American McGee's Oz.[4] In 2007, interest at Electronic Arts rose in a remake of the original game, and work began on a sequel, but plans were shelved when a movie adaptation fell through.[4] The final development budget for Madness Returns was $9 million.[5] EA announced a sequel at the February 2009 D.I.C.E. Summit, using the working title The Return of American McGee's Alice; they also showed concept art and confirmed the original writer and executive producer would be involved.[6]
At EA's Studio Showcase in July 2010, the final title Alice: Madness Returns was unveiled, and the first official teaser was also shown.[7] An iOS prequel app called Alice: Madness Returns Interactive Story came out on May 20, 2011, and an Android version was also created.[5] Diamond Select Toys distributed action figures of Alice, Card Guards, and the Cheshire Cat; an exclusive Alice Minimate was released at San Diego Comic-Con 2011.[8]
What the cited sources add
An Electronic Arts promotional page describes Alice as a "mentally disturbed young woman" after her family's death, armed with the Vorpal Blade, new magical abilities, and gothic dresses.[3] The same source lists features including upgradeable melee weapons like the Teapot Cannon and Hobby Horse, magical abilities such as floating and shrinking, and interactive puzzles.[3] A Kotaku article states the sequel takes place 11 years after the original game, with Alice released from an asylum but still struggling with "nightmarish hallucinations"[9] American McGee is quoted in that article saying the game reinvents Wonderland with "psychotic personalities and pervasive insanity"[9]
The PC Gamer article notes that McGee retired from game development in 2023 after EA rejected his pitch for a third Alice game, but he changed his mind after Japanese fans expressed their love for the Alice series at a pop-up shop.[10]
References
- Wikipedia, "Alice: Madness Returns" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Alice: Madness Returns for PC", GameRankings, June 14, 2011; "Alice: Madness Returns for PC Reviews", Metacritic; "Alice: Madness Returns for Xbox 360", GameRankings, June 14, 2011; "Alice: Madness Returns for Xbox 360 Reviews", Metacritic, June 14, 2011; "Alice: Madness Returns for PlayStation 3", GameRankings, June 14, 2011; "Alice: Madness Returns for PlayStation 3 Reviews", Metacritic, June 14, 2011 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Alice: Madness Returns" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Our First Official Look at Alice: Madness Returns", Kotaku.com, July 20, 2010; "Interview with American", Gamefanmag.com, June 14, 2011; McGee, "Alice: Madness Returns Live Event", Electronic Arts; McGee, "Alice: Madness Returns Live Event", Electronic Arts (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- McGee, "Alice: Madness Returns Live Event", Electronic Arts. facts only, no text reused. ea.com
- Wikipedia, "Alice: Madness Returns" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Martijn Müller, "Remake American McGee's Alice in de maak", NG-Gamer (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Alice: Madness Returns" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "AMA - American McGee & Pirate Jam", Reddit, February 16, 2017; Hollingsworth, "Exclusive Interview with American McGee and His Alice: Otherlands Project", GameSkinny, July 25, 2013 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Alice: Madness Returns" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Crecente, "EA Announces New American McGee's Alice Title", Kotaku.com, February 19, 2009; "The Return of American McGee's Alice Set For PC, Consoles", Kotaku.com, February 19, 2009; "American McGee Has a Blank Canvas for Alice Sequel", Kotaku.com, February 20, 2009; "American McGee's Blog " Return of Alice (Video Madness)", Americanmcgee.com, November 4, 2009 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Alice: Madness Returns" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Our First Official Look at Alice: Madness Returns", Kotaku.com, July 20, 2010 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Alice: Madness Returns" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "American McGee Toys, Action Figures, and Collectibles", Big Bad Toy Store, 2013-09-01; "COOL TOY REVIEW: 2011 SDCC Exclusive Alice Madness Returns Minimate", Cool Toy Review (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- "Our First Official Look at Alice: Madness Returns", Kotaku.com, July 20, 2010. facts only, no text reused. kotaku.com
- published, "American McGee has come out of retirement to make an Alice spiritual successor based on his plushie empire", PC Gamer, 2026-03-07. facts only, no text reused. pcgamer.com
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Alice: Madness Returns (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
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Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Alice: Madness Returns (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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