I don’t recall precisely when my fascination with Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland began – I’ve been captivated by the story since I was a very young child.
I’ve always been captivated by the strange and imaginative story of Alice in Wonderland, which blends playful fantasy with a darker side. Even now, as an adult, I still show my love for it with an Alice in Wonderland phone case and several tattoos featuring quotes and characters from the book.
So, it probably won’t shock you to hear I absolutely loved American McGee’s Alice when it came out in 2000. It was a PC platformer published by EA, and it took the classic Alice in Wonderland story and gave it this really cool, dark, gothic makeover. I was hooked!
The original American McGee’s Alice was later included as a free gift with pre-orders of its sequel, Alice: Madness Returns, in 2011. And that’s the game I want to discuss now, since it recently celebrated its 15th anniversary.
This sequel, like the first game, was published by EA. However, it was released as part of a new initiative where EA experimented with publishing more unusual titles – a program that also included the game Shadows of the Damned, which came out shortly after.
I clearly recall both of these games being largely forgotten after their release, which is unfortunate because they each offered something truly different to PlayStation 3 owners. While Shadows of the Damned has seen a re-release recently, it looks like Alice: Madness Returns might remain exclusive to the PS3 for the foreseeable future. If you’re intrigued, you can find a Steam version available now for a very low price.
This game was created by Spicy Horse, a unique studio because it was one of the few console games developed in China. Though the studio is based there, American McGee – who previously worked on popular titles like DOOM and Quake with id Software – spearheaded the project.
Alice: Madness Returns was exceptionally dark, especially for its time. The game featured an adult Alice undergoing psychiatric treatment in Victorian London. Through hypnosis, she repeatedly journeyed between reality and Wonderland. Disturbingly, the psychiatrist was eventually revealed to have sexually abused Alice’s sister.
I was in my early 20s when this game was released, and I was really surprised by its story. At the time, there weren’t many games that dealt with such serious themes. While Heavy Rain had explored mature content too, its writing wasn’t as polished or well-handled as this game’s.
The game itself was quite good, but it had performance problems, like many games built with the Unreal Engine 3 around that time.
As a longtime gamer, I definitely remember how rough things were with the PS3 version of games made with Epic’s engine. The textures would constantly take forever to load, and honestly, the graphics just didn’t look very good back then – pretty blurry and muddy compared to what we’re used to now!
I found the game’s unique, broken-world style quite appealing. A good comparison might be to a game like Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.
I clearly remember Alice’s hair being incredibly realistic in the game. It wasn’t just a solid mass; individual strands would move and float as she jumped, which was a really impressive effect for its time and helped create a dark, gothic feel for the character.
The game featured unique weapons that made it stand out. While fundamentally a simple platformer, players could fight using ordinary items creatively – like turning a pepper grinder into a rapid-fire gun or wielding a hobby horse as a powerful hammer.
The game really focused on its visuals and narrative, but it felt a little too long. The developer, McGee, has mentioned he wished he’d had more time to make the story more concise, which would have improved the experience.
The game’s unique style keeps it popular, and many have tried to make a new installment. It’s frustrating that EA seems unwilling to allow this, because I believe there’s strong demand for a remastered version of Alice: Madness Returns and the original game, potentially releasing in 2026.
If you can find a way to experience it, I definitely recommend this game, particularly if you enjoy dark stories and the imaginative world of Lewis Carroll. It’s a bit of a downer, but it’s truly unique – even with how popular Alice in Wonderland remains.
It’s definitely not one of the greatest PS3 games ever made, but it’s a game I still remember vividly. Surprisingly, I could outline this entire article from memory, even though it’s been 15 years since I last played it.
I really enjoyed the game’s lighthearted story and impressive visuals, and I’m disappointed EA doesn’t seem to recognize its potential. I’m hoping the series will eventually be released from EA’s ownership, especially since older copies for the PS3 are becoming more valuable.
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2026-06-14 14:38