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| NOTE: This article is for Alice from the American McGee's Alice series. To see the article for the original version of her, go to Alice (Lewis Carroll). |
| “ | I'm Alice Liddell. And like you, I never refuse a... How do you refer to it? 'Voyage Extraordinaire?' | „ |
| ~ Alice introducing herself. |
| “ | Alice: "I've not come back here looking for a fight."
Cheshire Cat: "Really? That's a pity. One's certainly looking for you." |
„ |
| ~ Alice to Cheshire Cat upon equipping the Vorpal Blade in Madness Returns, also her most iconic quote |
| “ | You've used me and abused me, but you will NOT destroy me! | „ |
| ~ -Alice confronting Dr. Angus Bumby for his . |
Alice Liddell also know as simply just Alice is the titular main protagonist of the American McGee's Alice franchise. She serves as the main protagonist for the 2000 dark fantasy action-adventure horror game American McGee's Alice, it's 2011 horror action-adventure sequel Alice: Madness Returns, and it's 2015 animated horror web series sequel Alice: Otherlands.
Alice is the mentally disturbed and quiet younger daughter of Arthur and Leanne Liddell, as well as the little sister of Elizabeth "Lizzie" Lindell. Born in Oxford, England in 1856, she is the sole survivor of a house fire that killed her entire family. This singular event caused her immense trauma, affecting her mental and physical health, as well as her imaginary world of Wonderland, along with all of its inhabitants. Throughout the series her mission is save Wonderland and in turn regain control of her sanity, and to find the cause of the fire that killed her family to put an end to all of her misery and trauma.
In English she was voiced by Susie Brann, and in the Japanese dubbed version, she is voiced by Yuko Kobayashi in American McGee's Alice.
Personality[]
| “ | Cheshire Cat: Doors have locks, locks need keys, which you don't have. Let's hope the Doors are open. Alice: And if not, there may be more than one way to skin a cat, if you'll pardon the expression. Cheshire Cat: Most unpleasant metaphor. Please avoid it in future. |
„ |
| ~ Alice insulting Cheshire, showcasing her sense of humor. |
Alice is portrayed as psychologically damaged, traumatized, tortured, tormented, suicidal, emotionally and mentally unstable young woman. The Alice Lindell in the original Lewis Carol novels is gone as most of her happiness has been forcefully stripped away from her leaving her a shell of her former self. Alice is not usually happy and doesn't smile much; her mood is almost constantly apathetic, sad, miserable, depressed or angry. Alice is constantly haunted by the memories of the fire which claimed the lives of her parents and her sister, suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, and is shown to suffer from survivor's guilt as a result, which can manifest into extreme self-loathing and suicidal tendencies. Alice has stated she is not afraid of death because she has wished for it at times, and questions the point in living if she is only going to hurt others. It is implied Alice cut her wrists in an attempt at suicide. Alice uses Wonderland, her fantasy world and imagination as a coping mechanism to deal with her mental health, a term known as "escapism". In this sense, Wonderland is Alice's method of catharsis. Despite her cynicism and morbidness, Alice truly wants to set her mind free and restore peace to Wonderland and her own mind. Showing that despite her trauma and tragic life she still is a good person underneath it all and simply wants to find love and comfort from others to heal herself from her mental and emotional wounds.
Alice is portrayed as psychologically damaged, traumatized, tortured, tormented, suicidal, emotionally and mentally unstable young woman. The Alice Lindell in the original Lewis Carol novels is gone as most of her happiness has been forcefully stripped away from her leaving her a shell of her former self. Alice is not usually happy and doesn't smile much; her mood is almost constantly apathetic, sad, miserable, depressed or angry. Alice is constantly haunted by the memories of the fire which claimed the lives of her parents and her sister, suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, and is shown to suffer from survivor's guilt as a result, which can manifest into extreme self-loathing and suicidal tendencies. Alice has stated she is not afraid of death because she has wished for it at times, and questions the point in living if she is only going to hurt others. It is implied Alice cut her wrists in an attempt at suicide. Alice uses Wonderland, her fantasy world and imagination as a coping mechanism to deal with her mental health, a term known as "escapism". In this sense, Wonderland is Alice's method of catharsis. Despite her cynicism and morbidness, Alice truly wants to set her mind free and restore peace to Wonderland and her own mind. Showing that despite her trauma and tragic life she still is a good person underneath it all.
She has shown to have understanding and sympathy towards the orphans and Insane Children who have also experienced an unfortunate childhood like herself. Later on, her guilt in having turned a blind eye to the sufferings of the other children is manifested in the Dollhouse level as well as Caterpillar's final speech. Alice's inaction and ignorance is condoning their suffering. Dr. Wilson thus describes her as having a "hero complex," with her inherent desire to help those around her, despite being unable to help herself, and having a compulsion to make the world right. She calls herself a "savior... of a sort." Wilson also noted that Alice is trying to 'unlock' the true meaning of her life, yet doesn't know who has the key. After killing Bumby, she is much more confident about overcoming her past and helping others. In killing Bumby she obtains the key metaphorically and literally to move on with her life and try and build a better future for herself and all those around her.
Alice's sense of humor seems somewhat dark, for example, In the first game after returning to Wonderland she makes a joke about skinning the Cheshire Cat; in response, Cheshire Cat calls it a "most unpleasant metaphor" and asks her to please avoid it in the future. Noting this is presumably the first time the two have seen each other in around 10 years so its defiantly a odd thing to say.
Appearance[]
Reality[]
Throughout the series, Alice is usually portrayed as a young woman around the age of 19 with an underweight and fragile figure; she is borderline anorexic with a dangerously small waist, implying malnourishment. Her skin is sickly pale, she has medium length dark hair, a long oval-shaped face and large sunken in eyes with a shade of emerald-green. She is of average height for a woman being around 5 feet 3.5 inches, possibly slightly under average due to her looing short next to other women in game. Her clothes were given to her by Pris Witless; a filthy black-and-white dress with a striped, long-sleeved top that looks to be to small for her and black, almost brown skirt, complete with black stockings, ankle-high boots, and a dirty white apron with black and white square pattern looping around the edge of the base with tears at the bottom. Alice is unable to have her clothes and appearance washed properly, reflecting her poor borderline homeless life with no friends to speak of, almost once turning to prostitution so she wouldn't starve to death on the streets of London.
Wonderland[]
Whenever Alice enters Wonderland she has a noticeably healthier complexion. Her hair is much straighter and longer hair going to the middle of her back and it has reddish tinge and appears to be wearing make-up in the form of peach lipstick and black eyeliner with dark pink eye shadow. In both games Alice wears a navy blue dress with short puffy sleeves, a fanned-out skirt that is cut to about mid-leg and a skull called Hollow Yves decorated with a white bow and ribbon. To complete the outfit, Alice wears a simple white apron over the dress, black-and-white stockings underneath, and black knee-high boots which are secured with silver buckles. The drastic change in her physical appearance from the real world to Wonderland could reflect how Alice sees herself in her mind, or what she wishes to look like in reality, its apparent she changes due to her mental state when she enters Wonderland, a place where her inner thoughts, desires and psyche can all manifest.
Abilities and Weapons[]
Abilities[]
American McGee's Alice[]
- Small Alice: Although not really an ability in the first game, after creating a Drink Me potion and drinking it, Alice becomes so small that she is the same size as an Antlion. There is no time limit to this form, and Alice can only return to her normal size after eating from the right-hand side of the Mushroom of Life.
- Rage Alice: After being sprayed by a Rage Box, Alice turns into a demonic creature, with red skin, claw-like fingers, and black twisted horns, and she even roars like a predatory animal. For the limited time Alice is in this state, her attacks are stronger than normal and deal more damage; some of the weaker foes can die in one hit. Before the effects of the Rage Box wear off, Alice returns to her normal self.
- Grasshopper Alice: From drinking Grasshopper Tea, Alice gains a bug-like appearance with green skin, black eyes, and a pair of wings on her back. As the name of the ability suggests, Alice is able to jump higher and run faster for a short amount of time.
- Invisible Alice: After staring into a Looking Glass, Alice becomes invisible for a period of time. This allows her to run past enemies unseen or to allow her to make sneak attacks. As she turns invisible, Alice displays a shocked expression on her face.
- Underwater: After helping the Mock Turtle, Alice is declared an "Honorary Reptile" and given a Turtle Shell as a thank you. It increases Alice's breath intake so she can stay underwater longer. Despite the fact turtles use their shells as protection, this shell does not give Alice any protection from underwater enemies.
Alice: Madness Returns[]
- Shrinking Alice: Alice uses a Drink Me potion – this time from bathing in a pool of it – to grow small. However, this time Alice can change size at will, and being small gives her Shrink Sense; an advanced sense of sight that allows her to see things she couldn't at her normal height, such as invisible platforms and drawings that tell her where to find her next target, or hidden items. Other helpful uses to being small is getting through small openings to enter hidden areas and using Shrinking Violets to recover health. However, being small means that Alice takes double the time to cover ground than she would being her normal size and she cannot jump, so it's not practical to stay small all the time.
- Gigantic Alice: The dual opposite to shrinking, after eating a piece of Eat Me cake, Alice becomes enormous in size. She cannot use weapons in this form, and can only attack using her feet and hands, but is able to crush walls and destroy towers.
- Hysteria Alice: Similar to Rage, Hysteria is a temporary form of destruction, but Alice can only enter this form in her last fraction of health (Unless she is wearing the Flesh maiden dress, which gives her the advantage to activate the ability anytime, no matter how much health she possesses). In this form, Wonderland is seen in gray-slate, and Alice appears in all white (except her hair) with blood-red eyes, and blood running from her eyes and mouth and covering her lower arms. Her weapons are covered in blood and bandages. Alice gains superhuman strength, dealing twice the damage, and invincibility.
- Butterfly Dodge: This power allows Alice to evade enemy attacks by turning into a swarm of butterflies and mist, which lets her move quicker than running. She will only be a swarm for a couple of seconds before turning back into her normal self.
- Floating: In addition to jumping, Alice can gently glide from platform to platform while floating. Using this ability allows Alice to reach levels that she cannot normally get to with normal jumps.
Weapons[]
American McGee's Alice[]
- Vorpal Blade: Alice's default weapon in all her appearances, this is her mind's interpretation of the spoon used to feed her at the asylum, which she used while assaulting a nurse in a fit of rage. In Wonderland, she uses it as a melee weapon (which costs no mana) and as a throwing weapon (which costs a small amout of mana, but with a cooldown).
- Playing Cards: Alice finds this after falling into Pandemonium, where she uses it to battle a squad of Card Guards. The first use is throwing one card at a time, doing moderate damage, the second throws them all at once, doing a large amount of damage, but with greater mana cost and cooldown.
- Croquet Mallet: Alice finds this weapon in the Skool, a corruption of her fond childhood memories of playing croquet with her friends. Its first use is a melee attack with a small electric shock when it connects (less damage than the Vorpal Blade, but better reach). The second is a ranged attack where Alice launces a croquet ball at high velocity that damages everything it hits.
- Diabolical Dice: Alice finds one of these dice in the Skool, later finding a second in the Wonderland Woods and a third in the Pale Realm. Rolling one or more of these dice summons one of three demons, the higher the number, the stronger the demon. These demons are not loyal to Alice and will attack her if she uses the dice with no enemies nearby, something the Cheshire Cat warns her not to do.
- Ice Wand: Alice find this in Icy Reception, a device based on corrupted memories of the horrible night of the fire, where she escaped by leaping out a window into a snowdrift. The Centipede, the boss of that stage, has a weakness to this weapon. As its primary use, Alice casts a straightforward icy projectile, while its secondary use creates a magical barrier made of ice.
- Jack Bomb: Based on her corrupted memories of a sketch she drew while in the Asylum, this is a jack-in-the-box with the "jack" a scary-looking demon. Alice finds it in the Dutchess' house. It's primary function is like a grenade, exploding when she throws it. The secondary function causes the "Jack" to spit flames in all directions after it is thrown. Both effects are dangerous if used carelessly, dealing damage to Alice if she is caught in the blast.
- Jacks: These are found in the Mirror Image. For their primary use, Alice scatters them on the floor in front of her, creating a hazard for any enemy who steps on them. The secondary use involves her throwing them directly at an enemy. This weapon is especially effective against the Mad Hatter, who cannot tolerate their chaotic nature.
- Deadtime Watch: Originally owned by the White Rabbit, it was stolen and then modified by the Mad Hatter, and is taken by Alice after she defeats him. It can freeze the flow of time for about fifteen second, letting Alice escape from enemies or attack them with impunity, but can only be used once per level. It has no effect on bosses.
- Jabberwock's Eye Staff: A powerful weapon that is found in three parts, the first in the Caterpillar's Plot, the second in About Face, and the third (the Jabberwock's actual eye) after the first boss fight with the Jabberwock. Once assembled, its primary use is a focused laser that deals massive damage to one enemy. The second use fires a volley of flaming orbs that can decimate a large group of lesser enemies.
- Blunderbuss: The strongest weapon in the first game, this is a rifle that Alice can find in The Land of Fire and Brimstone, where Humpty Dumpty gives her a subtle hint as to where she can find it. Alice can only use this weapon if her mana bar is full and doing so depletes the entire meter; doing so fires a blast that is all but guarunteed to blow every foe in front of her to bloody chunks. However, it also has a fierce recoil that knocks Alice backwards onto her behind, and thus can be dangerous to use on ledges or cliffs.
- Rage Box: This odd perfume bottle contained distilled anger, the coping mechanism Alice uses to deal with her grief made manifest. A consumable item, using it causes a painful transformation that turns her into a demon for a limited time. During this time, Alice takes only half damage from enemies while dealing twice as much damage to them.
- Grasshopper Tea: First found at the Herbaceous Border this consumable item temporarily gives Alice green skin and bug-like eyes, wings, and antennae; using it makes her much faster and lets her jump higher and a longer distance.
- Looking Glass: This consumable item is only found in one area, under a walkway near the entrance to the Pale Realm. Using it makes Alice invisible for a short time.
Alice: Madness Returns[]
- Pepper Grinder: Given to Alice by the Duchess, it is a rapid-fire ranged weapon with a hand crank. Ammunition is unlimited, but after a few seconds, it overheats and cannot be used for a few seconds more. While it doesn’t do much damage, it has very good range and is useful against enemies that are dangerous in melee. Also useful for activating switches that Alice cannot reach and collecting the Pig Snouts.
- Clockwork Bomb: Found in the Hatter's Domain, this contraption looks like a small toy rabbit. It explodes a few seconds after. Alice puts it down. While it can damage foes, it is much better used to demolish barriers, and can also be placed on certain pressure points where Alice cannot stand on them herself.
- Hobby Horse: A melee weapon found in the Tundrafal, used by Alice as a bludgeon. It is slower than the Vorpal Blade, but has better reach and does more damage. It is useful against armored foes.
- Umbrella: Found in the Hatter's Domain after restoring his arms and legs, this is a defensive weapon that Alice can use to deflect ranged attacks back onto the attacker.
- Tea Pot Cannon: Her strongest weapon in the second game, found in the Vale of Doom. This powerful weapon shoots a gout of scalding hot tea at the enemy. An AoE attack, it is slower than the pepper grinder, but much more powerful.
Quotes[]
American McGee's Alice[]
| “ |
Alice: You've gone quite mangy, Cat. But your grin's a comfort. Cheshire Cat: And you've picked up a bit of an attitude. Still curious and willing to learn, I hope? Alice: Wonderland's become quite strange. How is one to find her way? Cheshire Cat: As knowing where you're going is preferable to being lost, ask. Rabbit knows a thing or two, and I, myself, don't need a weathervane to tell which way the wind blows. Let your need guide your behavior; suppress your instinct to lead; pursue Rabbit. |
„ |
| ~ Alice and Cheshire Cat reuniting. |
| “ |
Duchess: Come closer, my little chick … mmm, properly seasoned you'd make a handsome dish. Alice: I'm not edible. Duchess: Not a full meal, certainly. But a light snack, I think! Alice: I'll have the turtle shell now, you disgusting ogre! Duchess: Over my dead body! Alice: I'll try to accommodate you! |
„ |
| ~ Alice and the Dutchess before their battle. |
| “ |
Alice: Should I be grateful for the truth? A lie or two might have been more persuasive. White King: In war, truth first! There's always time for lies later. |
„ |
| ~ Alice to the White King. |
| “ |
Tweedledee: Look, 'Dum, it's whatshername from the neurotics ward! Nurse's favourite lunatic. Tweedledum: Oh yeah? Scrawney, ain't she? Who let her out, then? They'll blame us, most like. Tweedledee: She'll need more medicine. Strong medicine. Tweedledum: She got anything to eat? Tweedledee: Doubt it. She never finishes her grub at the asylum. If she had any meat on her, she'd make a delectable dish! Alice: Despicable, grotesque and smelly louts – I'll fill your bellies, all right! Cheshire Cat: The bigger they are, the harder they fall. Alice: Spare me the platitude. Do you have any useful advice? Cheshire Cat: Use their size against them! |
„ |
| ~ Alice to Tweedledee and Tweedledum before their battle. |
| “ |
Mad Hatter: Bad timing. Pity. Reliable help is so hard to find these days. Come in, my dear. You're just in time for tea. Alice: I only take mine with friends. Mad Hatter: Count me to be among them. Accurately. I mean, honestly. That's the truth. Oh, I quite forgot. You and the truth are not on familiar terms. Alice: And you would know?! Mad Hatter: Truth is always bitter to those who fear it. Alice: I fear nothing. Mad Hatter: False. You fear much; a return trip to the asylum, for example … the memories that drove you there … more years in, shall we say, supervised hospitalization … ah yes, you fear much. Of course, all that might be avoided. Alice: How? Tell me! What do you mean? |
„ |
| ~ Alice reuniting with Mad Hatter. |
| “ |
March Hare: Dormy! Wake up! Someone's come to release us! Dormouse: It's just a human … probably useless … [yawns] March Hare: Undo us, please, from this contraption! Dormouse: Or you could give us tea … if you prefer … Alice: Were you impolite at table? Did you slurp your tea, or talk while chewing? Confess your crime! March Hare: We've done nothing of the kind! It's the Hatter … he's gone quite mad, I do say so! Speaking of which; how is the Queen of Hearts not like a typhoon? Alice: Both are powerful, destructive and indiscriminately cruel. But the typhoon doesn't mean to be. March Hare: Good answer! Wrong … but good! Alice: Oh! I beg your pardon! You are in real danger! Where is your host? Dormouse: Real danger? Are we? Really? Hare … I wish to go home … evidently I have worn out my welcome … March Hare: The Hatter will be here at six! Sharp as clockwork! Dormouse: Misses no opportunity to deny us our tea … most cruel, I'm sure … and his medicine makes me tired … [yawns] |
„ |
| ~ Alice reuniting with Dormouse and the March Hare. |
| “ |
Alice: Those two seem to barely comprehend their situation. Gryphon: They're blithering idiots. But the Hatter does come at six on the dot. Alice: For his tea? Gryphon: No. To check his cruel experiments. With gears, springs, levers and mechanical gizzards, he seeks an impossible precision. Like a watchmaker obsessed with infinitesimal fractions of seconds, or a mathematician who tries to square the circle. He'll turn all the inhabitants into his Automatons, or kill them in the attempt. Alice: That's simply awful! Six o' clock, you say? Gryphon: Six precisely, by that clock. Alice: [looking thoughtfully at a clock whose hands are rotating in opposite directions, never reaching six o' clock] Hmm … perhaps six comes early today. |
„ |
| ~ Alice speaking with Grypgon. |
| “ |
The Jabberwock: You've kept me waiting, Alice. Have you never heard that punctuality's a virtue? Alice: You and my dentist's assistant have much in common. The Jabberwock: You're habitually late, aren't you? Between your dim-witted daydreaming and your preening vanity, the hours just fly by; there's barely time for anything else. Alice: That the best you can do? Hurl second-rate insults? They don't hurt … The Jabberwock: Your family was expecting you to come to them, weren't they? Perhaps they thought you might warn them of the danger … being close to the source, as you were. But they waited in vain, didn't they, and died for their trouble.
Alice: Nooooooo! |
„ |
| ~ Alice before her battle with The Jabberwock. |
Alice: Madness Returns[]
Trivia[]
- A misconception to those unfamiliar with the series, especially if someone merely sees art of Alice covered in blood or gore or the like, is that American McGee's version of Alice is an evil psychopath, feels no remorse for killing, and enjoys killing for no reason. However, if one plays the series, it is shown that despite her capacity to be vengeful and edgy, Alice is truly benevolent and cares about her animal friends in Wonderland very deeply, as well as protecting the abused orphans from Bumby. Alice's mission is to save Wonderland from the murderous Red Queen and, later, the mysterious Infernal Train destroying all of Wonderland. Alice also gives empathy to those who she feels deserve it, and has reasons for killing the monsters in her mind. So she has a moral compass she follows. Alice prefers the peaceful Wonderland full of life and heavenly beauty, not the hellish Wonderland full of suffering and slavery imposed by the Red Queen and the Dollmaker. In this sense, Alice can be viewed as a heroine.
- Alice's necklace is the Omega symbol, which is commonly used to represent the end of something and it could represent how Alice is fighting to end her insanity, or symbolize death, the end of life.
- She is intended to be linked to the book character, and has experienced the same history as Alice in the novels, except in the sense her parents were killed in a fire. She is an "alternate reality" Alice, combining qualities from both the book character and real-life historical figure. For example, she has the personality and history of the book character, while her hair color and surname are shared by the real-life Alice.
- The opening cutscene of the first game shows the comatose Alice in bed with bandages on her wrists, indicating she has tried to kill herself at least once.
