The Style of American McGee's Alice Games
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- Опубликовано: 2 июл 2024
- American McGee's Alice and Alice Madness Returns are some of the most iconic games due in part to their stellar art design. Join me as I analyse exactly what makes them so stylish :)
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Go check out @American McGee 's channel for Alice Asylum news!!
A big thanks to the voiceover guests @RagnarRox and @Super Eyepatch Wolf
Thank you to ThePepperRoni (twitter) for the voiceover mixing and @PunchFaceChamp9 for script proofing!
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SOURCES:
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#americanmcgeesalice #madnessreturns #ad
intro 0:00
aesthetic and influences 4:10
environments 7:57
weapons and objects 16:10
fashion 17:38
conclusion 21:40
sponsor 23:18
outro 24:52 
Игры
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I find the change of dress depending on the enviorment in Madness Returns to be such a subtle and brilliant way of conveying that it's not just Alice's experiences that affect her imagination - her imagination affects her right back.
I especially like how each dress not only fits with the environment, but also the narrative. This seems particularly obvious with the Steamdress, with it's straps, buckles, and corset, representing the restrictive and repressive nature of her life with Dr. Bumby - or the Siren's Dress, with it's bright colors representing her denial and attempt to distract herself from the truth - and especially the Doll outfit, representing objectification as she realizes the truth about what has been happening in the real world.
The Silk Maiden and Royal suit are less obvious, but I believe the Asian theme of the Silk Maiden represents conformity, as she is loosing her identity and individuality - and the Royal Suit represents her empowerment as she finally confronts her fears and starts to fight back properly.
Even the Hysteria outfit seems to represent her loss of self-control, with it's lack of details or coloring, it's as if all her attention is directed towards her enemies, with no time for or interest in her own appearance.
@@LadyDoomsinger also Hysteria dress looks like an asylum robe (notice the straps on the back and bloodied band-aids)
Wonderful analyses. Thanks so much for creating and sharing this!
thank you so much for watching!! 😁
NO WAYYYY
I love you so much
i love you mr american
@@cherrykitty1998 he comments in a lot on videos made on his games! That’s really cool imo
22:52 ''It seems Alice means a lot to him''
Which hurts a lot more now that EA vettoed the development of Asylum, and the rejection sucked all the passion American had for Alice. I will never forgive EA for that.
Putting that aside, this was a wonderful analysis. I will be back for more.
An interesting thing about Alice's dresses in Madness Returns, that I've noticed (though it is just my own interpretation), is that each dress actually represents Alice's current state of mind reflected in the story;
*Steamdress,* with it's buckles and straps, represents the restrictive and repressive nature of her life at Dr. Bumby's orphanage. The control that is exerted upon her, and that she exerts on herself.
*Siren Dress,* with it's bright colors, represents her denial - she is attempting desperately to distract herself from the truth of her reality with wacky high-jinx and trivial side quests.
*Silk Maiden,* fitting into the Asian theme of her environment, represents conformity, adapting to be part of the world and loosing her own individuality.
*Royal Suit,* represents her empowerment (or perhaps acceptance of herself), gaining control of herself and her environment as she attempts to fight back.
*Misstiched,* with it's doll iconography, represents objectification, as the truth is revealed, and Alice comes to the realization (and acceptance) of what has been going on in the real world.
Even the Hysteria outfit seems to reflect a very specific state of mind; with Alice being consumed by her own overwhelming emotion, the Hysteria outfit is lacking in details or colors, as if Alice's attention is entirely directed towards her enemies, with no time for or interest in her own appearance.
I love that interpretation.
American McGee's art style is one you'll never ever come across in a long while. I really miss these games, even if they don't get attention they truly deserve.
Alice Madness returns is one of my favourite games and you are the perfect person to talk about it. The symbolism in this game is so vivid. The dolls with the gaping holes at the place of their mouths and crotch emphasizes the horror of sexual abuse of children. I also loved the visual design, musical score, tone and voice acting of the game. Each aspect reinforces the message and ambiance of the game so masterfully. How blessed are we to have experienced this piece of art!
The "Doll House" is one of the creepiest levels of videogames I have ever seen... The game is not a horror game but... The symbolism is... so violently obvious... Silent Hill level of metaphoric horror for me. This game is really a chef d'oeuvre...
@@IsatisAngel Oh, I'd argue it is still very obviously a horror game.
@@Winter-Alpha-Omega Mmmm Yes, in some aspects. But it's more a surreal fantasy game, I think.
That fashion part completely BLEW MY MIND.
I'm not much versed in that part, so it was incredible to learn the details.
I am really impressed artists and storytellers using fashion to impart games' themes/ideas
Alice's dressed are some of the best dresses I've seen.
That dark victorian aesthetic is just sublime.
love american mcgee's adaptation. it truly feels like what i imagined when dreaming of alice, the lanscape feels like a lucid dream ive experienced
Even though it wasn't the best in terms of gameplay, I find myself remembering Alice: Madness Returns a lot more than many other games due precisely to the crazy art style. Great video!
The visuals of this game are so simple but yet so asthetically engaging and unnerving
I remember at release, not really looking too deeply into Alice or its settings in Madness Returns until I got to the Dollhouse, which I could only describe, at the time, as a Freudian Nightmare Landscape at the time.
It made me double back and really take my time going through each land again. Examining all the events over again, from the Valley of Tears shifting to the Valley of Doom as the corruption bled in, the Hatter's Domain, where little people and entire places were gutted, replaced with cogs, and became horrifically less "them" and more "functional". The drowned sailors in the Deluded Depths and putting on a performance at the detriment being eaten by the apathetic posturing of a ring leader, the aggressive take over of the ants by the hornets in the Garden as these fragile paper orgami insects are invaded by something far more organized and brutal. The whimsy of the Card Bridge, the feeling of freedom replaced by despair as you land in the heart of the Queensland. Seeing old guard becoming beastial and mindless before the Dollmaker's corruptions digging deeper into the "heart" of Alice. While everything that was previously held by the Queen of Hearts, is somehow stagnate and unmoving. Like it has just...stopped functioning and is now a land lost to time. Only the Executioner being really "active" in defending against Alice's own intrusion. There is an eerie quiet across the entire domain until the Train enters it.
And finally the Dollhouses, which does away with any pretext of pretending what it is. From the way the "enemies" are designed and react to your attacks to the imagery of meat being pounded into conforming slabs, psychological anatomy maps plastered along the cutting board wooden walls, dolls strung along on barb wire strings. Child-like innocence and imagery defiled in abhorrent ways at every corner and facet. Entire sections of pilot the head of doll through seemingly innocent toy like contraptions. But really just being part of some sort of bright and color rat race. And as you head deeper down into the darkness of the Dollhouses there is more and more to be unnerved about, barely lit lightbulbs only being able to provide momentary paths forward but at the cost of other platforms being brought down. Etc. etc. etc.
Amazing description and insight!!! You have immense talent for this it seems!
I wonder if you would like the game 'Darq' too...
Saw a nightmare once where i was in the Dollhouse area myself lol that level always disturbed me back in the day
the art direction in these games is like, gobsmacking
AS SOON AS THE OF ROSE MUSIC TURNED ON I KNEW THIS WAS GONNA BE A BANGER
lol the cafe/mansion theme from box fruits
This is extra entertaining because you actually sound like Alice in Madness Returns. It's like listening to Alice analyze her own games.
I was soo obssessed with this game in middleschool the art direction and design is soo superior, it definitely one of my biggest inspirations.
3:53 I must say, using Sorrow as a backing track is equivalent to a syringe of a heartache straight through the chest.
On the topic of the video, I've played the first Alice on release in 2000, as that was one of the few discs my brother managed to procure for his recently bought "totally-for-work-and-study" Pentium III, and it definitely left an imprint for awhile. It also taught me how impactful the very first impressions can be, as what stuck with me the most was that EA logo fading into a demented laughter as the Cheshire Cat grins, and then a hard cut to the menu image of a traumatized Alice sitting in her asylum bed stark still, clutching her rabbit, staring into an unseen window as the lightning flashes, lighting up the options. To this day, this is probably the exact image I equate this series to. This and the old, worn, rust-covered frame of the Bandersnatch Opticals graphoscope, staring with the empty photo frames, where you partake in LSD - Load, Save, Delete.
Raise your hand if you've been personally victimized by Gottfried Helnwein's disturbing art 🙋
Amazing footage capture and analysis, you're the master. 👑
🖐☹
🖐☹️
🖐😨
Hopefully Alice Asylum will get made one day and there is also a tv series based on the games in development that’s being directed by David Hayter who is the English voice actor for Solid Snake and who also directed movies such as X-men (2000) and Lost in Oz (2002)
Sadly in April 2023, EA refused to greenlight the game, McGee couldn't do anything about it and thus Alice Asylum fate is in limbo.
i love how these games have made such a big return, hopefully american mcgee can release alice asylum
Ea said no to funding it and selling the lisence to him hes given up on alice now
Theres a 400pg pdf file on the whole design bible of the game sadly it wont reach game form
I first played American McGee's Alice as a bootleg and it sparked an obsession with the game that would last through highschool as I played Madness Returns and beyond! Even now, Madness Returns is still one of my favourite games, it just oozes style and design and artistry! I've been so happy to see more and more people going back to look at the series and seeing that they really do still hold up amazingly well, not to mention American being given the credit he sorely deserves as a creator! I can only hope that this will give the push needed for the third instalment to be picked up and for us to finally get to see the vision American has been planning!
American McGee's Alice has one of the best themes a game could have, captures the tone and the atmopshere perfectly and is very haunting. After what Disney has done to the source material (for which he will burn in hell, as Gabor Mate once quipped when talking about Winnie the Pooh), this game was a revelation and a very interesting take on it, hope everything works out as well as it can for McGee's next project.
Very good video on these games, easily my favorite next to Noah's.
If you're gonna diss the 1951 movie, at least go for the right persons - Walt only produced it, he didn't write or direct anything.
Ahhh I too have had these games on my mind for years. I grew up weirdly obsessed with Alices Adventures, and found the mcgee game after searching for every piece of inspired media i could find. Couldnt get into it as a kid tho, a bit too disturbing for me to handle.
And when the 2nd game was announced and released I was so fucking elated. I remember hearing the rumors and even tho i still hadnt played the first. I still need to =3= this might finally push me to play it finallyyyyy. Ty for making this, more people need it in their livesss.
the aesthetics are amazing, just love the world in these games. hope for a third
My first encounter with McGee's Alice came from a magazine, they gave out CDs with wallpapers, avatars, trailers etc and one of the wallpapers was a render of Alice and the Mad Hatter sitting at a table, with the checkered white and black floor falling. It was so striking, I had never seen anything like it and I was hooked. It didn't say where it came from so I searched for it for a while. Had no way of playing it back then but I loved it so much anyway.
I remember finding the little girl singing the dollmakers lullaby in the very beginning of the game such a wild thing, the fact id been playing madness for years and just discovered that little foreshadow. Or seeing that creepy little kid running around in the vale of tears. The one who gets his lower body severed just before dollhouse chapter. Highly anticipating Alice Asylum
Man, looking at these, you wonder how Tim Burton dropped the ball so much with his adaptation.
American McGee's Alice is one my favorite video games. I haven't played it in years, but I still occasionally listen to its soundtrack. Nostalgically watching video essays on it brings me back to my first playthrough. Great video, by the way! You highlighted some interesting artistic choices I didn't really notice in Madness Returns.
one of my fondest memories is playing the original Alice game with my best friend while listening to the Coraline soundtrack, which fit surprisingly well🐇
The Alice games do have a very beautiful and enduring style -- the first one is over 20 years old, and yet a lot of the environments still hold up as amazing works of art. And of course the sequel just kicked it up a notch. Fantastic stuff!
btw great choices of music for the video
What an absolute gem of an art appreciation video. I could listen to eurothug talk forever.
loving the rule of rose music
His version of Alice is what got me into more darker retellings of fairytales and even the Grimm versions before being Disneyified. I was so mesmerized by the levels and dresses and hidden symbolism beneath it all. And it does deserve all the praise it gets to this day. wither or not Asylum will be finalized as a game, I'm ready for it. It's a shame that an Oz game he had as a few ideas never came to be.
I adore Madness Returns so much. Such an entrancing world layered with so much ambiance. I already want to go back through
YUSS. I've been so looking forward to your coverage of McGee's Alice & Madness Returns! MR is one of my absolute favorite games and absolutely my fave Alice adaptation too! I love how its symbolism is embedded in every detail of every area but still feels like it's all part of one mind. The contrast between bright colors and childhood imagery against the horrific trauma and fears Alice faces is so memorable and cathartic, honestly. Awesome work
Your choice of video games to analyze is creative and inventive as always! And the script here is so vivid and fascinating! Bravo!
Madness returns is one of my favourite games of all time and I absolutely love the symbolism and imagery in it! This was a fantastic video that taught me quite a few things I hadn't noticed.
YO! A NEW EUROTHUG4000 DROPPED!
LETS GATHER THE HOMIES
I love the Epic Mickey music during the environments portion it fits the aesthetic very well.
It's so sad E.A Not doing Alice Asylum...but can you imagine if they said they weren't doing it then released it in surprise to surprise the fans......fingers crossed 🤞 😁😁😁
The second I heard the Rule of Rose OST playing right at the beginning, I knew you had excellent taste in stories. Can't wait to watch this 💕
You should do “The Style of Media Molecule’s Little Big Planet”
on Little Big Planet one. The style and backgrounds are amazing. All the different themes, stickers, environments, storylines, the childlike beauty of it, etc.. It reminds me of Walter Wick’s photography work.
Madness returns is , by far , one of my favorite games ever , i always loved that gothic , dark , weird look it has ; well , i always loved gothic , victorian aesthetic anyway ; every scenario , every location , every npc , every detail , has that familiar yet disturbing look , like something's out of place or missing , it's like meeting a childhood friend after ten years and noticing that he is more silent , more quiet , like he's hiding something ( Poe's the fall of the house of Usher transmitted that feeling perfectly ) . Alice's original story ( the Caroll one ) already had that feeling of uneasiness , but mcgee made it to the next level , it really seems that you're living in Victorian London , that you're watching with your own eyes the environment , the buildings , in Victorian England .
That game always worked as a form of escapism for me , a place where i felt secure , i spent hours and hours just looking the oriental architecture of the third stage or the steampunk one of the first stage , it always made me feel home , a world where everything was like i wanted , it's hard to describe , i absolutely love this game from the bottom of my heart , it's just .... difficult to choose the right words to describe it . ( And yeah , if i said something wrong , i ask for pardon , i'm brazilian so english isn't my first language so yeah )
Your cats are so gorgeous!
I love how people are still talking about American McGee’s Alice, it's my favorite game and I find the story rather compelling, I’ve loved it for over 2 years now and I think I’ll keep loving it for a long long time.
Is it possible to play these games on the computer nowadays?
I've just found out about them from this video.
I really like the overall aesthetic of these games.
Thank you so much for making such a nice content!
You're so underrated!
You deserve much more attention!
Your channel is so awesome!
I wish you the best of luck with content creation!
I can see a great success for you in the future!
yes!! I played both on PC :) Madness Returns is on Steam!
The only legal way I know of obtaining a digital copy of American McGee's Alice is via an add-on for Alice: Madness Returns on the Xbox Live store. That being said, I'm sure it's possible to find other ways of obtaining it on PC
this game is so rich in details!! scenarios, characters, clothes, weapons, etc. the surrealism mixed with horror, mixing a gray and cruel world with a safe world in alice's mind.
is. just. perfect.
btw, could you talk about 'The Style Of Stories Untold'?
I absolutely love how you integrate art and architecture into games, it always makes me love works I never would have before
im so sad that alice asylum or alice madness returns 3 will never be a thing because EA are greedy bricks.
god i love alice madness returns so much. i just wish that in an alternate reality, we would be able to see the release of alice asylum. but unfortunately this will never happen and will forever be a dream to me. and it shatters my heart
Thank you for this great analysis. This game is what shaped me in many ways during my teenage years and I’m always glad to see someone speaking about it. Hopefully the third game will make it out of development hell one day, the concept art looks wonderful.
*drops everything*, Sweetie Eurothug uploaded a new banger, come LOOK!
Love the SuperEyepatchWolf cameo, great analysis as always
😭 I cant believe EA games killed Asylum. Wont sell, wont make it. I literally mourn for this never getting made. Asylum was perfect. 😓
The fable music made my heart ache ❤❤❤❤ fable and Alice are both some of my fav games, the music, art, it's awesome, made me want to be apart of these world's creation as a kid.
I've been looking forward to this video since you announced it, and it was absolutely worth the wait. Great study of the powerful themes presented in the games.
Personally I've only ever played Madness Returns, and recently replayed it for about the 4th time. I agree with you on the sentiment that the dollhouse is the emotionally most impactful level. I cannot play that level in one sitting, everything about it triggers a revolting feeling in my stomach
We stan a widescreen queen
Yes. Yes yes, I love listening to people talk about things I love. Thank you!
I just got an ultra wide monitor and am returning to watch this again in it and WOW THIS IS AWESOME! Thank you for making this video ultra wide!!!
I had a friend in high school that told me about these games all the time. I was never able to get my hands on them due to strict parents. I had forgotten about them but now I definitely want to drive in! Great work as always!
The epick mickey 1 music used during the queenland section really fit well. Also your video did this series and its art and inspiration so much justice and it really gave me so much joy as a person who loves the games and the og alice works
The American McGee Alice games are some of the most beautiful and imaginative games ever made, especially for those of us who love the dark and macabre. I'll be honest in saying that I much prefer the stage aesthetics of the first game but the second game had some very nice dark fantasy worlds as well. There's so much I wanna say but fear I will end up making a wall of text because that's how much I could blather on about this game haha. American McGee just poured so much into these games to make them the way they are and it all paid off in the end because even though the games were never top sellers like the publishers wanted, they managed to be memorable and amassed a cult following who love these games even after all this time, there just aren't many games like it, it truly is a classic.
The dark and macabre with Victorian influence, it's just so beautiful. And I love how in the sequel, they applied this to Alice's design where it conveys how in the real world Alice looks fragile and frantic whereas in Wonderland, she feels more in control and confident thus having a much more polished look to her. Also shoutout to the Steamdress, that's my most favorite look of hers in the game but uh, I'm bias LOL
Anyway nicely done analysis, I love these kinda videos
This was such an excellent video. I'm currently replaying Alice MR while reading through the art book, and yeah, this is one of the best visually designed series there is. So distinct and creative, beautiful and uncomfortable. Honestly could have listened to you talk about these games for hours, so I do wish you went a bit more in depth about the first game as well, but great work nonetheless!
i’m so glad you mentioned mark ryden! he’s one of my absolute favorite artists- and it seems that liking his art has connected me to a lot of similar pieces of media. i love the alice games as well, and i will say, it is one of the only games ive bought and decided to play myself because i wanted the experience so bad. i also found that a few of my favorite bands, (jack off jill, scarling, darling violetta, emile autumn, etc) have very similar vibes to the game and art. (jack off jill and scarling both have album art created by ryden)
Needed this analysis! Well in-depth and pieced out the inspiration of the styles from other artists. Loved this!
Really good takes and I love how you brought up the fashion as well!
Seeing my two favorite video essay RUclipsrs together makes me big smile
This is such a good game, I played it so many years ago, but I never forgot it, because it's just that good. I can't wait for the next one !
The dresses are beautiful, they must know a lot about fashion because they are giving high fashion runway !
Another deeply engaging and interesting video, the quality is undeniable so looking forward to the next one
Even tho I love the old games to bits as they are, I'd love to see these games done in modern game engines how they would look like. Horrifying, I'd imagine.
Can't wait for the Asylum.
Nice to hear Super Eyepatch wolf voice, love watching/hearing his voice/video and your voice/video… art for my eyes and ears
Me when I unlocked the Steampunk/goth outfit in Madness Returns for the first time:
"Oh boy I sure hope this doesn't awaken anything in me"
damn, Alice got some drip, the one with the eye on it is so metal
I actually read Alice in Wonderland and also Through the Looking-Glass for the first time earlier this year, and my god is it one of the most imaginative pieces of children's literature I've seen, I did not know that this game existed but it seems like just my cup of tea with all the gothic aesthetic, I hope it's on PC
Thank you, I was looking for an article about the art style of this game. Never thought I would find a full video analysis about it and it is well done.
🌺 I seem to watch this video once every few months, sometimes days in a row. I love how you've edited this video and how much detail you've gone to, it's amazing and perfect ✨😊 no doubt I will watch it for years to come just like other Alice Films 🍄
Oh I hope they make a third game!! I love these games! I had no idea anyone was working on a third game. I've always hoped someone would!
The artbook for this is one of my favorites. It's one of those that really shows the care and attention to detail in development, and not just a showcase of images with a few blurbs.
That Folklore music is KILLING ME. Its the first game I got for my PS3 and still a favorite.
American's Alice games hold a special place in my heart. I played the original on PC back when it first came out, when I was only about 12, and it seemed like no one had heard anything about it at the time, as it was a bit niche. Even when I started working at a game store years later and I'd ask random customers about it, nearly no one had heard of it. I was elated when the second game released, when I was about 23, and it was everything I'd hoped for, and I played it to death. I eagerly waited for a third, hoping all the heart and soul he put into it would come to fruition... I was so heartbroken when he finally made the announcement in April this year that a third game will never happen with him involved, even if EA gets their head out of their asses. I've always disliked EA, but this full on makes me hate the company now. I am so disappointed in them, and I hate that it seems to have made American want nothing to do with game publishing anymore. I hope he eventually changes his mind, though I can understand why he wouldn't. This is such a great series.
Brilliant analysis and video, thank you so much for putting the time into both games, not just the sequel!! The inspiration from Dave McKeans work makes so much sense to the art style of the first in particular, the themes and design are reminiscent of his illustrations for the original Coraline book as well as the incredible film Mirror mask. Personally I actually prefer the atmosphere of the first game, due largely in part to the soundtrack by Chris Vrenna (former drummer of Nine in Nails). He actually used vintage Victorian wind up toys to create the atmospheric soundtrack, and the result is so haunting, melancholy and dreamlike
Ever since I discovered this game, I've always been drawn to this style of the story and I've been wanting to play this game but I still haven't
I like the art style of madness return a lot. I don't play or watch horror stuff much because I'm a wimp, but I did push myself to play the game anyway. Mechanically, I didn't like it as much, so I dropped it in chapter 3. After this essay though, I'm seriously considering getting the artbook. Great job on the video.
Fantastic edition, research and review
I can completely agree with this. These two games have slowely been warming up into my personal top 10 games ever just from style alone. Lovely to see a video that closely captures what I love about these games!
GOD BLESS EUROTHUG4000
Love American Mcgee's work :)
Wish we get more of it.
I was listening to this while painting and loved it my eyes lit up and I'm now continuing my playthrough of the original game
Great video. I loved it. This series art style is amazing. Gruesome, but amazing.
These are two games I hope to own and play someday! I have not got around to doing that yet. My fault.
Happy Halloween and thank you for talking about American McGee's Alice!
great vid! the art is truely fantastic! hearing john's voice was a pleasant surprise too
Thank you for making this video I adore the work of American McGee. Especially his Grimm games.
I've been binge watching your videos after discovering the channel from Geller's page. This essay was fantastic, as were the others, but doubly so because Alice is a true labor of love.
You are a balsam for my soul. You and your work.
BABE WAKE UP A NEW EUROTHUG4000 VIDEO JUST DROPPED
I really hope McGee gets to make a third entry!! It's such a wonderful series and I still let it get my hopes up anytime I hear a rumor for it.
Love that you did this video. I'm certain it will be an excelent one
This was fascinating, and has convinced me to try Madness Returns. So thank you!