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Video games have taken influence from Alice in much the same way and it remains a frequent source of inspiration for game developers across the world. From the colorful imagery to some of the more twisted ideas from its pages or even simple references and nods, the story of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland remains an important influence in all media.
10 Deltarune
Following the success of Undertale, developer Toby Fox released Deltarune Chapter 1 which has the characters of Kris and Susie forced to work together on a project and find a mysterious portal inside a school supply closet. By falling down this particular rabbit hole, the pair enter the Dark World and their adventure begins.
After completing the first chapter, Kris and Susie find themselves in a room of toys and board games, representing the characters encountered during the story. The role of playing cards and chess pieces in Alice can be speculated to reflect upon their return to the real world and their subsequent decision to return.
9 Alice in the Country of Hearts
Rather than simply being inspired by the stories of Lewis Carrol, Alice in the Country of Hearts is a reimagining of the story in the form of a PC, PSP, and an upcoming Switch visual novel. This otome game features the typical romantic conquests expected of the genre. However, it also features a world developed from the original story of Alice.
In order to return to her home, Alice Liddell must spend time and interact with the people of Wonderland while learning more about the possible romantic partners available. The game is the first of a series of popular games as Alice travels through the countries of Clover, Diamond, and Spade and has spawned a manga and anime series.
8 BioShock
The wild and crazy world of the BioShock series can easily be seen as a parallel to Alice’s Wonderland with its characters dressed in strange masks and the character apparently finding the hidden underwater city of Rapture by accident. However, there are also more overt references found within the series that change any coincidental comparison to something more clear.
As part of the marketing campaign for BioShock: 2 the game “There is Something in the Sea!” was released and featured the pseudo-antagonist Orrin Oscar Lutwidge as a man obsessed with the writings of Lewis Carroll. Similarly, the DLC for BioShock: Infinite includes a Sanders Cohen short film called “The March Hare” which suggests that there is a clear and direct influence from the novels.
7 Epic Mickey
When Mickey accidentally damages a world created by the sorcerer Yen Sid he must step through a looking glass and enter the realm of Wasteland in order to prevent its destruction. Once inside this Wonderland parallel, Mickey spends the first part of the game chasing Oswald The Lucky Rabbit.
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It is no coincidence that the story of Epic Mickey should follow the outline of Alice’s Adventures as the graphic novelization of the story would feature the Mad Doctor, the villain of the game to paraphrase a well-known quote from Alice “People come and go so strangely here…” as “People come and go so quickly here”.
6 Far Cry 3
Far Cry 3 starts off with a quote from Alice that sets the stage for the entirety of the game. Other quotes are also used throughout. The concept of the main character, Jason Brody’s initial skydiving descent with no thought of how to return is very similar to Alice’s own attitude when she tumbles down the rabbit hole herself.
While Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland has frequently been accused of using hallucinogenic imagery reminiscent of psychedelic drugs, the game takes this further as Jason Brody finds himself under the influence as the game develops.
5 Tron 2.0
Though the multi-platform game Tron 2.0 may not have appeared on everyone’s radar, it can be speculated that it takes influence from Alice as the game’s protagonist Jethro Bradley is unwillingly taken into his own Wonderland world of The Grid through forced digitization. Bradley is subsequently forced to engage in light cycle races and first-person battles with various computer-themed upgrades.
Other games may embrace the traditional imagery of Alice’s Adventures, however the retro, yet futuristic style choice of the game adds another enjoyable twist to the existing story. While enjoyable, the game is considered non-canon to both the original and sequel films released.
4 Fran Bow
The psychological horror of Fran Bow takes the story of Alice in another direction but still shows its influences in the aesthetic choices and character development. It is not unusual for those familiar with the Alice stories to take insanity as one of the key themes of the plot. Characters act in strange and unusual manners and although Alice may not wish to walk among mad people, it can’t be helped seeing as they’re all mad there.
Fran starts her journey in the Oswald Asylum, struggling mentally to cope after witnessing her parents’ murder. Fran desperately wants to find the cat that she was separated from and encounters many odd people including the conjoined twins Clara and Mia who dress similarly to the imagery found in both the animations and original woodcuts of Alice in her story.
3 Persona
The stories of Persona draw deeply on the way that characters engage with one another. Through interaction and Social Links, characters gain powerful Personas as manifestations of someone’s psyche and powerful weapons to be used in battle.
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Alice appears in the original Megami Tensei games and is carried through to the spinoff series of games. Alice is seen as a deadly powerful ghost and incarnation of the Death Arcana and her appearance is shown in her tarot to be very similar to the design of Alice in the novels.
2 The Darkside Detective
In the pixel-style game The Darkside Detective’s first case, Malice in Wonderland, Detective McQueen and Officer Dooley are assigned the case of finding the daughter of Roy Jones named Alice who has disappeared in their own home. Alice as it turns out has entered through a magical portal into the Darkside and become trapped in the world beyond.
The references to Lewis Carrol’s work are clear from the outset and those familiar with the story may be expecting something similar to what is experienced. Though possibly a little on the nose, Detective McQueen’s first case is a fantastic way to set up the tone of the game and what the player can expect in the future.
1 American McGee’s Alice & Alice: The Madness Returns
American McGee’s work on Alice and Alice: The Madness Returns has shown what can be done with Lewis Carrol’s story and how wild ideas can get when dealing with Wonderland. Though McGee’s characters are significantly more twisted than their original iteration, they build together a collage of the weird and wonderful.
As a retelling of the original story, this Alice is dealing with the tragedies of her past and uses Wonderland as a way of dealing with her inner demons. Though the original game is somewhat dated, the art and music still hold up, and its sequel does not disappoint either.
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