Alice: Asylum Story Outline v4Written by American McGee and Alex Crowley

(The Slumber - Encounter #1 - Resistance)

“How many times must I return to this place? Please, let me wake from this nightmare!”

We PLAY as a frightened 13-year-old Alice running through a moonlit, snow-covered English garden. This is The Slumber, a manifestation of Alice’s childhood memories. It serves as the First Tutorial for Basic Movement - walking, running, climbing, and jumping.

A disembodied voice guides Alice - The Voice: “Fill in the core message of the game in an oblique manner such that it later makes sense as the key to all that is to come.”

Alice: “How can I do that when she won’t let me escape?”

The Moon looms over Alice’s shoulder; there’s something odd about its size and form. It turns to reveal a menacing face. Eyes locking on Alice, it howls and pursues her. As The Moon draws nearer it sings an ominous lullaby that knocks forest creatures unconscious.

We PLAY as Alice runs for her life. Running, jumping, climbing, and swinging to escape.

The Voice: “There is no escape. The only way out is through.”

Alice runs until she finds sanctuary inside her childhood home: The Liddell House. Within, Alice encounters her burnt and twisted family. She once again re-lives the horror or their deaths in the fire that consumed their home. They blame her. It’s ALL HER FAULT.

She SCREAMS and - everything stops - Alice abruptly comes face-to-face with The Caterpillar sat atop his mushroom. He is The Voice guiding her through her memory.

Smoke billowing from his hookah, the world around Alice wafts and morphs to match his riddled words. He speaks of shadows, demons, chaos, and fire. Alice glimpses a terrifying Shadow Creature, staring back at her from behind a darkened Looking Glass.

The Shadow Creature breaks through the Looking Glass, shattering it into a thousand pieces. As jagged glass tumbles in the darkness, Alice flails around to defend herself, suffering hundreds of cuts.

The Caterpillar: “Do not resist The Chaos. You must embrace it.”

Just as a large shard of glass is about to pierce Alice’s heart she reaches out and grabs it. The Creature roars and disappears into the darkness. Alice turns the shard over in her hand and it transforms into a beautiful Crystal Vorpal Blade, her own blood dripping across its edge. Transfixed, she admires the intricate details contained on the blade.

Her reverie is broken by The Lullaby and Alice is suddenly back in The Liddel House - The Moon looming overhead. The Lullaby reaches her ears and … Alice faints to Darkness. DENIAL REALM - THE GREATEST SHOW

[The following is The 1st Part of a musical sequence sung by a full cast of characters inhabiting The Circus]

Turtle: “The show is starting! We must not be late!”

Alice opens her eyes to watch as Turtle pulls a Giant Lever ejecting her from bed and into a Circus Dress. Makeup is plastered onto her face by autonomous arms. A mechanical hand shoves her towards a Giant Slide where a White Rabbit Doll is preparing to jump.

We PLAY as a confused Alice begins her descent down the Slide after the White Rabbit. Turtle follows closely behind as we weave through turns hurtling towards the ground. All around is a surreal Circus World of tents, rides, carnivals, animals, performers… as far as the eye can see.

Turtle SINGS as The Music plays. His lyrics explain: “It’s a new day, a new show; we must not miss our mark, we can not forget our lines; the Tweedles may be half Dum but they view these things as crimes.”

Alice SINGS: “But I don’t want to play your games, I don’t want to say your lines. If being here requires those things then I’d prefer to commit the crimes.”

What follows is a sequence where Alice is alternately pushed and pulled through The Circus Realm with White Rabbit leading the way. Turtle pleads with her to hit her marks and say her lines. The sequence is split into “on track” and “off track” areas. On track - there’s full lyrical and theatrical sequence playing as we’re pushed along. Off track - the lyrics take a rest and The Music fades to a background beat allowing for moments of free exploration.

This serves as the Second Tutorial for Basic Movement - walking, running, climbing, and jumping. It also adds ledge grabs, swinging, double jumps, and dress gliding.

Key Points delivered as Exposition in the lyrics: Alice is a prisoner of The Circus. The Moon makes escape impossible. Alice should just give up and enjoy The Show. Alice hates it here.

At one point the White Rabbit hops off track and leads Alice towards a Fortune Teller’s Tent. The Music fades. Within the tent, Alice stares deeply into a crystal ball as it transforms into a Snow Globe. Hypnotized by the falling snow, Alice returns to Slumber Realm and an audience with The Caterpillar.

(Slumber Encounter #2 - Determination)

Alice’s memories rush back to her. She has escaped the Circus Realm before. She has been back to her memories of the Slumber realm countless times, but never any further. She fails in escaping the Circus and becomes trapped in her memories every time. Alice is always caught and is brought back to the circus by The Moon.

Alice: “There is no point in trying.”

The Caterpillar: “Something about written lines and sheet music being like cages for our actions and feelings. You cannot rewrite the tune but you can change the lyrics.”

Alice: “But who writes the tune?”

At this moment it’s revealed that it’s The Queen who sits behind the scenes of this entire charade.

Grasping her Crystal Blade, Alice resolves to destroy The Moon and seek an audience with The Queen.

The Music intrudes on the scene, its beat vibrating the ground beneath Alice’s feet. Dark, fractal tentacles break through the smoke. Alice’s encounter with Caterpillar in Slumber ends when she is suddenly attacked and everything goes black.

DENIAL REALM - THE BIG TOP

[The following is the 2nd Part of the musical sequence sung by a full cast of characters inhabiting The Circus]

Now back in The Circus and with The Music at full volume, Alice uses the Vorpal Blade to slice her way through the scenes and Actors, carving a bloody red swathe against everything

that gets in her way. Mock Turtle pleads as he SINGS imploring Alice to stop her bloody rampage and rejoin her loving troupe of performers. Blood flies.

During this sequence, the illusion of The Circus begins to crumble as Actors break into mechanical automatons when damaged or destroyed. This is Alice’s first encounter with Manipulators - an enemy NPC capable of taking on a variety of shapes and forms.

This serves as the First Tutorial for Basic Combat - Vorpal Blade attack and defense.

We PLAY as an angry Alice fights her way through the circus led by White Rabbit, carving a bloody red swathe against her captors into The Big Top.

The Big Top is a massive tent with stadium seating all around. There are Three Rings with a Giant Balloon occupying center stage in the middle ring. Tweedle Dee and Dum are here - The Ringmasters. [Tweedles use Giant Balloon to look out over the Circus - cranks up and down through a hole in the Big Top]

Tweedle Dee: “Someone has forgotten her lines!”

[The following is the 3rd and Final Part of the musical sequence sung by The Tweedles and Alice]

What follows is a Boss Battle sequence where Alice fights Tweedle Dee and Dum using her Vorpal Blade and the skills she’s acquired up to this point. [Acquires New Weapons: Jack Bomb and Whipping Top]

Alice defeats The Tweedles and climbs into The Balloon with White Rabbit by her side. She cuts the balloon’s tethers with her Vorpal Blade and rises through the tent opening. She flies free above The Circus leaving The Music behind.

DENIAL REALM - THE MOON

Alice glides above The Circus with White Rabbit by her side. A moment of reflection before the coming battle. The Balloon floats up through a bank of clouds and out the other side to reveal The Moon directly ahead.

We PLAY as a determined Alice. The Moon sings The Lullaby. To succeed, Alice must select words to sing; replacing lyrics in the lullaby. Failing to match a rhyming word results in Alice becoming more sleepy. Failure means a reset to the start of the balloon ride.. Success means Alice overcomes the sleep spell and proceeds to The Moon.

The Balloon continues towards The Moon and crashes into its face, flinging Alice and Rabbit into its gaping mouth. A welcome party is waiting and the battle begins.

We PLAY as an angry Alice fights her way through The Moon using her Vorpal Blade and newly acquired [weapons from Tweedle’s battle]. White Rabbit leads the way to a series of Sub Goals: Disable the Lullaby Machine; Disable the Manipulator Manufacturer; Reach The Bridge; Battle The Moon Boss; Take Control of The Moon (and fly to Queen’s Domain).

The Moon is a mechanical construct of Hatter Industries and its interior is a labyrinth of corridors, walkways, machine rooms, gears, turbines, and steam pipes.

This serves as the First Basic Tutorial for The 2nd Weapon and Advanced Tutorial for Movement with ledge grabs, swinging, double jumps, and dress gliding.

As Alice explores The Moon she passes through its Engine Room where she sees that it is powered by A Massive Clockwork Heart. She battles a steady stream of Manipulators as she works her way towards and destroys their source: The Manipulator Manufacturer.

Reaching the Bridge of The Moon Alice encounters The Mock Turtle. As Alice pieces together a chart to reach The Queen’s Domain, Turtle continues to beg that she abandon her insane mission and return to The Circus. What follows is a puzzle sequence where Alice collects Chart Elements from around The Bridge and brings them together, forming a route to Queen’s Domain.

As the last piece of the route is inserted and The Moon turns towards Queen’s Domain, Mock Turtle’s voice becomes an angry roar. He transforms into a Manipulator Boss, revealing his true form and presenting Alice with another obstacle to overcome.

The Manipulator Boss cycles through a variety of the Enemy NPC forms that Alice has encountered up to this point. Each requires a different strategy and/or weapon to be defeated - sending the Boss cycling to a new Enemy NPC until only the Mock Turtle is left.

Turtle: “It’s me, Alice. You know me. Your only friend. I’m telling you, you’ll never make it. You can’t survive out there. You’ll be back in a week. You can’t stay on the path without my guidance. Think of the fun we’ve had. Who else can you trust? No one wants you! No one else loves you...”

Alice: “As you said, The show is starting! We must not be late!”

We PLAY as Alice destroys Mock Turtle.

Mock Turtle’s death causes a massive explosion that sets The Bridge on fire and sends The Moon hurtling towards the ground. It crashes in a cataclysmic series of impacts, ripping through a strange forest of tall green trees. Alice is flung from The Bridge and sent tumbling through the air - Rabbit grasped tightly to her chest - but before she can smash into the

ground and presumably die, she begins to grow larger and LARGER until she’s sitting on a lawn of lush green grass. A tiny smoking marble on the ground next to her - The Moon - she picks up, inspects it, and hands it to her Rabbit Plush, “Now it’s the rabbit’s moon…” He sticks it in his pocket. [This is The Heart; Piece 1 of Pieces of The Champion]

She is free of The Greatest Show. Fade to Black.

Chapter 2

ANGER/JUDGEMENT REALM - THE QUEEN’S DOMAIN

“You’ve blamed me, imprisoned me, and made a circus of my anguish! Now release me!”

We PLAY as a curious Alice explores a far corner of the Queen’s Rose Garden (Hedge Maze). Behind her is the turtle pond that served as her prison. Ahead lies the Queen’s Castle and the confrontation Alice seeks.

A moment of reflection and exploration as Alice navigates the twists and turns of the Hedge Maze. As she explores, she encounters Card Guards for the first time. They walk the perimeter wall of the Hedge Maze ignoring Alice even if she attacks or kills them.

At some point, Alice witnesses a scene wherein Card Guards frantically battle a writhing mass of Black Tentacles (The Chaos) intruding through the Hedge Maze walls. This sequence serves to introduce the game’s primary enemy character - The Chaos - and its effect on NPCs in the game. Alice watches as Card Guards are damaged by contact with The Chaos and transformed by stages into Chaos Creatures. Chaos Creatures are hijacked NPCs that readily attack Alice and any other NPCs in range.

We PLAY as a fierce Alice battles against Chaos Creatures and assists the Card Guards in repairing points of damage in the Hedge Maze walls.

Alice makes her way through the Hedge Maze to the Vale of Tears Fortress - a structure featuring a large Crying Alice statue overlooking the Hedge Maze. It is here that she encounters The Knave, one of the Queen’s Court.

The Knave is concerned for Alice’s safety and explains several key points: The Queen’s Domain and all of Wonderland are under attack by The Chaos (a creature that takes over and converts to evil everything it touches). The only way to The Queen’s Court is through Judgement - a journey The Knave is worried Alice will not survive. The Knave begs Alice, “Go back to the Circus, it’s safe there.” Alice makes it clear that’s not happening. We PLAY as Alice navigates the broken structures and floating islands that hang in the space of what was once the whole of Queensland. Her destination is The Courthouse (seat of Judgement) which can be seen floating in the distance.

This serves as a proving ground for all of the skills and weapons Alice has acquired thus far. She must employ movement and combat mechanics to navigate the broken landscape while fighting off The Chaos and a slew of Chaos Creatures.

ANGER/JUDGEMENT REALM - THE COURTHOUSE

Arriving at The Courthouse steps Alice is warned by The Knave that this place is A Cruel Machine that answers to no one - not even The Queen. Once Alice enters the only way out is through The Trials and Judgement. If Alice is found Innocent, she will be allowed to continue on her journey to The Queen. If she’s found guilty, she’ll be sentenced to Croak for Eternity. The Knave again implores Alice to return to The Circus.

[NOTE: Alice won’t be convinced to turn around so The Knave gifts her a New Weapon - American Requested - Card Association / Valued Queen’s Possession / Grenade Launcher High Damage / Artillery Weapon]

We PLAY as Alice enters the halls of The Courthouse and begins to make her way through The Trials towards Judgement. What follows is a sequence of Challenge Spaces (Trials) that contain Puzzles, Combat Arenas, and Navigation Challenges. These lead to a Kafkaesque Main Hall, a surreal embodiment of bureaucracy and brutal judgment where the combat and navigation puzzles continue while Alice’s sins and crimes are read aloud by a stadium full of judges.

Alice successfully completes The Trials and arrives at Judgment only to be told that, despite passing her trials, she’s been found guilty and will be sentenced to Croak For Eternity. Alice is FURIOUS. So furious that she bursts into flames as she screams her rage at the mechanical face of judgment. But all her fury is in vain as the floor opens beneath Alice’s feet and she’s dropped screaming into the darkness.

(Slumber Encounter #3 - Rage)

The Caterpillar: “Anger as a mask for all other emotions. Anger is without meaning. What lies beneath anger is what matters.”

Alice stands, still on fire with RAGE, before The Caterpillar sat atop his mushroom. What follows is a discussion on the nature of reality and the constant of unfairness in an uncaring universe. Alice must choose to accept that reality and attempt to prepare herself for the inevitable. “The difference between a disaster and a challenge is how ready you are for what comes next.”

Alice says she isn’t interested in a fight. She only wants to leave this place.

“What you resist will only persist,” explains The Caterpillar to Alice as the surrounding darkness is pierced by an increasingly loud scream.

ANGER/JUDGEMENT REALM - CROQUET FOREVER

Alice falls. Her scream grows louder until her dress pops open and she floats gently to the ground below. A large wooden sign announces “Welcome to Croquet - Play Forever”

A motley assortment of other players are here - and have been here forever. No time to explain, the match is starting. Alice is handed a mallet and told to get to her starting place.

We PLAY as a bemused Alice engages in an epic game of Croquet played across a landscape of floating islands. This game mixes some of the traditional rules with elements of racing, combat, and surreal nonsense. It’s broken into Chapters that increase in difficulty from Tutorial to Final Test - giving Alice a chance to improve her abilities before progressing to more challenging sections.

It’s explained to Alice that no one ever “wins” this game because the other players are always offered a chance to thwart the success (escape) of their fellow inmates. If they would work together they might escape one by one - but no one is ever willing to let that happen. And the situation is made more urgent by the fact that The Chaos is slowly overtaking this area of the Queen’s Domain.

But Alice brings more than a croquet mallet to the battle. We PLAY as Alice uses her other weapons and skills she manages to “cheat” her way to victory (the first the game has ever seen) and earns A Pardon.

ANGER/JUDGEMENT REALM - THE QUEEN’S CASTLE

Furiouser and furiouser.

The Knave is waiting. They stand at a crossroads with signs pointing “Play Again” “Play Again” “Play Again” in all directions.

Knave: “The Queen is in no mood. Your visit will not be appreciated. You don’t even know which way to go from here!”

Alice: “When you have a goal in mind any direction is better than none; besides, I have a guide.” Alice motions to her Rabbit Doll who winks and indicates the direction forward.

We PLAY as a victorious Alice follows the Rabbit Doll and navigates her way towards the Queen’s Castle. Across a series of broken islands filled with despondent Card Guards and a constant threat of Chaos Creatures. Alice hops, floats, climbs, and battles until the Queen’s Castle is in view.

Alice arrives at a ridge overlooking the final approach to the Queen’s Castle. The Knave is waiting for her. “The way forward is a battleground. The Queen’s forces are under attack from all sides. Even if it were wise to see the Queen, you cannot make it across this obstacle.”

We PLAY as a DETERMINED Alice follows the Rabbit Doll through a series of floating islands containing chunks of hedges, trenches, wrecked walls, and toppled towers. An epic battle rages between the Queen’s forces and Chaos Creatures with a large representation of Red Chess Pieces among their ranks. The Card Guards employ cannons, firebombs, and other heavy weaponry to keep the Chaos Creatures and Chess Pieces at bay. Their attacks make it impossible for Alice to find a way forward.

Alice: “Something about Anger narrowing your focus and making lateral thinking impossible. A creative solution is the product of a calm mind.”

We PLAY as an INSPIRED Alice adjusts her approach and aims for the lower half of the island under The Queen’s Castle. The battle fades into the distance as Alice hops, glides, and swings her way towards a series of openings carved into the rock below. A lopsided sign rots above the entrance where Alice lands: The Dungeons

ANGER/JUDGEMENT REALM - THE DUNGEONS

Alice enters the Dungeons to find The Knave waiting for her once again. Above them, the architecture spirals in a surreal mix of staircases, doorways, prisoner alcoves, and flying walkways. There is no clear sense of up or down - just confusion.

Knave: “Even here you are not safe. The Chaos Creatures have breached the outer wall and will arrive in minutes. There is no way back. Make your way to the upper levels if you wish to survive.”

Alice: “This would all be a lot easier if you’d just take me directly to The Queen. You obviously know the way.”

Knave: “Through the Dungeons, no one knows the way. There are no bars keeping the prisoners here - only anger and confusion. They are inmates of their own mental prisons.”

We PLAY as Alice enters the Dungeons and navigates the multidimensional labyrinth of stairs and walkways seeking higher ground. The lower levels contain the most confused paths - and also the most confused prisoners. There are Insane Children; nightmarish Nurses and Doctors; and random Wonderland creatures. Trapped in madness they ignore Alice as she moves upwards past them. [These represent targets of Alice’s anger that least deserve it. Pure innocents who had nothing to do with her trauma.]

Angry Red Light illuminates this area in shafts and pools - some static, some moving. When Alice attempts to move or fight while inside these pools of light the result is erratic and unpredictable. Shots fired forward slice off at wild angles. Jumps in one direction send Alice flying in another direction. The only way to make sure of the result is to avoid the Red Light.

Upon reaching the 2nd Level of the Dungeon the paths and walkways become less confused.

We PLAY as Alice navigates through the 2nd level. The middle level contains a mix of characters - Asylum Orderlies; Dinah The Cat; and representations of Alice’s family. Chaos Creatures appear here in small batches, taking over the inhabitants of this level and forcing Alice into battle. [These prisoners represent targets of Alice’s anger closer to the core of her trauma.]

Upon reaching the 3rd Level of the Dungeon the paths and walkways take on a museum-like appearance. Prisoners are here willingly and they place themselves on pedestals where they are constantly bathed in Angry Red Light. Alice sees representations of her sister; Pris Witless; and an odd Train Conductor - a hint at Dr. Bumby. When turned into Chaos Creatures these characters transform into alternate representations of their relevance to Alice. Pris Witless turns into a fire-spitting Jabber-creature, for example.

The final pedestal is found in a cathedral-like room with a high domed ceiling. It contains a little girl who turns to reveal herself as Fire Alice (11-year-old Alice). She is the highest level prisoner of the Dungeons and the queen of this place.

We PLAY as Alice battles her way through all of these enemies and comes face to face with her younger self.

Alice: “Why are you here?”

11-Year Old Alice: “Something cryptic and sinister. Also, you know: It’s all your fault.”

Converted into a Chaos Creature, Fire Alice is a formidable opponent; a Mini-Boss capable of extending long tentacles that instantly transform nearby NPCs into Chaos Creatures. Alice employs all of her movement and combat skills to defeat Fire Alice and her army.

The last of Fire Alice’s tentacles is knocked off and the battle seems near complete when…

Fire Alice launches a burst of Chaos that flies past Alice and lands directly on her Rabbit Toy. Fire Alice is consumed in a flash of flames as Alice watches in horror as her cherished Rabbit is turned into a Chaos Creature.

The dome over Alice’s head opens as she and her Chaos Creature Rabbit are lifted off the ground and swept upwards. Hanging in mid-air they come face to face with The Queen of Hearts.

ANGER/JUDGEMENT REALM - THRONE ROOM

[What follows is a massive amount of exposition delivered via an in-game cutscene - it does contain the central movement of the narrative, so perhaps it’s alright to give it space to breath? Alternately, it could be delivered as a staged Boss Fight where Alice always loses.]

The Queen of Hearts glares down at Alice from atop her throne. The Knave, a true Disciple of Order, turns on Alice, suggesting that she stole the [TBD Queen’s Weapon] and has brought Chaos wherever she goes. In the scene that follows we learn that The Queen has kept Alice in The Circus “for her own protection.” And that the Queen and her troops are doing everything they can to keep The Chaos at bay - no thanks to Alice’s interference.

Alice demands to be released and shown the way out of Wonderland back to her family and friends. The Queen prods Alice, “And what of those friends who you would abandon to certain destruction when The Chaos comes? Whatever happens to them… it’s your fault.” Alice’s Rabbit Toy squirms and squeals through Tentacles of Chaos to punctuate the scene.

The Queen tells Alice that the only way to save Wonderland and her friends is to bring forth The Champion who can defeat The Chaos. If not Alice, then who? The Knave can’t believe The Queen would trust Alice - and is knocked down into The Dungeons for his doubt.

The Queen tells Alice to find Hatter. “His brain surely contains the key to our survival.” Once she’s done that, she can save her Rabbit, save Wonderland, and then go home. Rabbit is sent into The Dungeons, the floor snaps closed under Alice.

Alice cries in protest, “Rabbit! Nooo!”

The Throne Room empties. The Queen tells Alice not to doddle - get to the Hall of Doors! The throne pedestal rotates and The Queen is gone.

Alice suddenly finds herself alone in The Queen’s Throne Room with her head spinning. She lifts her fists in the air and SCREAMS…

(SLUMBER ENCOUNTER #4 - GUILT)

The walls of the Queen’s Throne Room dissolve into the arched heights of a Church Cathedral (modeled on St. Augustine’s, London). Row after row of pews are filled with black-clad mourners. Sounds of crying and wailing fill the air alongside an Organ Dirge. Alice floats down the center aisle towards the pulpit - Caterpillar's mushroom fills the space where the choir would normally sit.

Whispers of “It’s your fault!” “Where were you?” “They say she’s got the devil in her!” rise to a fever pitch as Alice glides towards the caskets at the front of the church.

The caskets burst into flames as the screams and accusations reach a cacophony. The walls, ceilings, and fixtures of the church burst apart like pieces of a puzzle, leaving Alice floating before The Caterpillar on his mushroom.

Alice: “I could have saved them. Everyone I love is lost.”

Caterpillar: “You still have yourself.”

The Church flies back together, the air filled with sunbeams, parishioners dressed in white. At the pulpit, the priest holds a screaming newborn baby in the air, then lowers it into a bath of water. This is Alice’s christening. As the baby touches the water its screaming stops and the scene goes black.

ANGER/JUDGEMENT REALM - THRONE ROOM

Abruptly back in the Throne Room Alice wobbles on her feet a bit.

We PLAY as Alice navigates the Queen’s Castle and finds her way to The Hall of Doors. This is a Fast Travel Mechanism that allows Alice to quickly jump to…

MAD HATTER’S DOMAIN (BARGAINING REALM) - THE CHAOSMA

Alice steps from the Hall of Doors into what’s left of Hatter’s Domain. The landscape here is a “Chaosma” - splattered across the sky in a galaxy of floating islands, plasma clouds, upside down forests, and magical vortexes. Floating within the wreckage of all that was once Hatter’s Domain Alice can see a bizarre menagerie of creatures - giant mice, tiny whales, and dodo birds combined with crocodiles - a visual explosion of chaotic combinations.

We PLAY as Alice navigates the scene heading towards the center of the domain and Hatter’s Workshop. Along the way she encounters Card Guards, Tea Pot Cannons, and other creatures - many of them taken over by The Chaos - necessitating battle. A series of scientific and mechanical puzzles also need solving in order to rearrange the geometry of the area and allow safe passage. At a particularly tricky section Alice pleads with no one in particular to make all this easier so she can “...just save Wonderland and go home!” Her outburst is met with a sardonic reply from the ether.

Cheshire Cat: “You, better than most, should know that wishes made in loud frustration will most certainly land on deaf ears.”

Cheshire Cat fades into form on the path ahead of Alice.

Alice: “I’ve no time for your games, Cat. Either help me get to Hatter’s or kindly vanish back to wherever you came from.”

What follows is an introduction to Cheshire Cat as an in-game guide. He’s similar in function to the White Rabbit except that he can be summoned at will and is able to provide directional information and hints.

We PLAY as Alice overcomes another series of battles, puzzles, and platforming challenges. She arrives at The Mad Hatter’s Laboratory and passes through the front entrance. A series of twists and turns and she’s face to face with Hatter in his Workshop.

MAD HATTER’S DOMAIN (BARGAINING REALM) - HATTER’S WORKSHOP

[Another relatively large blob of Exposition delivered via an in-game cut-scene. We might want to think about making this a Visual Tour where Hatter explains things as they ride a Tea Cup through relevant “models” of the thinking? Or where he pushes and pulls Alice

violently through his lab, excitedly pointing at various chalkboards, physical models, and experiments in progress.]

Alice explains that she’s been sent by the Queen and must help Hatter complete The Champion. Hatter can’t believe Alice would do the Queen’s bidding. She also tells Hatter that she really just wants to save her rabbit and go home.

“Go home?” Hatter explains: Mercury is Prima Materia (First Matter) which he believes must be collected in great quantity so that a Transformation can be made which will allow Alice to escape from Wonderland. It was his initial experiment with this notion that resulted in his domain being blown to chaos. “It might have had something to do with the Chaos Creatures as well… but never mind that for now!”

Hatter gives Alice a list of Elements that must be collected so that The Transformation can happen and Alice can escape. “The stone that is Mercury is cast upon the Earth, exalted on the Mountains, resides in the air, and is nourished in the waters.” Alice will find it, along with the other Elements scattered all around Wonderland.

To the elements it came fromEverything will return.Our bodies to earth,Our blood to water,Heat to fire,Breath to air.

“Oh, and the Queen’s Champion…” In addition, they must also complete the Queen’s Quest and collect the Pieces of Champion. Hatter explains that the Pieces were scattered around Wonderland when his Domain exploded. Alice can use the Inner Compass to locate the

Pieces and return them to The Lab. Once collected, The Champion can be completed and The Chaos defeated.

Hatter gives Alice a [INSERT NEW WEAPON - TeaCup Launcher / Hatter Themed Sustained DPS Mortar weapon / Secondary Fire Burst High DPS].

Hatter: “And by these calculations, if you are unable to collect the Elements within 4 Moons, then… Wonderland will be consumed by The Chaos and all will be lost. But don’t think about that. I’m sure you’ll do fine!”

Hatter shoves Alice out the door and slams it closed.

The Inner Compass points the way to Alice’s next stop. She returns to the Hall of Doors where the appropriate door is open and waiting… at Alice’s feet. It’s a tiny door only a mouse could fit through. But approaching it causes Alice to shrink rapidly to the necessary size. She steps through the door and travels to her next destination…

VALE OF TEARS (DEPRESSION REALM) - WONDERLAND WOODS

We’re all sad here.

Alice steps from the Hall of Doors into The Vale of Tears. The nighttime scene before her is a riot of dense green vegetation and towering mushrooms illuminated by glittering shafts of moonlight. Butterflies and bees float overhead while ants and spiders occupy the ground and leaves in the spaces between. Giant Rain Drops sparkle in the dense air. All of it frozen in time like a living painting.

We PLAY as Alice navigates the scene heading towards the direction indicated by her Inner Compass. Along the way she encounters a variety of Woodland Creatures frozen in place

who spring to life with Alice’s passing. Alice carries with her a Bubble of Influence [Sunlight effect related to her Dress] - time resumes inside it and freezes again once she passes. The Chaos is here as well - converting Woodland Creatures into enemies Alice must defeat. The Chaos operates outside of frozen time - converting frozen creatures into enemies who attack Alice at will.

Platform puzzles form a series of obstacles to Alice’s progress - designed around the unique physical environment created by the stoppage of time. In one area, Alice jumps and swims upward through suspended water droplets - their static behavior disrupted by her passing. In another location, levers and bridges are unfrozen by Alice’s actions and presence - then refrozen as she moves away from them.

Mock Turtle is waiting on the path ahead, also frozen in time and place. As Alice draws near he unfreezes.

Mock Turtle: “Oh, thank goodness you’re here. My nose has been itching for what feels like a thousand years!” He scratches furiously at his nose.

Alice: “What’s happened here?”

Mock Turtle: “Night fell and the sun never returned. The flow of time slowed and then stopped. We must restore the flow. The Duchess might know how.”

We PLAY as Alice navigates the timeless vale with Turtle in tow. Along the way she encounters more combat sections with Chaos Creatures and more physical obstacles/puzzles built around the unique behavior of time in this area.

The Duchess has her own Bubble of Influence and fiercely guards her cottage from within. What follows is a Mini Boss Battle against The Duchess and her collection of [Insert Duchess Minions - some sort of pig-thing]. Once defeated, The Duchess invites Alice in for tea and biscuits.

Duchess: “I had to make sure you were you. Hard to tell these days; no one is what they seem anymore. I don’t even know if I am me anymore.”

The Duchess explains to Alice that Tears are restorative. Crying helps. Alice needs to collect Tears from the Crying Alice statue and bring them back to the kitchen. The Duchess can then cook them into a potion to restore time to The Vale.

We PLAY as Alice navigates towards the Crying Alice statue. The valley in which it rests is protected by an army of Talking Flowers. What follows is a combat puzzle involving platforming, time manipulations, and puzzle solving. With the Talking Flowers defeated, Alice gains access to the Crying Statue.

Tears are collected and Alice returns to The Duchess. A cure is cooked and Alice is equipped to restore time to the Vale of Tears. Sunlight and time flood back into The Vale with Alice’s passing. With time restored, Alice is able to access the resting place of The Piece of the Champion #2 (BRAIN).

Piece #2 recovered and The Vale restored, Alice returns to the Hall of Doors, heading back to Hatter’s Domain.

MAD HATTER’S DOMAIN (BARGAINING REALM) - HATTER’S WORKSHOP

Alice steps from the Hall of Doors and quickly makes her way to Hatter’s Workshop. There she returns the Piece of Champion #2 (BRAIN) and [TBD: Upgrade, side quest, etc.]

Prepared for the next adventure, she returns to the Hall of Doors and…

VALE OF TEARS (DEPRESSION REALM) - CROWD DESIGN TBD

Here begins your Crowd Design Mission: Fill In The Blanks on The Next MissionThese areas will make up the remaining beats in the 2nd Act of Alice’s adventure.

Where does Alice go after recovering Piece of Champion #2 (BRAIN)? She’s seeing Piece of Champion #3 (EYE) or Piece of Champion #4 (Skin). What sort of areas would contain those things - how are they linked thematically?

Location Suggestions taken from: https://www.patreon.com/posts/were-on-road-to-43585944

Basement / Underground World with a Focus on Repressed MemoriesAmerican Says: I Iike this one because it offers an opportunity for Young Alice to explore elements of “her” psyche that are products of Adult Alice’s experiences; ie, she’ll experience imagery and challenges built from memories that she never had. We saw elements of this kind of place brought to life in the Dollhouse section of A:MR.

Undersea / Underwater Realm American Says: This works for the same reason as “Basement” but instead of “under the house” as metaphor for a place of repressed (or unknown) memories, it uses “under the waves.” We also saw this in A:MR.

American Says: The two (above) make me think that perhaps we want to create a sort of “flooded basement” type place? Or a mix of London, Londerland, and Underwater?

Funeral Scene / Funeral WorldAmerican Says: I hinted at this in the Slumber Scene #4 - and there’s probably room to build out an entire domain around this? This could also possibly link back to the “Underworld” stuff (above) - maybe an entire section of London, some of it submerged, including a church and graveyard?

Or come up with suggestions for other Wonderland locations that we should visit.

Share your ideas over on Patreon - Go back to the post where you found this document; write your suggestions into the comments there. Consider using Google Docs and sharing that document publically.

Try to present your ideas as concisely as possible. If you write more than the description for Wonderland Woods (above), you’ve probably written too much! And MAKE SURE you write your ideas in a separate (and safe) Word or Google Docs location, then paste into Patreon. Patreon’s comments section is terrible about eating comments - especially if you try to edit them after posting.

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MAJOR SPOILERS

OUTLINE FOR THE 3RD ACT OF THE GAMEFOLLOWS ON THE NEXT PAGE

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MAJOR SPOILERS

MAJOR SPOILERS - 3RD ACT OUTLINE - MAJOR SPOILERS

Several more domains in Depression are explored to find and collect the Pieces of The Champion. Alice also visits The Chess Realm and sees that half of that domain is taken over by The Chaos.

The Red Chess Pieces worship The Chaos and have made a temple from a structure where “THE RULE” is carved into stone over the entrance. The White Pieces are fighting to keep The Chaos at bay but it’s a losing battle. Alice says help is on the way.

After Alice collects the Pieces of The Champion, she returns them to Hatter. Hatter fits them into The Jabberwock - transforming it into The Jabberwock 2000 [WIP name]. But one piece is still missing - The Heart.

Alice returns to the Throne Room with The Jabberwock to retrieve her Rabbit and to confront the Queen. Unbeknownst to The Queen, The Rabbit carries the final Piece of The Champion. The Rabbit is cured; the Piece of Champion #1 (Heart) is handed to the Queen and fitted into the Jabberwock.

The Queen’s true goal is revealed: To trick Alice into seeking Hatter, finding the Pieces, and upgrading the Jabberwock. Now that’s done, Alice can be imprisoned.

In the battle that follows, The Queen is easily defeated, revealing that she’s a Manipulator.

The Jabberwock flies to the Chess Realm; his first blast of fire knocks away Chaos Tentacles from the carving over the door to reveal “THE RULER”

Inside the temple is the true Queen of Hearts, fully integrated with Chaos - giving her incredible strength.

The Queen/Chaos consumes the Jabberwock, making her all-powerful and able to escape this version of Wonderland and ascend to where she can destroy it and the psyche which contains it.

Young Alice must chase The Jabberwock/Queen/Chaos [we need a name/shape for this] out of The Snow Globe and into Alice’s larger psyche.

A battle will take place across a number of iconic locations from previous games as JabberQueenChaos travels towards The Center [seat of Alice’s mind].

Even Alice’s Rabbit Toy was a Manipulator - the Queen suggesting that Child Alice was abandoned by Adult Alice and even her Rabbit was taken from her. Links to the scene where Adult Alice is seen giving away her Rabbit Plush.

Adult Alice thought Child Alice died in the fire and took the rabbit as a reminder. A final moment where Adult Alice returns the rabbit to Child Alice.

Reveal Shadow Alice as the Prime Mover behind the scenes; manipulating the situation to cause a final showdown where Adult Alice can be pushed over the edge into Self Destruction.

Notes

Theme of the narrative in Vale of Tears: Thinking too much, stuck in one place, always in the past unable to move forward. Must run to stand still but not even running anymore. Tears and crying remove trauma and rebuild/refocus the brain.

Location Ideas: Vale of Tears, Funeral/Church Domain, Underground/Repressed Memories

You cannot reject the nature of your soul as a product of the experiences. Your body changes - and is not the same body at 5 as it is at 75. Cells die and are replaced. Your soul (mind) on the other hand is a constantly evolving whole derived from experiences in life. Rejecting any part of the whole results in a fractured soul and an imbalance in being. All parts of the soul, even the darkest, must be incorporated and accepted in order to maintain balance.

Morphe = formNous = Cosmic Mind = an ordering force which moves and separates out the original elements of being (can be Adult Alice). Intellection.