1977: Nightmares in Wonderland – Chapters Two and Three

Title: Nightmares in Wonderland
Author:  OnlyALittleMad
Media: Movie / Video Game
Topic: American McGee’s Alice / Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Genre: Suspense/Horror
URL: Nightmares in Wonderland
Critiqued by TacoMagic

Hey, patrons!  Welcome back to Nightmares in Wonderland, the fic that dares to explore the untapped drama of thrift shopping.

Last time, we got a bunch of shoveled American McGee’s Alice plot regurgitation, both from me and the fic, as well as a scene where Charlie is gifted a cursed mirror that was inexplicably for sale, take it for free.  And that’s pretty much it, so let’s just jump into chapter two!

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1974: Nightmares in Wonderland – Chapter One

Title: Nightmares in Wonderland
Author:  OnlyALittleMad
Media: Movie / Video Game
Topic: American McGee’s Alice / Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Genre: Suspense/Horror
URL: Nightmares in Wonderland
Critiqued by TacoMagic

Fair warning:  American McGee’s Alice deals extensively with the topics of suicide and mental illness.  Perhaps surprisingly, the game actually handles these topics seriously and with respect, but I cannot guarantee that this fic will retain that degree of respect.

Hey, patrons, welcome to a brand new mini-project!  This time I’m bringing you a short, ten-chapter little romp called “Nightmares in Wonderland,” a cross between American McGee’s Alice, a PC game released in 2000 by EA, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory which could be based on either the novel by Roald Dahl because it’s set in the category for the book or the 2005 Tim Burton movie since something happens in the first chapter that makes it more likely.  Not that it really seems to matter to the plot which the author was attempting to use. And, since this is a fic based on a game that itself was inspired by 9-inch-nails music, expect that plot to get very grymdork very quickly.

Since American McGee’s Alice is a new addition to our list of canons, let’s do a quick infodump on it first.  Shouldn’t take too long because this game is old enough to not have a very robust plot behind it.

The basic premise of American McGee’s Alice is that it takes place after both Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There.  After the events in the books, Alice’s family die in a fire.  Traumatized by this, Alice enters a partially catatonic state and makes several attempts to end her own life and is eventually institutionalized.  The events in the game take place ten years later when her rabbit stuffed animal awaken’s her from her stupor with news that Wonderland is in dire peril and needs her help.  From there you play as Alice as she battles her way through a twisted and corrupt version of Wonderland as it symbolizes her internal struggle with her own madness.  That’s pretty much it.  It was a game released nearly twenty years ago, so plots were still relatively thin back then.  It was a great game at the time, but suffers from its age in much the same way that Ocarina of Time does.

It’s still a good game to play your way through in a historical context, but the lack of many of the niceties of modern gaming definitely makes the game feel old and will provide a good deal of frustration to those who aren’t really used to how games of this vintage operate.  For those not wanting to submit themselves to that, here’s a link to a play-through if you’re interested.  Otherwise, if you want to experience the game first-hand, an HD copy comes packaged with the sequel: Alice: Madness Returns.

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