American McGee’s Alice: Madness Returns was the last game I played on my PS3, before it finally died on me. McGee’s twisted take on the classic Lewis Carol Alice in Wonderland stories and its fantastical characters really struck a chord in me, and the imagery & story of that game have stuck with me since I finished it. The dark & sinister approach to Alice and her trip (delusion?) into Wonderland was definitely an amazing twist on the original story, and everything about the game made me sit up and take notice.

I had heard rumblings in the gaming world at that time that there was supposed to have been a third game made for the series, but that it was unfortunately scrapped. I was saddened that I may never again be able to subject myself to both the horrors of Alice’s mind (I’m telling you, the baby dolls messed me up), and the beauty that was that game.

However, it looks as though there is a renewed light at the end of the tunnel, dear readers. As some of us know, while promoting his very twisted fairy tale tabletop game called Out of the Woods, McGee told fans and backers of the Kickstarter that if Out of the Woods succeeded in meeting its $175,000 goal, he would revisit his version of Alice’s dark and creepy Wonderland.

Well, that goal was met (and crushed with a $259,744 total), and American McGee has now made the announcement on his blog that he’ll be starting work on a proposal “for the next chapter in Alice’s adventures”. The game is tentatively called Alice: Asylum, and McGee’s proposal is set to include a design outline, conceptual artwork, and a financial/business model for the game. When he finishes with the proposal, McGee said he plans to send it off to EA. In the interim, the game designer has asked that fans who really want to see this title come make it to fruition sign up for the mailing list (which can be done on the blog link I provided above), as well as by following him on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.

Frankly, I can’t WAIT to see what wonders (horrors?) American McGee can come up with for a third installment to the Alice game series. I seriously stayed up WAY too late on several worknights, exploring every nook and cranny of Alice: Madness Returns, and being wonderfully creeped out by the dark and twisted imagery. The story was also something from which I could not tear myself away. The allusions to child abuse, psychological manipulation, murder, and even darker things, were as riveting as they were disturbing. In my opinion, EA did a fantastic job of turning American McGee’s vision into a creepy, twisted, and downright fascinating and fun to play title. To date, American McGee’s Alice: Madness Returns remains one of my favorite games of all time, and I cannot WAIT to see what a third installment has in store for those of us who love the franchise.

What are your thoughts on a third game in American McGee’s Alice franchise? Are you looking forward to getting back into a darker version of Wonderland? Let us know in the comments below!