The allegory of red roses as the life bar and deflowering blew my mind. I love that this game has so many things to dissect afterwards.

who be up madnessing they return

the orphanage segment is just an england simulator

As someone who’s been a lifelong Alice fan and whose special interest is all things Alice, I really do enjoy American McGee’s darker take on Lewis Carroll’s “Alice” books. It’s funny to say that because I genuinely hate when people turn the Alice books, narratives that are so whimsical, fun, and imaginative, into something so twisted and frightening. When it comes to American McGee, I think he’s one of the only creators that have been able to properly adapt the Alice books in a more darker tone with heavy themes whilst still maintaining the whimsical elements that are present in the books. I hate bringing this up, but I’m heartbroken that we might not ever see Alice: Asylum in American McGee’s fullest vision. I would’ve loved to see what would’ve been Alice’s backstory, and everything that was mentioned in the game bible. I know there’s someone currently trying to replicate the vision that was written down, so I’m looking forward to that! Thank you for this video essay!!

“Make you’re survival mean something! Or else we are all doomed!” This game was so hard to play at specific parts. But the reward to acknowledge, accept and move forward was great message to witness. Wish the trilogy could finish.

Happy to always see new Alice content being made. Its in my top 3 favorite 'horror' games and I'll never get tired of learning more about the two installments, lets not let this game die even if EA did

Madness Returns is a very personal game to me, as both an Alice fan since Disneys version and as someone who has trauma and can relate to Alice in her struggles. Wonderland is very homey to me and I've used to retreating back into my imagation as a getaway very much like Alice. McGee's version is so poetic and heavily treads on heavy themes with cautious and in such a positive light (for 2011) that it still amazes me years later. The way he uses Alice and Wonderland as a sandbox to play in and do it with such love and passion for the mental illnesses and themes he portrays in this game is a piece of art. I'm still upset that he can never make the 3rd installment of this game he has put together for years and I hope that maybe EA would finally own up to sell him the rights back OR let him develop the game he and I always wanted since hearing about Asylum.

"Few Find their way, Some Don't even Want to" Will you Cover The Designer's Bible For Alice Asylum?

Madness returns will always be my favorite game of all time

I love seeing the unhinged comments next to the ones genuinely discussing the game

If theres ever gonna be a live action American McGee Alice tv show, I want Ella Purnell (plays as Lucy in the fallout series) to play as Alice. She has beautiful big eyes that matches well with alices, PLUS her voice is the cherry on top. 💯 (Edit: I didnt realize American mentioned about ella on twitter, this makes me super excited and hoping it'll come true)

This game was so underrated. Great analysis of the whole story. I love how you compared real life examples to the game.

FINALLY!!! SOMEONE WHO THOROUGHLY NOTICES THE SMALLEST DETAILS IN THIS GAME THAT MANY OTHER KZfaqRS GLOSS OVER!!! AND HE LISTENS TO TBM??? GRAYMADS YOU'VE GAINED A NEW SUBSCRIBER!!!

Holy crap! The bed of roses, deflowering analogy legit gave me the goosiest of goosebumps. The fact that it was in plain sight, the thing you'd check on the most throughout the game. Great video analysis on the game, honestly!

One of my favorite games. I wish Asylum was made but its in prison unfortunately by EA

American McGee's Alice has such a special place in my heart. I loved the Disney film as a child, and the way McGee builds upon that tale, and explores trauma so intimately really drew me into his world. Alice is such a tragic and strong character, I so wish EA would let him continue the series he created, I would love to see where she goes.

Finally! Someone who takes the time to analyze not only the sybolism in the health system, but the way the environment furthers the storytelling of Alice's recovery from repression and psychosis! I havent heard anyone talk about the relevance of when certain enemies appear in the game in relation to what discoveries shes made. Almost the entirety of madness returns gives new context to the characters seen in the original game and what purpose they serve in Alice's mindscape. Tweedledum and Tweedledee having taken on the visages of the asylum doctor's nephews who took pleasure in harming her. Theres implications that in her catatonia, they likely assaulted her as well. It goes to show why they were a part of Hatter's realm with its asylum aesthetic. It breaks my heart that we will never get the trilogies earned conclusion to such a nuanced and passionate depiction of a horrifying reality. The Alice series has never treated its subject material lightly or without respect for the victims of such circumstances and Im sure im not the only one who feels how ironic how such a beloved piece of artwork has been forced into oblivion and inconclusion by the same thing as its subject matter: parasitic capitalized exploitation. Maybe I'm raving like a loon, but perhaps thats why I love the games in the first place.

I've seen every video essay about this game that has come my way and this has to be one of my favorites! You analysis is amazing, every detail was spot on! You even metioned so many things not many have said before. Genuinely a love letter to Madness Returns. Forever my favorite videogame ❤

Rest in Peace, Lewis Carroll, you might love The Birthday Massacre.

I loved the game overall, i just kinda felt like the big reveal of Dr. Bumby was kinda reduced to a Mwahahah-evil-villian-reveals-evil-plans thing. Like, for subject matter like CSA and trafficking, it could have been handled a bit better.

I subbed to this channel for the American McGee's Alice video. Your videos never fail to deliver.

0:36 this parade scene from Paprika has a pretty cool song by Susumu Hirasawa (he did the soundtrack) and it always reminded me of another track he made called Double of the Wind which i highly recommend you check out i think it's gorgeous. The translated lyrics are poetic and has one of my all time favorite song lyrics: "the human figure that once visited you in a dream, was the wind bearing your own name" He also made the soundtrack for the Berserk 97 anime which is top tier😫🤌

Alice's journey in wonderland reminds me of my time in salty springs... me and my wife's boyfriend had many victory royale's there. I miss him dearly. Fantastic video!

This game will always hold a golden thrown of its own in my heart. I’m devastated we were robbed of the potential experience of a 3rd game.

One of my top favorite games. There's so much to go over within that game I just love it so much. My first tattoo was inspired by the game and is what I used to remind myself to never get into an abusive relationship again.

this video got me feeling 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝓪𝓴𝔂 about alice. another graymads upload to quench the thirst of the masses once again

Alice was with me while I was being gr**med, and Alice was with me when I realized how in danger I was. Alice is such a huge integral part of my life that I can't even explain how impactful Americans story was for me. Alice is an exploration in trauma and realization and will always mean the world to me.

This is really well told, and I ended up watching the whole hour and thirteen-minute runtime despite already knowing every inch of this game already. Thank you for fueling my absolute fascination with this game series with such articulation and attention to detail 🖤🖤

I played this game when it came out and multiple times since, and I have already watched about 4 or 5 story analysis videos. The truth is I am not watching to learn about the game, I'm watching for a breakdown of how your mind works. I feel bad for older generations who cannot appreciate the wisdom and quality of their juniors. I'm from the generation that had to help our parents understand how to operate a VCR before learning ride a bike, which taught us all that being older doesn't mean having a monopoly on insight. Now we get to enjoy the younger folks like yourself appreciate something we know and love through new, bright, fresh eyes. I am almost grateful for the trash media recently, because now you have time to appreciate the stuff I like. 23:30 Fun Fact: Blood letting used to be done by the men who also gave shaves and haircuts, thus they are called "Barbers" for the barbs they used to puncture. The classic red and white spiral barber's pole was to indicate shaving cream and blood. Barbers were highly respected both as a minister of a social male cultural ritual before the invention of safety razors, but also because he literally held your life in his hands, both by barb and by straight razor. Also caterpillar says the queen must always be served, which means that you always need to do right by your own heart. And in the real world when children start growing up they will end up collecting loose teeth. The Doctor also having the black slime leaking from him implies that he also was a victim, and even now he is blinded by his own internal corruption, for he too was once an innocent child; the black slime forming his facial hair, not his head hair indicates his move from childhood to adulthood was corrupted. Noticed this stuff while watching your vid BTW, which is why I value this content, even if I can recite the entire plot. And you didn't mention it but the carpenter and walrus are organized religion, orchestrating a play to consume lives. The carpenter is Judeo-Christian religions and the walrus is Hinduism / Buddhism. This is an older observation based on the books, but still applies. I want a third game where Alice opens her own clinic and dives into other people's broken imaginations to help.

I wonder what Mark Fisher would have to say about this?

As a fellow huge fan of this game who also considers it one of their most favorite games of all time, it warms my heart when I see fellow fans remember this beautiful game and continue to make content for and/or about it. I unfortunately missed out on the first game back in the day since I wasn't much of a PC gamer (which sucks because when I learned that it was gonna have a PS2 & Dreamcast port only to be canceled, we console gamers were so robbed LOL) but when I learned about this game seeing the trailer, I made sure to not miss out on it and I was so surprised at how immersed I got into all the game had to offer. Even though it was a budget game, you can tell it was a labor of love and it was so so felt by many of us. You know a game has really made an impact when you continue thinking about it a decade after it came out. I've heard arguments on how this game was hamfisted with it's message but it so wasn't, the allegories it presented with it's symbolism and imagery tying it in with the harsh reality of 18th century Victorian England was very thoughtful, at least imo. Anyway amazing retrospective, it was a blast!

Great video, and a truly amazing game and series. It's a downright shame Alice: Asylum was cancelled.

This video is SO well done omg! I’ve absolutely loved this game for so long and this vid dove so well into it!!

i love this game so much but never got the time to finish it... this will be such a fun watch

Thank you for such an amazing video! big fan of a first game. never manage to play this part and do not have much time for gaming now, but thanks to you I can dive and experience this twisted fantasy!

Amazing job with this analysis! I love how deep it is, how many details are included

i relate to alice so much, being someone who also suffers from PTSD. my trauma is from sexual abuse as a teen. and when there was clearly red flags my parents did nothing. Feeling neglected, after a few years i started to feel insane with the multiple mental breakdowns everyday. People would think i'm acting crazy at one point someone suggested a mental hospital. I'll never know who was the man that abused me, as i was intoxicated. 10 years later im still suffering from it. Only now am i getting the help from a therapist. It truly feels like a madding journey when it comes to healing. Slowing having to pick apart at my mental disorder. American Mcgee Truly made a real representation of PTSD with Alice and what's even Better is that him and his family now runs a Plushie business called Plushie Dreadfuls by Mysterious. He helps design they plushies alongside his wife, and they have a mental health plushies, i end up getting the PTSD bunny! I am truly thankful we have a man like him on this crazy planet.

this whole video is so amazingly well made and researched. i dont really have the words to give a better compliment, but it gave me a whole new perspective on madness returns. when i first clicked on this video i honestly thought it was going to be another basic obvious take thats often done with this game but no. The intricacies of trauma, PTSD, abuse and is something i dont see talked about often, ESPECIALLY trying to work through that while living in a harsh environment. anyways good job loo

I rly love your editing and your aesthetic !! Thanks for covering this masterpiece also

im using this video as research for my university dissertation on madness returns and its psychological aspects, thank you so much :)

Amazing video!! I love American McGee’s alice and it’s sequel a lot - I’m really bummed that there won’t be a third instalment bc of ea but the concept art for the third game is so wonderful

2:02 the subreddits r/maladaptivedreaming, r/immersivedaydreaming and r/paracosms are proof that for many of us, that ability to create complex inner worlds (and in some cases, the unfortunate tendancy to waste years lost in them) is not an experience limited to children, contrary to popular belief. Also one could argue that most writers that have a single series are essentially putting their paracosms down on paper.

RIP Alice, you would have loved SSRIs

The flowers are an interesting idea, I wonder if that was intentional or not....

Remind you that the Dollmaker's lines were carried over to Black Hiver in MoBros Studios' YTP special Skellington's Revenge: The Nightmare Before Christmas Who. The first example of YTPs being in a more story-focused direction, before the days of Schaffrillas' Sharp Talk, or HourOfPoop's Friar's Rubbing Wood: The Fall of Nottingham. Overall, this game belongs in my 'Best' list of 2011 due to it's themes of authority on the most vulnerable. Alice never remembered the traumatic events, and returned to her childhood innocence Wonderland just so they'll be recovered. Alice was able to face the perpetrator of sexual abuse and the same monster who caused her family's downfall. Madness Returns also accurately portrayed Whitechapel, making more sense when you realize it's poverty-stricken state resulted with high crime and prostitution rates. The duology is a must-play, and worthwhile for horror fans alike. It's a shame EA didn't pitch a third installment, but Alice and Madness Returns became cult-classics for all the right reasons.

i remember my dad got me this game bc it was one of the cheap ones at kmart and it ended up being one of the most fire games i’ve ever played

YESSSSSSS I LOVE THIS GAME!!!! I’m so happy to see people making new content for it :D

I got every achievement i could get in this game. I bought the outfit and weapons packs. I love this game so much.

sad that we'll never see an Alice sequel cuz of EA being EA

First video of yours I have seen. Pretty great Ill have to go through the rest of your catalog. Youve earned a like and sub from me.

Not now mom, I'm watching Graymads

You finally made it! Thank gyatt

Thank you for the video.

Great analysis, you've earned a like :)

very pleasantly surprised by the level of research on display here I'm not a past viewer so I didn't expect it to be honest a lot of people have called the orphanage and bumby overly cartoonish and exaggerated extreme for the sake of disgust and sensationalism but given the time period and setting its quite realistic that a figure of authority over youth with no parents would do something like this given the living parents of children in these places quite often did the same and that systematic abuse, being born into that line of work, was already happening one thing that I still question, as I feel like it can be validly interpreted either way if whether alice herself was a victim of csa that night I know nothing directly says that and at first glance it seems to just imply bumby closed the door to alice's room when he walked by on his way to light the fire but the dollhouse level sticks out to me it could be all formed from alice's subconscious realization of what happened to lizzie and to the children around her at the orphanage but wonderland is to intrinsically a part of alice and what alice has been through that I can't help but think alice also is a survivor of csa if not at bumby's hands then maybe at the asylum since that level also has the twisted medical segments relating to her medical truama they seem interwoven and entwined and again, far too personal to be something alice merely saw around her as an adult but thats just my own interpretation

Amazing video. I loved playing this game but never got to finish it. Keep up the great work!

OMG I FORGOT THIS GAME ME AND MY MOM LOVED THIS

I'll always love it when people bring this game back into the public eye💖 It's such a good game on so many layers. It's one of the only games I loved enough to try and beat on Nightmare mode lol. I can't wait to see what the creator comes out with next, whenever he gives that to us lol.

I loved American Mcgee's Alice back in the day. Never even knew they made a sequel. This was a really good analysis and breakdown. Very enjoyable.

Alice Madness Return is so underrated

GRAYMADS YOURE A GENIUS!!

Besides the Disney animated film this is by far one of my favorite versions of Alice in wonderland

Hey Graymads and people, can you tell me the name of the music okaying at 6:56 to 7:41? thanks

Right, I though I've seen many MANY videos on why American McGee's Alice and Madness Returns are far more than just epic horror games, and I though I have seen all the theories and speculations about it, and yet again, you brought another fact with the deflowering life bar (To quote the one that stuck the most). I do really appreciate your take on Madness Returns and I'll now go listen to what you have to say about the first game =). Regarding the "future" of the series, it's all but darkness, as EA refused to greenlight the third game, keep the rights for themselves because... Reasons (Can't be for pure money making, they "sold" the game on steam for quite the cheap price during chinese new year), McGee himself stated that he is done and don't want to talk about Alice anymore, and the fact a TV show could still happen at some point make me very nervous. In this age of Internet insanity, I fear that all the deep messages of the games might be sacrified for soulless entertainment... Oh wait that's the premice of the third game actually.

This is a great analysis of one of my favorite games And kearned a lot about the context around it especially the medical excerpts quoted Much better than another analysis I saw a while ago that said alice was just a manic pixie dream girl and the sexual stuff was added for shock and surprise

I loved this game..you should check out Scratches or Gabriel Knight

Love this horror game

I'm a simple lady, sees American McGee I click.

I haven't heard anyone mention the LSD dream emulator in so long bro

8:39 PERSONA 2 SPOTTED GRAHHHHH FUCK THIS ONE TATSUYA IN PARTICULAR

I want a sequel 😢😢😢

.....bitvh.....are u playing the diamond instrumental in the background!!?!

If the queen of hearts is younger Alice, then why does she call the queen Lizzy? Her sisters name.

I'm excited for the next game think the guy is building funding to get the rights off ea via his shop. Would love to see more of this universe. I have such a deep love of this game I'm getting tattoos of the characters.

Please for the love of god what's the song being played on the intro ?

Dieses Outro 😂😂😂

I still think there's more depth hidden in the game that will be found over the time.

🎉🎉🎉

I know it has been over a year since we heard the news about Asylum begin cannceled but I don't know why I have still hope that maybe we can have the third and final game, from what I heard people are still demanding Asylum to become real. For me the games are the first games of the horror genre that I liked... and from what games that can become viral I just know tiktok whould have loved to make edits sounds on the third game, games now become viral because of tiktok and the Alice trilogy whould have been viral heck I got edits in french about the gave AND IT HAD MORE THEN 250K LIKES What I'm saying is people need to scream about Asylum for made having a chance to be made

Petition for a Pierce The Veil deep dive😭

could you talk about the primitive radio gods please, their really, really overlooked… please…

Another graymadness to sink my teeth into

hell yeah brother

👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍

Why is this comment section so chaotic? 😅 Did I miss some secret code in the video or something?

Maybe the real best anime was the McGee fanfic we played along the way... *cracks knuckle as Unravel plays*

Dude… ngl the ending of your video kind of got me messed up. I had no idea that Alice was based off of a real girl… and said girl was abused/exploited by the author himself… like bro I feel so icky and conflicted. wth man…

Normally I'm not that interested in these lore deep dives because everything feels like too much of a reach. I can never really buy into the idea that most of the subtle things are intentional in any way. American McGee is an interesting character though. Madness Returns is one of the rare examples of art that can't and shouldn't be separated from the artist. The more you know about American's real life, the more sense the game makes. It's blatantly apparent how truly personal the game is for him. It may have the EA logo, but it's the opposite of a corporate product. I fully believe that he would have put just as much work into the game even if he knew it would sell zero copies; it's a prime example of a passion project that he made for himself at least as much as he made it for the audience.

bro, cool content, but pay attention to the way youre pronouncing the words, and DO NOT read three paragraphs in a single sitting mid video, thats guaranteed to lose a few people, edit.