Lewis Carroll’s Alice

Lewis Carroll’s Alice is a 2D side-scrolling action-adventure game inspired by the classic literature of Lewis Carroll. Players navigate through a fantastical world filled with challenges and puzzles, drawing from the whimsical yet dark themes of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. The game features direct control and a fixed/flip-screen visual style, offering an immersive experience for fans of the original stories.

Lewis Carroll’s Alice: Review

Introduction

Lewis Carroll’s Alice invites players into a whimsical world where literature meets interactive fiction. This short, hand-drawn adventure game is a retelling of the classic novel Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, offering a fresh perspective through engaging mini-games and atmospheric visuals. While it lacks the dark morbidness of American McGee’s take, it instead aims for a more faithful and family-friendly experience. However, its simplicity and short length might be a double-edged sword for players seeking a deeper challenge.

Development History & Context

The brainchild of indie developer Revie Studios, Lewis Carroll’sAlice was released in 2022 as a love letter to the original novel. Built using the Phaser game engine, it’s designed to be accessible with its 2D platformer mechanics and easy-to-pick-up controls. In the gaming landscape filled with both casual and hardcore Alice adaptations, this game targets a more family-friendly audience, making it a rare entry in the genre that focuses on fun, light-hearted gameplay rather than psychological horror.

Narrative & Thematic Deep Dive

The narrative closely follows the structure of the original novel, taking players through familiar stages like the Rabbit Hole, the Pool of Tears, and the Queen’s croquet ground. Key moments are reimagined as interactive sections where players can influence the outcome within the constraints of the story. Dialogue is minimal but effective, often using direct quotes from the book to maintain authenticity.

Themes wise, it touches on the innocence of childhood and the power of imagination, avoiding the darker undercurrents present in other adaptations. This makes the game suitable for younger audiences while still holding a charm for older players nostalgic for the lighter side of Wonderland.

Gameplay Mechanics & Systems

At its core, Lewis Carroll’s Alice is a 2D platformer with a sidescrolling perspective. The controls are straightforward: moving Alice with the arrow keys and using the spacebar for interactions. The game features a series of world-stage transitions, each leading into mini-games inspired by the book’s chapters. These mini-games include:

1. * Swimming in the Pool of Tears *: Guide Alice through water by tilting her perspective.
2. * Painting Roses Red *: A timed matching game to change white roses.
3. * Playing Croquet with the Queen *: A physics-driven, light-hearted croquet sim.

Each mini-game requires precision timing and spatial awareness, but their short duration and low difficulty make them suitable for even the most casual players. Character progression is minimal, with checkpoints placed to ensure limited frustration. The UI is clean, focusing on necessary controls, and the HUD elements are unobtrusive.

World-Building, Art & Sound

The game’s most striking feature is its visual style, which leverages John Tenniel’s original 1865 illustrations. The hand-drawn characters and backgrounds partner with detailed animations to create a visually rich utopia. The world is presented in 2D scrolls, giving a sense of depth through multi-layered parallax.

Sound design enhances the atmosphere, with incidental music that subtly builds tension during mini-games and ambient sounds that place players right in Wonderland. The use of authentic dialogue recordings from professional voice actors adds a sense of wonder and brings the characters to life.

Reception & Legacy

Upon release, Lewis Carroll’s Alice received limited critical coverage due to its small scale and independent status. User reviews are mixed, with praise for its visuals and story but criticism for the short playtime and simplistic gameplay. While not a commercial blockbuster, it holds a special place for those seeking a faithful and stress-free take on Alice’s journey. Its influence within the game industry is minimal but may serve as inspiration for future indie developers looking to explore classic literature.

Conclusion

Lewis Carroll’s Alice is a molecular drop in the vast sea of Alice adaptations. Its well-drawn visuals, light-hearted gameplay, and faithful storytelling make it a pleasurable time killer for fans of the original tale. However, the short duration and limited gameplay depth may not satiate those seeking a longer, more complex experience. As an indie labor of love, it accomplishes what it sets out to do — offer a short, jury-friendly visit to Wonderland in the footsteps of one of literature’s most enduring characters.