Alice: Madness Returns Cover Analysis

Spine

·Stylised spine

            -Pros: Flows with the rest of the cover art, makes the cover appear uniform, yet still remains easy to read

·Section at the top shows what console the game in question is compatible with

·Age rating visible, showing the minimum suitable age for players

            -BBFC shows this is the British version of the game

·PAL listing shows this is only compatible with PAL consoles

·Publisher Logo (EA) Present

            -Logo has also been stylised to fit with the artwork

                        >Pros: Flows with the rest of the cover art, making the cover appear uniform

                        >Cons: Makes the logo itself less recognisable compared to other variants of the logo

Protagonist (Alice)

·Due to the more complex backdrop, observer attention sometimes drawn away from her

·Blue Dress implies formal dress, yet the contrast lies in the buckled boots, which look similar to work boots

·Bloodied knife and blood on the dress show Alice is willing to fight and get her hands dirty, should the need arise

·Hair free and flowing, combined with lack of styling implies appearances are not the top of Alice’s concerns (supported by blood-stained dress)

·Cryptic symbols on dress and necklace, implying an enigma/mystery surrounding Alice’s character

·Staring directly at the observer, with eyes focused, perhaps trying to intimidate the observer

·Appearance not overtly sexualised, however character remains disproportionate, e.g. incredibly thin waist

·Weapon in hand appears to be an incredibly intricately patterned kitchen knife, implying she didn’t just pick this up from the kitchen; perhaps was gifted to her

Cover: Front

·Intricate backdrop shows grossly distorted castle ruins, as well as a maze, and what appears to be a Cat’s face in the sky

            -As evidenced by the blurb, this is Wonderland, of C. S. Lewis fame; The Cat is likely The Cheshire Cat

·Floating playing cards imply magic, and the involvement of the Queen of Hearts

·The shape framing Alice and the environment behind her appears to be a giant keyhole, implying that Alice and the environment are within something larger.

            -The keyhole, like Alice’s Dress and blade, and the floor, is bloodstained, perhaps alluding to the game being very violent

·Alice is standing on top of a darkened, black and white chequered tile floor, perhaps implying the darkness of the game

·The title appears to be stylised to look like sharpened steel, and a bloodstained knife fills the place of an “I” further alluding to the violence of the game.

            -Subtitle “Madness Returns” implies this is a sequel.

·The cover also makes note that it is “An American McGee game” American McGee being a designer proud of, and/or renowned enough for his name to be on the cover having enough weight

·Age rating visible, showing the minimum suitable age for players

            -BBFC shows this is the British version of the game

·PAL listing shows this is only compatible with PAL consoles

·Publisher Logo (EA) Present

            -Logo has also been stylised to fit with the artwork

·Console strip at the top of the cover showing the console this game is compatible with.

            Newer game than Bayonetta (Bayonetta released in 2010, Alice in 2011) and as such style of the strip has been changed

Cover: Back

·Alice appears again on the back of the cover, as well as in one of the In-Game screenshots

            -Alice appears to be wearing a different dress to the one she wears on the cover, implying inclusion of appearance changes and/or customisation options

·Screenshots captioned with information about what the player will encounter in the game

·Tagline “We’re All Mad Here”, while a direct reference to the story the game is based on, implies the game has a strong theme of psychosis and mental illness, perhaps Alice herself is mad?

· Blurb talks about the plot of the game, explaining what players should know about the story
            -Blurb is very short and concise, perhaps meaning players do not need to know a great deal beforehand to understand the story

· Age rating visible, showing the minimum suitable age for players

            -BBFC shows this is the British version of the game

            -Also explains why the game is given the rating

·Publisher Logo (EA) Present

            -Logo has also been stylised to fit with the artwork

·Developer Logo (Spicy Horse) present

            -Spicy Horse relatively small company compared to Platinum Games (Bayonetta)

            -Called a studio “leading the way in episodic games”

                        >Alice is not an episodic game, implying perhaps this is not Spicy Horse’s forte

·Features of the game listed, e.g. 1 player, HD capable, Downloadable content etc

            -Mentions being able to download the original game “American McGee’s Alice” formerly exclusive to the PC.