Both Alice: Otherlands and OZombie are currently in pre-production while American McGee is trying to obtain the Alice copyright from Electronic Arts. Pre-production is the part of development where nothing substantial is actually being produced and the team spends their days doodling on whiteboards and brainstorming for fun ideas. Since Spicy Horse has always been reliably enthusiastic to share its ideas with the public, this means both the OZombie and Alice: Otherlands Facebook pages are a constant stream of pretty pictures and announcements. For your convenience, I have assembled all the information we currently have on Alice: Otherlands.
In the game, we once again assume the role of Alice Liddell, the young lady who in the previous two games fought to reclaim control of her mind. Having cured herself, she returns to the asylum, where she was once tormented, to enter the minds of inmates and patients. The game is scheduled to have a full-fledged singleplayer mode, which will cost $25 dollars and requires a one-time log in to activate the game, after which it will be playable offline. Whether this means the multiplayer will be sold separately in unknown, but what Spicy Horse did confirm is that they will be making plenty of DLC in the form of various dresses. Some comments also indicate that the DLC might come in the form of small, episodic chapters, though it’s uncertain if those comments were serious or not. Aside from the activation, no further DRM methods will be implemented.
What kind of form the multiplayer will be taking on is, so far, unknown and it seems to be slowly pushed to the side due to fans fearing it would become the focus of the game. Previous statements claimed it would allow the player to create their own maps and have people play them, which would make it a very depressing version of Little Big Planet, but others, like a recent interview with VG247, indicate that the multiplayer would focus on competitive combat with support for clans and tournaments. Either way, it appears that multiplayer might become a stretch goal for the Kickstarter, which itself will have an asking price of $1.5m.
If you are interested in the game or want to help steer it in the right direction, then I recommend checking out the Facebook page. I am eager to see how this story will turn out: Will they ever obtain the rights? Will Otherlands persevere? Only time will tell…
