The Patchwork Girl of Oz

Is the theme based on film 'Wizard of Oz'? Didn't know there were books of.

Mr. McGee, I suggest a read on Dorothy Must Die series by Danielle Paige. While it's young adult read (ack) but it has good Oz-gone-bad worldbuilding and I usually used more grim/gory imaginary when I read it. And it improved.

Erin O'Loughlin

There are 13-14 books of it that are "official" so there's a lot to dig into that is very cool and dark!

So happy you're willing to give Oz another try. It really could be an amazing franchise. I think the OZombie story should be left to rest in peace but I'm not good at coming up with overarching story/themes. I like the park idea but would need to be accessed/experienced in an unconventional way... like in the future, an entertainment planet/planetary system created in another galaxy accessible via newly commercialized wormhole travel (lol) or (also in the future) Oz is a place "jacked into" for psychological retreat/vacation that becomes corrupted/invasive. The latter definitely seems like a reskin of movies. Agree with Greg that Dorothy, the whole game really, needs to be its own... but I'm all about her being a redhead. Would the game style be similar to Alice or are you imagining something very different (sandbox, multiplayer, ARPG, etc)?

SCarey151

The Wizard of Oz is so underrate it's sad. I hope to see a dark twist to it.

The weirdness of Alice would go great with Oz I can see a good story of following the yellow brick road that splits into 3 paths so you can reach and fight messed up versions of the lion, scarecrow and tinman to reveal the path that leads to the fake magician whatever he was kill the witch and come back just to find the one at the start of the story was messed up all this time.

Too cute! I would love to see this Dorothy in a game. Perhaps in a Mobile game?

Therese

Apologies in advance for what I’m sure will sound like a rather negative post. While I certainly have some interest in an “Oz” game, there’s a part of me that worries that this project is being undertaken out of a sense that American McGee has to make an “Oz” game after all this time rather than an artistic or heartfelt desire to explore and reinvent that world. I hope there’s honest excitement on the creative side because I’d hate to see all this effort spent on something that feels like a chore or obligation to slog through. But if there’s a genuine spark here, then I’m all for seeing where this goes and what happens! Regarding the art of Dorothy: with those knee-high boots and the general outline of the dress she looks more like an alternate skin for Alice than her own person. I know it's early art but maybe we need some design rules for Dorothy so she can be her own person and not a shadow of Alice (unless of course the big twist is that Dorothy is Shadow Alice, and it's all the same setting of the AMCU - American McGee Cinematic Universe).

Maybe something along the lines of "Wastelands of Oz." Or, "Nightmares of Oz" could fit right in line with your bloody, creepy aesthetic? As always, the concepts look INCREDIBLE! Rock On!!

Love Jack the pumpkin head! He always creeped me out! I also remember the seesaw horse ( something like that) that was also creepy.

Sarah McKeegan

Loooove the Oz concept! I was very disappointed when the first try didn't happen.

I like the idea of an Oz title, but I don’t know anything about the books. Cool to see so many people being passionate about it in the comments. I really like the idea of it being dark and gritty like the scarecrow picture. Although I do think the brain could be changed, and I think he looks too stiff. If he was nimble and could swing around with ease, I’d find it even more terrifying. (Sorry for my ignorance if he’s supposed to be stiff) Then his minions could be the pumpkin heads like in the picture above. And the “Westworld meets Harry Potter” idea sounds awesome. Have you talked to the people already hired for Alice about the possibility of switching to Oz if the financier/publisher decided it so? Maybe something to talk about next stream? I’d guess that you already have, but I just wanted to ask because I know creatives can get really attached to what they’re creating, and deservedly so. But business be business sometimes. I’m also genuinely curious of their thoughts on the Oz idea. And if Alice was chosen, would they be willing to stick around, or come back, to work on an Oz title. But I digress, looking forward to hearing more on both projects!

So just a few ideas! Dorothy is a character who is restless and wants deeply to have another adventure i can imagine she even tells her Aunt and Uncle how she "wishes" that another tornado would sweep her away and take her from the grey planes of Kansas. When this very thing happens Dorothy and toto (a Great dang that serves as her travel companion and her attack dog) she Arrives once again in the Land of Oz and ends up on a perilous journey that is not at all like her last visit. A Nightmarish version of the fairy land lies before her and she learns that they are under the rule of either Glinda or Scarecrow..anywho one of the two have destroyed the kingdoms having being twisted and warped by power. They want to use magic mind control against all of the denizens of Oz (including the native fairy folk of Oz) and the flying monkeys who have complete dominion of the wicked witches castle in the deadly desert and the munchkins who are at war with one another and so Dorothy is faced with the hardest decision when she learns that none of the characters she knew before are or her friends. Maybe she uses a scythe?? Or maybe even a musket! I also have this weird idea that Dorothy isn't used to the Land of Oz gravitational pull so she needs these big clunky magic boots to keep herself grounded so sometimes she moves like she's on the moon! It could even be partially sci-fi! That Oz is like an alternate universe and the tornado is a wormhole! She makes new friends in the Agents against the emerald city. Perhaps the emerald city is destroying oz in a kind of industrialist way? Like destroying the landscapes and killing magical creatures very much like Oz and Mad Max crossover? Perhaps there could be crystal powered vehicles? We could go the futuristic route as well! Idk why but I also kinda picure Dorothy as a black woman?? I think it could be a really Beautiful addition to her character design! I think itd be a big step in the right direction plus it would make her visually dynamic! Anyways just a big idea dump lol I know Definitely want boss fights for all of the friends of the original books and idk ehy but I really wanna see Glinda as the bad guy xD

Hi, if you thought I had opinions on Alice I have SO MANY on Oz. I made a doodle of what American McGee's Dorothy could look like: https://imgur.com/vp7tgFt I think the most important thing is to not try to make Oz something it's not. Making it steampunk, cyberpunk, punk punk, whatever. Alice is such a smash because it's cohesive and organic and still original. Oz uses a lot of elements in its illustrations and early (public domain) adaptations that could lend itself well to modern video games. We've seen the art nouveau and art deco aesthetic work really well for the BioShock series, Outer Worlds, even elements of Red Dead Redemption. Ozombie had the bones of a good story. Exploring the broken kingdoms of Oz, uniting them, joining factions -- that's all really interesting stuff. Just get rid of the zombies and steampunk stuff.

Pretty sure this is the old concept. Looks good though.

Saleh Abu-Rashid

I've wanted this to happen since... well, you started to make it happen. I hope it happens. <3

FifthDream

Loooooove the Oz idea! Really hopes it goes through this time

Protagonist wise, regardless of story, I feel Dorothy should naturally be the protagonist. Although, another idea could be a descendant of her cousin Zebediah; perhaps a granddaughter who has grown up on stories of her great aunt, whose name she shares, and wants to learn what became of Dorothy and Oz, going on a journey that will draw her to the fairy country and discover what has happened since. Perhaps there could be a large industrial movement in Oz, where artificial bodies are favoured over normal ones? Did that ban of magic come back to bite Ozma and Glinda, since it seems very odd to introduce such a law in a land made of magic? Are there consequences to no one dying or aging? Are the Nomes at war with them again, and perhaps it could tie in to the setting of Baum's Adventures of Santa Claus book?

It's wonderful to here you might turn to Oz once again. There is a rainbow after all in these murky days. There are endless possibilities to explore with the Land of Oz. It depends what sort of story and game your want to create. Something like Alice, or more lighthearted, or dark in its own way. The idea of Oz meets Westworld is certainly a unique one, and a story of artificial humans seeking identity and sentience works quite well with Oz, considering how quite a large number of characters are manmade - Scarecrow, Tin Man, Jack Pumpkinhead, Tik-Tok, Scraps, etc. Perhaps a character (The Wizard?) decided to make Oz real in Kansas after hearing of Dorothy's stories, making an Oz theme park using creations that can't die in a parallel to how everyone is eerily made immortal in the books. The animatronics or robots are all lifelike, but rather than it being a journey of them gaining sentience from scratch, these park entertainers literally are the Oz characters, who have somehow been brought from Oz to Kansas, bound to metal, and now stuck in a nightmarish fantasy where they cannot die.

to differentiate this from alice, i wonder if you might consider making this cyberpunk. where oz is a place in the matrix, but the witch is able to possess systems and androids in the real world and kill people for real. it would make it real how the tin man needs a heart and the scarecrow needs a brain. really i just want to hear electro industrial music in the game and i was a little annoyed that alice was restricted to music appropriate for her time (though the industrial toy sound music was good!)

Just the thought of American McGee’s Oz has torn out the remainder of my soul and settled in as a shard of hope of all that is good in the world! PLEASE DO THIS! (Again 😸) It would seem you have already gotten the frame work, can you guys pick through and revamp the pieces you have from your first go at it? Seems a shame to let all that brilliance go to waste! -From Texas where it is also HOT! 😉

Denise Sury

OZombie had some pretty cool artwork to it. I have one of its canvases (the green "brain over Emerald City" one) on my wall to this day.

Rosuav

I believe in my heart you can create a beautiful concept for Oz. Even in the beginning of madness returns, it started with a vision of her memories and ended her in the real world with Bumby. Similarly, a dreamscape land, daydream, vision can awaken her from a slumber and you can venture a farm or surreal (courage the cowardly dog type) land. Have options of where to go and see some background knowledge of characters you'll come across in the future game experience (whereas they will be completely morphed and changed). I think a solid idea (not pitching but rather a nifty fantasy), would be her encounters. First being her dog. Your first companion in the game, almost like a Kingdom Hearts style of teammate, one with different abilities, or even keep it as simple as a fable 2 approach with your little dog whom finds treasures and reacts differently to the environment and your attentiveness towards him. As the story may progress through a yellow bricked fantasy land, you'll slowly come across your teammates (scarecrow, tin, and the lion), each having their own abilities and aviailbities in aiding your quest, but a definitive boss or miniboss to unlock these companions. It would be super neat to implement this as an option (or more of a, YOU CAN beat the game without the team as a complete set, but you'll find it rather difficult and almost impossible, such as being able to fight Ganondorf in the new Breath of the Wild without the guardian spirits). It would be very interesting to see them undergo a sense of turmoil before Dorothy rescues, and even having said that, items/weapons being kept in a picnic basket (menu) or some sort where you can shift through the different materials you'll need to gather in order to progress into areas of Oz. The most beautiful thing is, there is no limitations on ideas, rather funding them. It would be amazing to see a super action/horror based Oz turn into a team-impacted story line with many different types of outcomes along the lines of whom you've got on your team. Not even saying that you should create mechanics of switching between characters, but rather supports in the game who are almost on an autopilot (but it would be AMAZING to see a possible integration of a 2 to 4 player co-op system and take it to a launch online if enough interest broadens around the mystical, and ancient storyline of the beautiful Oz). I do believe in my heart, there should be good ol' American McGee twists and turns to the story itself, but it would be so enticing to see this come to life in the best of ways... Sorry for the book, but omgoodness I have so much passion towards this idea now.💡

I don 't dislike that Dorothy, I love the green bandana, not so convinced by the style, is really a little western =P If I think to Oz' fable I think a lot about magic, so I think can be very creative as theme. If is a survival type of game I can see Oz like the only that can make free the protagonist, or maybe the one that can do a big spell to adjust the wrong things... etc etc... could be another planet or a parallel world with witches... Could be cool make more differences in the north, south etc places.... These are only ideas of the 2 of night, have fun =) bye!

Gotta question. You ask who's story is this, what about if you make it sort of maybe Dorothy being the main characters ancestor? That way you keeps close to Dororhy as the character but not making it Dorothy directly? I know that was done in 'Tin Man' etc. But if you went with a different back story and objective? Specially since Dorothy became a Princess. Idk...just thought I would throw some silly ideas out there to help.

Oh please make it John R. Neil Dorothy. And an island off of CA works with Baum as he stayed in the Hotel Del in San Diego and Trot was thought to be in the caves near La Jolla. Polychrome, Button Bright, Ojo the Lucky—I think there was a weird excised chapter about someone growing human heads in The Patchwork Girl of Oz, something about the Garden of Meat? Oh the scary magic tree that makes you grow into the ground with Trot and Cap’n Bill..don’t forget Sky Island and The Sea Fairies....so much good stuff!!!

The other three members of the party could be a member of the Lollipop Guild, a Flying Monkey and one other. Maybe Dorothy has inherited the power of Glenda.

OZ is one of a handful of announced then cancelled games that still are close to my heart. I remember reading the Gamespot article about it very vividly. Hopefully the third time is the charm. As for the main character... why not a four person team? It could be Dorothy and three others. Maybe her original companions are missing.

I've read and re-read the Oz books many, many times. We had a lot of the concepts, characters, and locations captured in Ozombie... http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/spicyhorse/ozombie

American McGee

Eeeeeeeee!

Stephanie Groth

LOTS of content we can mine for things like this. LOTS. Woo. We're not quite to the question of "who's the boss" yet. We need our concept and foundation. Whose story is this? What problem are they trying to solve (about themselves, about the world). Once we have some of that sketched out, we can dig into things like bosses, world layout, etc.

American McGee

i'm looking forward to wheelers and tik tok (he's so badass) and lunch pail trees. dorothy's problem is people think she's crazy, but oz is real and no one will believe her. this is different from alice who deals with her internal wonderland. this is more like narnia. there's even a lion!

And remember there are 4 sections to the Land of Oz. And colors. Blue, Purple, Yellow and Red. You also have the deadly desert, you have the Quadlings, Munchkins, Winkies and many other characters.

Agree 100% on all of this. Dorothy would be my preference for the main character. Though I don't know if we're going with the "classic" Dorothy from the book - that's just a temporal question. In terms of character, yes 100%.

American McGee

Yeah, Baum wrote "Oz" to be a real place that Dorothy physically visited. This is why I like the idea of making it a proper island (perhaps somewhere off the coast of California) that we've not discovered because it's always shrouded in fog and mist. Making it a real place also makes it possible for more than one person (our hero) to go there.

American McGee

As for the hero, it’s gotta be Dorthy. L. Frank Baum wrote Dorthy as a strong, self saving young woman. His feminism informed how he wrote her character. As much as the 1939 film is my favorite movie, they neutered her character and made her another on-screen damsel. I would like to see you tackle the character and bring the same strength you brought to Alice injected into Dorthy. As for Oz, the world should definitely be a real place. I think you lose something if the world is simulated or a dream.

Lucky Dragon ‘She.They’

Why don't you use Mombi as your main boss? And have Princess Langwidere (priness with interchangeable heads) as a sub boss? Or even Glinda as your main boss? I mean the ideas are really never ending. As a hugr OZ fan myself the OZ community could really be helpful in this creation. We are large. The use of the Silver Shoes would be nice and Princess Ozma. Shoot you could have her as your main boss too.

Unlike Wonderland, I'm very certain Oz was a real place Dorothy went to. It's funny how most films imply that Oz was a dream, but Wonderland was real.

Death of Ink