Now that Gamescom has kicked off, a seemingly endless barrage of new game trailers are hitting social media, and it’s easy for smaller projects to get lost in the shuffle. But as a longtime fan of American McGee’s Alice (and someone who still hasn’t stopped mourning the franchise’s undeserved fate), one title from today’s Find Your Next Game showcase immediately caught my eye: Cutout, a 2D side-scrolling action game in which you play a paper doll with the power to snip off and steal the limbs of her enemies.
In Cutout, players control Lena, a “child of the forest” who takes the form of a 2D paper doll. After discovering a pair of scissors–and tapping into her internal rage–Lena embarks on a quest through a grimdark fairytale world full of enemies whose limbs she can sever and attach to her own body, giving her unique powers. But there’s a catch: Enemies can also steal Lena’s limbs and use them against her in battle.
In addition to stealing various limbs for advantage in combat, players will also be faced with choices that will shape what kind of person Lena becomes.
“Will you claim what they denied you, or heal what they destroyed?” an unseen narrator asks in the game’s trailer.
From the spooky-cute fairytale aesthetic to the surprisingly violent premise and even Lena’s striped stockings, Cutout is definitely giving off major Alice vibes (with a dash of Little Nightmares in there, too). We’ll likely never get another Alice game from American McGee (thanks, EA), but with Cutout on the way, fans of nightmarish fairytales finally have a spiritual successor to look forward to.
Developed by Italian studio 906 Games, Cutout does not yet have an official release date, but is listed as “coming soon” on Steam, where it’s currently available to wishlist.