Bendy and the Ink Machine Alice the Angel: Why She’s Still the Scariest Part of the Cycle

Bendy and the Ink Machine Alice the Angel: Why She’s Still the Scariest Part of the Cycle

You’re walking through a hallway made of rotting wood and leaking pipes, and suddenly, you hear it. A voice that sounds like honey mixed with battery acid. It’s Alice Angel. But honestly, if you were expecting a halo and a harp, you clearly haven’t spent enough time in Joey Drew Studios. Bendy and the Ink Machine Alice the Angel is probably one of the most tragic, messed-up examples of "don't meet your idols" in gaming history.

She isn't just a monster. She’s a failed dream.

Most people play through Chapter 3 and think, "Okay, she’s a crazy lady who wants my heart." Well, yeah, she definitely wants your heart. But the lore behind her is way deeper than just a slasher villain in a flapper dress. She’s actually the intersection of corporate greed, voice acting politics, and a literal descent into madness.

Who Actually is Alice the Angel?

Basically, Alice was supposed to be the studio’s breakout female star. Joey Drew wanted a "female touch" to rival Bendy’s popularity. Enter Susie Campbell. Susie wasn’t just a voice actress; she felt like she was Alice. She’d walk down the halls and people would call her "Alice," and she loved it.

Then everything went south.

Sammy Lawrence, the music director, eventually told Susie she was being replaced by a newcomer named Allison Pendle. Susie was devastated. She felt like a part of her died. When Joey Drew—who was basically a cult leader with a checkbook—offered her a chance to "become" the character for real via the Ink Machine, she took it.

What came out wasn't a perfect angel. It was a "Twisted Alice."

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She’s got a halo that looks like it’s piercing her skull and a face that’s half-melted. It’s haunting. It’s also a direct reflection of how she felt: broken and replaced.

The Obsession with Perfection

In Bendy and the Ink Machine Alice the Angel is obsessed with one thing: beauty. Because she came out of the ink deformed, she spends her time harvesting parts from other ink creatures. Think about that for a second. She’s literally ripping the "hearts" out of Butcher Gang clones and Boris clones just to try and fix her face.

She tells you straight up: "The first time I was born, I was a wiggling, puddled, shapeless slug."

That’s a rough way to start life.

She sees Henry (that’s you) as a tool. She sends you on errands to collect "thick ink" and "gear" because she’s too busy being a "Queen" on Level 9. Her dialogue is some of the best in the game because it switches from sweet and melodic to absolute screaming rage in half a second. It shows that Susie Campbell’s soul is still in there, fighting with the cartoon persona.

Why Chapter 3 Changed Everything

Before Chapter 3, the game was mostly just running from the Ink Demon. It was a bit of a walking simulator with jumpscares. But Alice added a psychological layer. She gave the studio a voice. A scary, manipulative, and very human voice.

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  • The Choice: You have to choose the "Path of the Angel" or the "Path of the Demon." It doesn't change the ending, but it changes how you see the world.
  • The Tasks: Some people hated the "fetch quests," but they were designed to make you feel like her servant.
  • The Betrayal: That elevator scene? Brutal. You think you're getting out, and then she literally drops the floor out from under you.

The Difference Between Susie and Allison

This is where it gets kinda confusing for new players. There isn't just one "Alice."

In the first game, you mostly deal with Twisted Alice (Susie Campbell). She’s the one who kidnaps Boris and tries to kill you. But then, at the end of Chapter 4, she gets stabbed in the back by a different Alice.

That second one is Allison Angel (Allison Pendle).

Allison is "perfect." Well, as perfect as you can get in a world made of ink. She’s calm, she’s got a sword, and she actually wants to help you. It’s a literal battle of the two voice actresses. Susie’s bitterness vs. Allison’s purity. It’s a great piece of storytelling that doesn't need a 20-minute cutscene to explain. You just see them and you get it.

Why She Matters in the Horror Genre

A lot of horror games rely on monsters that just growl. Alice is different. She talks to you. She judges you. She makes you feel like you’re part of her weird, twisted play.

She represents the "uncanny." She looks like a human, but her proportions are off, her eyes are "pie-cut" cartoon eyes, and her skin is black ink. It’s that middle ground between a person and a puppet that makes people uncomfortable.

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Honestly, she’s the most "human" villain in the series. The Ink Demon is a force of nature. He doesn't have a motive other than "kill." But Alice? She has a reason. She’s vain. She’s hurt. She’s a rejected employee who was told she wasn't good enough. That’s a lot more relatable than just being a scary ink blob.

Digging into the Lore (The Stuff You Missed)

If you listen to the hidden audio logs, you find out that Alice was never as popular as Bendy. Shawn Flynn, the guy who made the merchandise, mentioned that the Alice dolls didn't sell well.

Imagine being Susie Campbell. You gave up your life, your soul, and your sanity to become a character that wasn't even that popular in the first place. That’s a special kind of hell.

In the sequel, Bendy and the Dark Revival, we see her again. She’s still the same old Alice, hunting "Lost Ones" and being a general menace. But by then, she’s almost like a ghost of the past. The world has moved on, but she’s still stuck in her "tea party" rooms, obsessing over her looks.

What You Should Do Next

If you’re trying to 100% the game or just want the full experience, there are a few things you should actually try:

  1. Listen to every Susie Campbell tape. It’s the only way to understand why she’s so angry. Her descent from "excited actress" to "betrayed victim" is tragic.
  2. Look at the environment on Level 9. The way she’s decorated her "lair" is full of little hints about her psyche.
  3. Try the Tommy Gun trick. It’s a huge pain to get, but if you do the tasks in a specific way without dying and without choosing the wrong path, you can actually get a submachine gun to fight back. It makes the "Angel" feel a lot less invincible.

Alice isn't going anywhere. Even with the new games coming out, she remains the gold standard for what a "Bendy" villain should be. She’s not just scary because she has a knife; she’s scary because she’s a reminder that even "angels" can be corrupted if you give them enough ink and a little bit of rejection.

Go back and replay Chapter 3. But this time, don't just run. Actually listen to her. You might find that the "Angel" is more of a victim than the demon she’s running from.


Next Steps for Lore Hunters:

  • Find all of Susie Campbell's audio logs in the "Heavenly Toys" section to unlock the "The Path of the Angel" achievement.
  • Compare the physical designs of Twisted Alice and Allison Angel to see how the "Ink Machine" interprets "perfection" versus "failure."