Editor’s note: Contains spoilers from Seasons 1 and 2.
“Alice in Borderland,” a Japanese sci-fi thriller series directed by Shinsuke Sato, first aired on Netflix in December 2020. It is a live action show based on a manga by Haro Aso, which, in turn, was heavily inspired by Lewis Carroll’s “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.”
The show follows Ryohei Arisu, the protagonist who finds himself transported to a deserted version of Tokyo with two of his friends. In the strange world known as “Borderland,” all the selected players must survive various deadly games to win “visas,” which determines the days they have left to live. What makes this show especially engaging is the complexity of the games, which vary in strategy, difficulty and mental impact.
Each game is ranked based on category and difficulty determined by a card suit and number. Among the numerous games in “Alice in Borderland,” many stand out for their ingenuity in being able to test human limits.
The four suits represent the category of each challenge. Clubs test teamwork, spades test brute strength and endurance, diamonds test intelligence and hearts — commonly deemed the most difficult of the categories — explore human emotions.
In addition to category type, each game is ranked on a scale from two to ace, representing varying levels of difficulty, with ace and face cards being the most difficult.
As the show progresses, each card is slowly collected, assuming you survive each game. Once the players complete the full deck, they are granted permission to return back to the old world. This article will rank a couple of season one’s most notable games.
Distance (Four of Clubs)
In the game called Distance, players start in a tunnel at a bus marked “GOAL.” Their phones show a number that increases with each step they take, but the final destination is never revealed. The rules are simple: Reach the goal before time runs out. Most players assume the final goal is at the end of the tunnel, when, in reality, their final destination is the bus where they started.
As a Clubs game, it tests teamwork, despite the incomprehensible amount of running required. At the end of the tunnel lies a massive pipe, ready to burst open and flood the area with water once the timer runs out, leaving only the people back at the start safe. The catch is that those who stayed on the bus survive.
As for me, I would not have survived this game and likely would have followed the group blindly into the tunnel’s deadly floodwater. While only being a level four, the game is much more deceptive than it seems.
Light Bulb (Four of Diamonds)
In Light Bulb, players are trapped in a small room with a set of switches and lightbulbs and must figure out the correct combination to illuminate one bulb before they are electrocuted. As the water level rises, it will eventually reach the exposed electrical circuits if the game isn’t executed in time.
Personally, I would panic and struggle to think clearly amid the sheer pressure and noise, instead merely hoping to play with someone smart like Arisu and leave it to them. Still, in the grand scheme of things, Light Bulb is among the least chaotic of games.
Difficulty ranking: 3/5
A Game of Tag (Five of Spades)
In Tag, players are trapped in a multistory apartment complex and must search for a safe room to diffuse a bomb, all the while avoiding two “taggers,” who are armed with machine guns and machetes. The taggers’ mission is to hunt down all the players. Due to the long, exposed hallways and the countless doors, it is extremely difficult for targets to evade the hunter once spotted.
As the game progresses, the players learn to warn each other about the hunters’ whereabouts to survive. This Spades game forces players to constantly run and hide from the hunter. The game would be a living nightmare for me since I do not like being chased, nor am I good at hiding.
Difficulty ranking: 5/5
Solitary Confinement (Jack of Hearts)
Solitary Confinement is one of the show’s most iconic games. In it, players are locked inside a prison and forced to wear explosive collars. On the back of their collars, a card suit is assigned to each player and can be seen by all players except the wearer. At the end of every round, they must declare their designated symbol solely based on the intel gathered from other players. Declare wrong and you explode.
The twist is that among the players lies the Jack of Hearts, manipulating and spreading misinformation that leads to fatal guesses. To win, Jack must be rooted out.
As suspicions grow, small group alliances are formed but quickly collapse as players begin betraying one another to survive, fearing the other is a Jack. The real difficulty of the game is not intelligence or teamwork, but deciding who to trust. The only way I’d ever survive this game is if I had a friend with me; otherwise, I would have extreme trust issues and take my own guess either way.
Difficulty ranking: 5/5
Through all of these games, “Alice in Borderland” demonstrates how survival is far more than brute strength or intelligence. Some challenges may test logic and critical thinking, while the most difficult ones expose raw human nature itself.
What makes this series so compelling is how the games push players to their limits and chaotic plot twists. No game ever ends the way I perceived it would. Each game is meticulously designed and psychologically intense and after revisiting these games. It’s so good that I just might have to rewatch the series again.
