There’s an undeniable thrill that comes from watching ordinary people pushed to their absolute limits in high-stakes survival scenarios. For a brief moment in recent television history, we were blessed with not one but two powerhouse series exploring this exact premise: Squid Game and Alice in Borderland. Both shows captured our collective imagination with their brutal games and psychological tension, but as the dust settles and both series have released multiple seasons, an interesting pattern has emerged. What started as two distinct approaches to the death game genre has slowly converged into something that feels increasingly familiar, and not necessarily in a good way.
Alice in Borderland arrived on the scene with a unique identity – a surreal, almost dreamlike quality that distinguished it from its Korean counterpart. The show’s premise of characters being transported to a parallel world where they must compete in deadly games to survive felt fresh and innovative. There was a certain freedom in its approach, allowing for more complex and elaborate game designs that challenged both the characters and viewers intellectually. The psychological depth explored through characters grappling with their real-world issues while navigating this bizarre landscape gave the show a distinctive flavor that resonated with audiences looking for something beyond straightforward survival drama.
Squid Game, on the other hand, became a global phenomenon by keeping things deceptively simple. The games were childhood classics with deadly twists, making them instantly recognizable and accessible to international audiences. What the show lacked in complexity, it made up for in raw emotional power and social commentary. The characters felt grounded and relatable, their motivations clear and their struggles deeply human. The show’s strength lay in its ability to make viewers care deeply about these ordinary people caught in extraordinary circumstances, creating an emotional investment that transcended cultural barriers.
As both series progressed, however, something curious happened. The creative lines between them began to blur. Recent seasons of Alice in Borderland have seemingly adopted some of Squid Game’s narrative techniques and thematic approaches, leading to criticism that it’s lost some of its original spark. Where once it stood apart with its unique blend of psychological depth and complex game mechanics, it now sometimes feels like it’s following a template rather than forging its own path. This convergence raises important questions about creative influence versus imitation in an increasingly interconnected entertainment landscape.
The real tragedy here isn’t that one show is better than the other – both have their merits and appeal to different aspects of the death game genre. The issue is that in trying to capture what made Squid Game successful, Alice in Borderland risks losing what made it special in the first place. The best stories in any genre are those that understand their own strengths and lean into them rather than chasing trends. As viewers, we deserve shows that challenge us in unique ways and offer fresh perspectives, not just variations on themes we’ve already seen executed brilliantly elsewhere. The death game genre has plenty of room for innovation, and both shows would benefit from remembering what made them stand out initially rather than trying to occupy the same creative space.
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