Alice: Madness Returns

Beautiful game beautiful graphics and a little bit glitches and not a lot of weapons to use in the game but not bad

This is perhaps one of my favorite videogames of all time. The macabre artstyle, witty dialogue, eerie atmosphere, all bundled in one lovely package.

Gameplay consists mostly platforming and satisfying combat. Occassionally there are few puzzles in each level, which differ from one another depending on the area itself. Although the jumps can get slippery at times. Combat mechanics varies from close slashing to ranged projectiles depending on which enemies your are facing. You also unlock different costumes for each level you complete (there are 7 in total.)

Another element included in this game are the collectables. There's loads of teeth, that act as currency, which can be used to upgrade weapons. Then there are Bottles and Memories, that offers more lore of the game and references from it's predecessor (American McGee's Alice).

The plot is an continuation of the last game. Alice is having trouble with her past traumas (surviving a house fire, which killed her family). Her therapist tries to make her forget her past, but she wants to know, what caused the fire. At the same time, the Wonderland is falling into ruin from the effect of Alice's broken memories. It is up to her to not only save Wonderland, but herself as well.

This sequel is definitely an improvement from the last game. However I wished there was more additional content, particularly with cosmetics. If there were more weapons, gadgets or costumes to buy, that would give the currency available some worth.

As the title suggests, one of the glaring problems with most sequels is that they try too hard to relive the elements that made its predecessor famous, and wind up just rehashing it to nauseating results. Not with this game! Here you are treated to all of the nostalgia of the first, with new elements and visuals that are just a taste of the first game but a total treat for your senses. The story is great (warning, the story is very DARK) and the visuals for most of the game is astounding. Some of the cut scenes were jerky. There were some issues with lip syncing. There were some parts of the gameplay that were a little frustrating, namely the controls and trying to get around some of the jump puzzles, but otherwise it was tolerable. I really enjoyed this game, but the wonkyness of the controls and jumpy cut scenes lost it a few points. I beat it in 74 hours.

About as twisted as it gets...

Story: The story is about a girl name Alice Liddell who people see as mentally insane. People think she started a fire and killed her family but she insists she didn't do it. As you progress in the game you discover many more details about the fire. You end up being in wonderland most of the game which is expected but after each chapter you go back to the real world.

Characters: The characters in Alice are quite impressive, many of your Alice in Wonderland favorites are in this game. There were a few characters I liked more than others but they were all enjoyable. (cheshire cat is my favorite)

Gameplay: This game reminded me much of God Of War in terms of game play, Alice is a hack-n-slash kind of game. This game also has many jumping puzzles and a few mini games along the way. My only complaint is that it seemed to get more and more repetitive as I played. I should mention that this game is extremely twisted and had me questioning my own sanity while playing it.

Graphics: Alice Madness Returns has some very whimsical looking graphics, Most places are dark and horrid looking but they managed to make it look alright. Some of the brighter areas of the game seemed to stand out much more graphically to me personally. Overall the graphics are what made the game feel so different.

The Verdict: You may be asking why I gave this a 7. I was unable to give this more than that because though I believe this game was good, I personally don't like puzzle games. I'm not a huge fan of hack-n-slash but I can deal with them. My final rating is a 7 but I do believe that if you like puzzle games you will enjoy this game much more than I did.

I would have given the game 8.5 it that were possible. Quite enjoyable with only some tracts of play a little repetitive. This game plays brilliantly in 3D although this authors preferred mode is first person it is possible to switch to FP but once you have gotten over the mechanics this wont be necessary Pointing a weapon at times can be a little bit weird because you tend to stray back and forth until you manage to lock onto a target, possibly a leftover from console Dev.The change in scenery appears at perfect intervals and Graphically both Texture and animations it is quite good. Plenty of puzzles and some side scrolling mini games to help you while away the hours. A little bit more variation in weapons would have been nice but perhaps the Dev's were trying to remain true to the story. The game was not overly short so good value for your money. Voice acting was also quite well done. Not much to complain about. Possible re-playability given time. Nice touch being able to change Alices attire but that may have been "borrowed" from Tomb Raider.