VIDEO GAME REVIEW: Alice Madness Returns

Last Updated on July 23, 2021

Published by:  EA Games
Developed by: Spicy Horse
Release Date: 06/14/2011
Available on: Xbox 360, PlayStation 3

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INTRO:  Alice (yes, the one from wonderland)is back in this sequel to American McGee’s gothic classic from 2000, Alice. In case you’re wondering, the original game was a twisted take on the already dark interpretive tale of the girl who gets lost down the rabbit hole.

Today, we pick up eleven years after the events in the first game, as Alice is seeking professional help for all of the things that took place during her journey. The game switches in and out between flashbacks to Wonderland and as the game goes on we learn more about the horrid fire that wiped out Alice’s family. You’ve got to live through Alice’s repressed memories.
Take another trip to the land of wonder, and encounter the characters you know and love, like the white rabbit, Cheshire Cat, the Queen and of course, The Mad Hatter.

GAMEPLAY:

Madness returns is really a platforming game, of the old-school variety. You don’t see a lot of 3D platformers anymore these days (feels weird to say that a 3D platformer is pretty much old-school, doesn’t it?). Either way, Alice isnt’ really an action-adventure game. You’re doing a lot of jumping, triple jumping, floating, dodging and gliding. There are also some brief scenes where you’ll be walking the streets of Victorian London.

I’m always up for a retro-styled sort of game, and this one will test you. As you go along you’ll encounter a fair amount of typical platform puzzles (move this over here, pull on this thing, strike this object with that thing). On top of this, you have the ability to shrink using a potion which will allow you to see hidden platforms within the game. Things get a little challenging when using the potion though, because you can’t jump once you’ve shrunk, yet you can only see the hidden platforms when minute. This means it can be hard to see where the platform truly is, and you’re going to die a lot. If you die during a platforming pitfall you’ll respawn fairly close to where you were though, so that part shouldn’t make you pull your hair out.

This is also a fairly lengthy game. You’ll spend at least 13 or so hours on this and if you’re a real treasure hunter you’ll take longer. The game’s level design isn’t perfect, but the art direction is superb and keeps you wanting more for the most part. Unfortunately, the platforming elements can feel repetitve after awhile. There are a few moments where the game deviates from the usual though. During one chapter, you get to play a game where you roll doll heads around, and another one brings the game to a 2D plane reminiscent of Paper Mario. These moments are few and far in between, though.

This one isn’t out of the woods yet though, because combat is a bit of a mixed bag. As you progress, you pick up a few weapons. In terms of melee combat, you’re armed with the Vorpal Blade for speed and the Hobby Horse for power; on the projectile side of things you’ll pick up a grenade-like device and an umbrella shield to help bounce back the things thrown or shot at you by foes. You can lock on to enemies, and it’s usually done automatically. Combat can be fun periodically, once you get the hang of your weapons and can string some combos together. The enemies are pretty okay, with Ruins and Card Guards to stand in your way (although I was partial to the creepy dolls from the Dollhouse level). Don’t hold out for bosses though, because these levels just end. Weird, eh?

There is some serious frustration ahead though.  get ready to lose patience. It’s not at all uncommon to have to go back several minutes in the level once you’ve been killed. The game doesn’t seem to measure this well and this sense of unevenness will anger all but the most patient gamer. On top of this, the lock on system is brutal once you have to deal with a bunch of bad guys. You’ll want to take out a big guy, but the game focuses you on a lesser enemy and you get jumped on endlessly until you get killed. I also felt as though the combat could be uneven, with enemies being end-of-the-level heavy. This might not bother some people, but I felt like thie was another thing that wasn’t balanced properly.

Gameplay: 6.5/10

GRAPHICS:

As I mentioned before, the art style of this game is fantastic, psychadelic and detailed. Although the levels have cool overarching themes, they aren’t designed well throughout the game. As the game wears on, some of the later levels feel dull and uninspired (Japan comes to mind, as does the lame Pirate area). Alice herself looks great, with clothing details that shine through quite well and hair texture that boasts impressive detail. The enemies don’t fare so well though. They look cool enough in still pictures but in motion they’re not as sharp. They seem to be missing frames of animation as they move around, resulting in jerky, weird looking movement.
Unfortunately, this looks like a last-gen title and ages the game right out of the box.

Graphics: 6/10

AUDIO:

The sound design fares quite well for this dark journey. The voice acting is quite good, and the musical score is excellent and appropriate. No real complaints here.

Audio: 8.5/10

FINAL VERDICT:

Although I wouldn’t rush right out and buy it, the sequel to American McGee’s Alice has some promise- at least initially. There IS some fun to be had here, but it helps to be a fan of the source material. Madness Returns isn’t a cutting-edge game by any means and has really frustrating moments that keep it from being a ‘must’ for any reason. Still though, if you loved the last game, this entry is at least worth a look.

Final Score: 6.5/10

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