Jun 14, 2011 Alice: Madness Returns takes place 10 years after the conclusion of the original game, with Alice struggling to recover from the emotional trauma of losing her entire family in a fatal fire. After spending a decade institutionalized in an insane asylum, she is finally released to the care of a psychiatrist who just may be able to help her conquer the nightmarish hallucinations that still haunt her. Jan 24, 2015 Gameplay of Alice: Madness Returns is an even mixture of platforming and hack and slash gameplay with players having several variety of weapons to call on in combat. From the traditional vorpal blade to the pepper grinder that turns into a crank.
The original Alice title was a PC exclusive, and remains a collector's item for fans of the darker take on an already dark story. We now have a sequel to that game that continues the story of Alice while also exploring her past. The game features solid platforming and some inspired aesthetic choices, but that doesn't save the game from repetition and a lack of ambition.
The 1st game felt like wonderland, the enemies, weapons, locations, everything was all based on alice in wonderland. The 2nd game? The weapons were alright, but only 1 returned from alice 1. Only 1 out of 11. The enemies were awful, basically every new enemy was a bunch of tar with a doll face, or some other form of a doll.
You'll be floating from platform to platform throughout the game, but the core mechanics have not changed or matured in any meaningful way in the sections I played. The problem is that each chapter seems to go on forever, long past the point of tedium.
Alice: Madness Returns
ps3*, xbox, pc
- Release Date: now
- MSRP: $59.99
* = platform reviewed
The game adds many beautiful touches to the classical play. When you dodge attacks you briefly break apart into a fluttering group of butterflies. You block projectiles by spinning a parasol. You'll see wonderful patterns in the motion blur of your Vorpal blade. At its best, this is game that looks like a painting, and the interstitial chapters that take place in a Dickensian London are appropriately dark and dreary, making Wonderland seem even more beautiful in comparison.
The enemies are also well crafted, and require a series of different strategies to take down. Alice will gain four weapons in the game, and you'll need to use them all in different ways to excel in combat and exploration. Each of the weapons can be upgraded by spending the teeth you collect by killing enemies and exploring the nooks and crannies of the levels. My personal favorite is the pepper grinder, which operates like a machine gun when Alice turns the crank. It's these subtle subversions of expected gaming mechanics that makes the game so much fun for the first few hours.
The problem is the platforming rarely changes, and the whole game begins to feel like an item quest. You'll be chasing teeth, bottles, memories, and trying to pepper pig snouts—because that's what you do—while trying to keep an eye open for all the different kinds of collectibles, and it can all grow tiresome. While the graphics and look of each world may change, you'll also be floating from platform to platform and solving light puzzles. There are a few neat moments when the gameplay changes somewhat, but those moments are wildly uneven.
It's fun to explore each world for a bit, but then it seems to drag on and on as you continually do the same thing. There were many sessions where I was just wishing for a section to end already so I could leave the game at a good point for the night. That should never be a feeling you get from a platformer. When I was in the middle of a long quest in a world, only to meet a character who gave me another repetitive task featuring multiple steps before he would give me what I needed to finish the original quest, I wanted to throw the controller down in disgust.
The graphical quality of the game is also problematic. While the art direction is superb, you'll often find muddy textures, characters lacking detail, or graphical glitches. The voices likewise alternate between magical and hard to sit through. In some sections it seems like quality was controlled and kept high, only to come crashing down in the next segment of the game.
Alice Madness Returns Esrb
When the game clicks, and the story and setting and action all work together, it's a wonderful time. The problem is this rarely happens, and a stronger hand was needed to work on the pace of the levels. I found myself wishing the game would grow as I progressed, or at least give the action more than a new look in a new world. This is a game that would have benefited greatly from being shorter and tighter; the extra length doesn't add anything to the game but tedium.
I did not finish this game due to time constraints, but I did want to share my thoughts. I was also to the point where if I wasn't being paid to play the game, I would quit, which is a good place to stick a fork in it and explain my frustrations. This is a game fans of the character need to try, but I think most will be comfortable with a taste. Only the die-hards are going to be happy with a $60 purchase.
Alice Madness Returns Length Full
