It's been a while since my last review, so I thought I'd kick it off with a bang with a new release.
Released June 16th, I purchased this game yesterday after long debate on if I should or not. I can truly say that I am glad to have bought this game. I never played the original, but came across information on it when I was looking for games for a MacBook but couldn't find a retailer, so never played it. Electronic Arts has been nice enough to add in a free addition with the purchase of a new copy of the game, the original American McGee's Alice, released back in 2000. As such being the kind of gamer I am, I started with Alice: Madness Returns for the PS3 and am saving the first in the series for after I finish the newest.
First I'd like to point out that the game is not exactly an Alice in Wonderland you may recall from youth. Alice: Madness Returns takes place eleven years after the original Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, classic novels written by Lewis Carroll released in 1865 and 1871 respectively. Alice has returned from Wonderland to reality and her house tragically catches on fire, after losing her family and home, she slips into dementia which takes its toll on Wonderland. Skipping the first Alice (Game) and jumping into Returns we find that once again Wonderland has become corrupt. Not to give away any spoilers, but Alice goes into Wonderland also looking for the pieces of her own shattered psyche. The game seems well written, character design seems solid, but like with a great picnic, a bug or two gets in the way, like Alice's difficulty with uneven flooring. The gameplay is almost reminiscent of Nintendo greats like Mario and the puzzles are almost identical to Legen of Zelda, to the point I expect to here the familiar tune of getting a pathway opened or opening a chest. Not bad things, mind, because its just mechanics we're all familiar with already, just in a different style of game. The world of Madness Returns is something that's reminds me of the old Alice in Wonderland cartoon I watched on VHS as a kid, just messed up, and it really makes you feel like Wonderland itself is a reflection of the twisted state Alice is in now.
Even if you have never liked Alice in Wonderland in all its incantations throughout generations, Or was like me and liked the live-action Disney series of the same name as well as the old animated movie (haven't seen the new one), then this game is definitely worth a look since it may not be considered as the true directive of the series, but you can enjoy it just the same. If you were not a fan of the series and like Zelda-style and Mario-esque games then this may just be your cup of tea. If none of those appeal to you but like a good psychological thriller story, you may want to pull up a chair at the Hatter's tea party for this one, but watch out for the half cyborg March Hare and Dormouse ok?
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