Alice: Madness Returns Critic Reviews

Alice: Madness Returns reminds me a lot of classic N64 platformers like Mario 64 and Banjo Kazooie in the best of ways. By mixing a dark reimagining of a literary classic with stylish combat and rock-solid platforming, EA and Spicy Horse have created a gaming experience quite unlike any other. At any rate, its miles better than the lacklustre Tim Burton movie released last year. This is one rabbit hole worth tumbling down.

The overall quality of Alice: Madness Returns is high, despite it feeling rushed. The qualities that made American McGee's Alice so enjoyable-the gory hack-'n'-slash combat, the gorgeous design, the rich dialogue, the menacing mood-are present and abundant.

Alice: Madness Returns certainly has its flaws - the least of which is pacing - but the experience of exploring the slowly-deteriorating mind of Alice Liddell in the imaginative and dark world of Wonderland is worth putting up with them for.

Alice: Madness Returns may not win awards for genre innovation, but it's the most darkly fun and gloriously batty game I've played since Psychonauts. I can't think of any higher praise.

As it turns out, following the rabbit down the rabbit hole is a whole lot of fun.

The original is a more inspired game, but kudos to Spicy Horse for making this second foray through the looking glass more than tolerable.

It's far from perfect, but even further from broken. Alice looks good, plays good, and has a very decent length that should appease any diehard fan.

Once you get sucked into the beautiful world of Wonderland you'll be drawn in and amazed with how unique McGee's imagination is about a story we all knew growing up. This is not your friendly Disney version of Alice in Wonderland or anything even close. This is Amercian McGee's twisted and amazingly complex Alice that tells a tale of a girl who's on the brink of losing her mind and what she must to do save it and Wonderland.

All in all it's a decent game with only a few nagging issues to prevent it from being great. Comparatively, I think that the original did it better, but Spicy Horse has done a respectable job with the sequel.

Impressive. This darker spin on a classic tale is full of great atmosphere and some well-designed platforming.

Truly the definition of a sleeper hit. I enjoyed the twisted atmosphere and the solid mechanics. Sure, the tricks the game uses get repeated far too often, but it is easy to overlook when you weigh the value of the entire package.

An engaging slice of dark fantasy, one that reaffirms American McGee's command of both the unhinged and the fantastical.

Alice Madness Returns should please fans of the original while captivating some new gamers with its macabre storytelling.

Alice: Madness Returns should please fans of the original and newcomers alike. The game can feel a bit dated and tedious at times, but the incredibly dark Wonderland that American McGee has crafted is just begging to be explored.

Alice: Madness Returns is a wolf in sheep's clothing. This game may look honest and cute, but it's cruel and bloody. Alice takes you to an another unforgettable experience in Wonderland. And if you didn't remember the first experience, then you get the opportunity to play the first game for free. Buy it, please.

A wonderfully realised fantasy world that is equal parts entrancing and disturbing. The story is well realised and will keep you enamoured until the credits roll. There are a few niggles here but nothing to stop Alice: Madness Returns from being a wonderfully different slice of entertainment. Now who's for tea?

All and all, Alice Madness Returns is an exquisite alternative point of view of a classical story, given as a twisted gaming extravaganza. The constant platforming can be tiring, but the rich content repays the gamer.

Usually it would be said that a game such as this is spoiled by some poor game mechanics, however, Alice: Madness Returns' gameplay is completely forgiven as the story-telling, and creative direction take you on a magical, yet dark and disturbing journey that you never want to leave. It is the type of game that reminds of why you fell in love with gaming in the first place a proper break from reality.

Alice - Madness Returns is the kind of game that's retro in both a good sense and a bad: It's a tough game to beat, but lacks innovations and better graphics.

If as much imagination had been applied to the gameplay that was put into the art design, Madness Returns would have been a phenomenal game.