Grab The Games: Alice: Madness Returns

In the deep dark world of a teenage girls psychological disorders lies the strange world of Wonderland, or at least that's what we think.

If you're thinking that Alice: Madness Returns will be anywhere near the Disney film incarnation then you're sadly mistaken and should probably stay away from this.

Madness Returns is the sequel to the previous Alice game by American McGee. This version takes a look at the darker sides of Wonderland along with generally just looking at what makes Alice's world so dark and twisted.

At the start of the game we open in the lovely setting of a psychiatric doctor who's trying to get Alice to come to terms with Wonderland and it's nonexistence, something which he doesn't do a very good job of.

Thankfully we're not left to sit and marvel at the smoking chimneystacks of 19th Century Great Britain for long as the world crumbled away for young Alice and we escape back to the Wonderland from whence we came.

This quick transition back to a nice colourful area really serves in the games favour as the opening was little bit boring. The cutscenes which set up Alice's own psychiatric problems and just how twisted many of the die characters are in this world are interesting, but other than that the opening few minutes are terribly slow.

So a few minutes after arriving in Wonderland Alice is given a knife, a very nice knife, which is quickly put to work slaughtering the rather deformed and creepy denizens of the world.

The main selling point behind Alice: Madness Returns is the story. Looking at Wonderland in a grittier sense is much more interesting than I'd first thought it'd be. While you still get a sense that everyone is Wonderland is a mad as a bag of French Toast it's looking at that madness in depth which makes things more interesting.

Alice's character is portrayed very well too, a scarred teenage girl who uses Wonderland to escape from the problems of everyday life, this is quite relatable and the game does a good job creating a sympathetic character in that regard.

Looking at the flaws though there are a few. Some parts of the game really do drag on and Alice herself can become a bit annoying when you're constantly reminded of some horrific event which scarred her mentally. It's not that it isn't interesting, it's just that we don't want to see that when we're busy trying to solve a puzzle or cut up an enemy.

I won't spoil the game for you, but if you're a fan of Alice in Wonderland or just like thinking about mental disorders I'd suggest giving this one a try.

7/10

Pros:

Good Story

Gameplay Flows Well

Characters are Fleshed out

The world is as twisted as we'd expect.

Cons:

The game tends to drag a little

Alice is a bit annoying at times

Clich look at mental disorders has been done many times before

Nathan Dack