Alice: Madness Returns

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 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.

Despite the flaws, Alice: Madness Returns is still a really fun game to play. The combat is on the whole fluid and satisfying, making the most of the range of abilities, while the platforming and exploration rolls along at a decent pace. Spicy Horse has done an admirable job of continuing the legacy of Wonderland, but it's just a shame that some of the madness seeped into design choices.

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.

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.

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.

In the end Alice: Madness Returns is a fun game that really twists the traditional arcade platformer with the acid like world of the original Lewis Caroll's Alice in Wonderland.

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

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

A fairly competent game that is held back by some mediocre platforming sections.

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.

And that, in a nutshell, can be used to sum up Alice: The Madness Returns. There are moments of brilliance; of clever design, fiendish platforming, loads of secrets, and intense combat. At others, though, Alice's adventure can be an unpolished, frustrating exercise in repetition. To say Alice is trippy would be more than a slight understatement. I have to say I enjoyed my journey into madness as I plunged further and further down the proverbial rabbit hole more than I thought I would initially. Still, I can't help but feel like it could, and probably should, have been better.

Alice's second trip into madness isn't quite as satisfying or fresh as her first. Everything feels dated and there's an unfinished, even hurried quality to the game that's more than a little disappointing. That doesn't mean there's a shortage of great moments or fantastic ideas, because Madness Returns has both in spades.

It has been great to enjoy a classic 3D platforming game. These sort of games have almost disappeared in this generation, except for mediocre movie adaptations. American McGee and his team have made a great game, fresh and charming.

Madness Returns is by no means a terrible game, as in fact quite the opposite is the case. But its enormous potential combined with its stubborn unwillingness to take much, if any creative risks, keep this one from achieving its fullest potential.

After ten years there is finally a new Alice game. The story is interesting, the platforming works great and the level design is fantastic, but the game looks a bit old and there are a few annoying mistakes in the gameplay and also the fighting system doesn't work perfect. But besides of that, this is a fine game for the fans.