Mad Again

I spent all summer playing Alice: Madness Returns, the long-awaited sequel to the phenomenal American McGee's Alice that I enjoyed so much back in 2004. It took me about two months to finish it, and I loved it. The art direction is incredible, and every single level is breathtaking in its beauty and execution. There are thousands of small details scattered everywhere throughout the game, and each one of them has been carefully rendered and lovingly designed. The characters in the game, especially the enemies you face, are also insanely original and unspeakably twisted, which is something that made me want to continue playing the game. What was I going to find next? Would it be a giant doll with hooks instead of hands? Would it be a samurai wasp? The ghost of a sailor? I kept walking across this dark Wonderland with my mouth open, marveling at everything the artists at Spicy Horse were throwing my way. From the Vale of Tears at the beginning of the game to the Infernal Train at the very end, every single one of the incredibly long levels was a thing of beauty. (I loved the Deluded Depths, but the Mysterious East was probably my favorite, a feat in concept design and arresting imagery.) Everything was so beautiful to look at that I ended up buying The Art of Alice: Madness Returns, a gorgeous hardcover book containing hundreds of paintings and concept designs for the game that I recommend everyone. It is packed with crazy ideas I wish had made it into the game, but I guess everything else they were actually able to put in it will have to suffice.

The game has been criticized for being repetitive, and its gameplay for being uninspired and obsolete. Madness Returns plays pretty much like the original Alice, so I can see why people had a problem with this: lack of innovation, somewhat antiquated mechanics, and so on and so forth. I thought this wasn't going to bother me (repetition never has), and I was right. At no point did I find myself annoyed by more of the same, especially because I was loving every aspect of it. The game mechanics are repetitive, I'll give you that much, and there is not a lot of gameplay innovation in Madness Returns, but a game doesn't need to be revolutionary for me to enjoy it. I found the 2D levels to be fun and tremendously inspired. (I mean, Alice stepping into a Chinese painting and transforming into a 2D-Chinese-art version of herself? How is that not original and imaginative?) I found the platforming fun and full of great ideas. (Platforms made out of cards that fly off the deck and land at your feet? How is that not awesome?) Rain shaped like Chinese characters? Alice growing so big she can step on the card soldiers and squish them like bugs? I could add evil cyclopean teapots, deranged dolls, cannon-wielding crabs, and that would be only for the Wonderland sections. How about the parts of the game that take place in the real world, with Alice running around in a London darker and seedier than you've ever seen before? I was so in love with the art direction, the creature design, and the fantastical landscapes that having to jump on a steam stream for the umpteenth time didn't bother me.

I loved Alice: Madness Returns like I loved American McGee's Alice. I will play through the game at least a couple more times so that I can unlock new secrets and see new characters, and I don't anticipate getting tired of it. I will continue to celebrate its awesomeness, and I will tell everyone about this dark, twisted tale, because I want everyone to experience everything the game has to offer. So ask me to show it to you next time you visit!