hallway

It’s especially disappointing that the obviously incredibly creative team at Spicy Horse weren’t able to deliver a more creative game. Strip away the aesthetics and all you’re left with really is a textbook hack-and slash platformer. Sure they do try spice up the gameplay on occasion through quirky elements like a horizontal submarine shooter, and a 2D platforming section that presented as a Japanese painting – but they’re really just quick distractions. The narrative itself, though dark and deliciously grim is curiously thin and you’d have to be a die-hard fan of the original or the rich atmosphere and sumptuous world to be compelled enough to play on.

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When you poke at it, it even falls apart graphically. Some of the textures actually look like they’re from the original, 10 year old game – with some, like lava pools, even showing the seams where the textures are tiled. I even noticed some areas where the textures would load and pop in seconds after a scene was well underway. Even the audio falters; the voice acting varies between “fantastic” and “why bother?” and the music is mostly mechanical, trying too hard to be jarring for its own good.

Ultimately, Madness Returns,( rather like the original, actually) is a game that relies too much on its aesthetic; one which in the ten years since Alice has been used and overwrought in games, TV and film and is no longer enough to carry a game. It starts with so much potential and promise – then whittles that away with tedious design. I realise that these complaints could accurately be levelled at the original I loved so much – but the truth is that games have changed, gaming has changed. This hasn’t.


Scoring:

Gameplay: 6.0

Textbook platforming, with lots of hack and slash action, very little in the way of proper puzzles. Tiresome and tedious.

Design & Presentation: 8.0

Its grand visual and thematic designs are its strongpoint. It oozes style – but how much of that style you can take in over 15-20 hours without much else of value is up to you.

Value: 6.0

Beyond the art, there’s really not much in the way of value. The game itself can be fully experienced in its first few hours, but there’s a ton of pointless collectibles for those who like hoarding. The original Alice is included in new copies as a download through the use of a once-off token – which increases its value somewhat.


Overall: 6.9 (not an average)

Such a beautiful world, such grand artistic vision..such boring, repetitive gameplay

Last Updated: June 20, 2011

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Alice: Madness Returns
6.9

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