gonna start off by saying this game is phenomenal and extremely underrated. I didn't even know this game existed until the Steam Summer Sale, and I'm glad I got to play it.
Gonna give my review on "American McGee's Alice" first since it is included in this game.
Honestly, it kind of blows. I didn't enjoy it that much, but I did finish it for the sake of being prepared for the 2nd game, and if you're going to do the same, I'd advise u don't unless you're like an Alice superfan. Lots of people like it, but for me personally, it wasn't a great introduction to Alice (prior to playing the game, I had never consumed any Wonderland media). That being said, it's really outdated and just wasn't for me.
I like the idea of this game, but the execution just wasn't what I had in mind.
Story (3.0/10)
The story was okay, but I also didn't know what was going on half the time. The game gives u absolutely no context, which doesn't help as someone who's completely new to Wonderland. I was honestly confused for pretty much the whole game.
Level Design (5.0/10)
The level design was alright. Cool-looking areas for sure, but the platforming got pretty repetitive. A lot of the levels just felt samey, and I was really just hoping to rush to the next boss every chance I had.
Voice Acting & Audio (4.8/10)
The voice acting really sucked in this game besides maybe Alice and the Cat. Every other character made it pretty obvious they were reading a script, and it really takes u out of it all. The music in this game is just ambient tracks for each level, and I enjoyed most of it.
Gameplay & Difficulty (5.5/10)
The gameplay is mostly platforming with some combat. The weapons were alright; nothing really stood out to me since I mostly spammed the playing cards the whole game. The gameplay and mechanics were just about what I expected for a game made in 2000, so I can't really knock it for being the standard at that time. The game was decently difficult when it came to a few bosses, but besides that, not too hard of a game.
Graphics (5.1/10)
graphics are similar to Mario 64 or Wizard101. It's very obviously dated, but I wasn't expecting anything crazy from a game made in 2000. The environments themselves actually looked pretty cool, even if the textures haven't aged all that well.
Controls (3.7/10)
The controls just weren't great, but I didn't expect them to be. The movement just felt outdated, which made most of the platforming harder than it probably should've been.
Performance (2.8/10)
last thing i should mention is that u need to mod the ♥♥♥♥ out of this game to have it run well because without them it's basically chockfull of bugs and crashing. i used the American McGee's Alice HD mod by OmriKoresh on Nexus Mods, and it fixed most issues, but i still had a few crashes here and there. Not sure if the mod works with the version of the game that's included with Madness Returns though, since i didnt use it.
Value (3.0/10)
The content of the game was well worth the $2 I paid for this and Madness Returns, but it's usually $10 without a sale. If it was just the first game, I probably wouldn't have bought this for $10, but we live in a world where Madness Returns is included, so I would definitely pay the $10. Around 10–13 hours of content.
Misc
This is off topic, but I found out the voice actor for Cheshire Cat (Roger L. Jackson) also voices the Phone Voice in the Scream movies, which I thought was pretty cool.
Final Score
4.1/10
gave me a headache at times, felt like a fever dream
before u play the game i recommend getting the game to run 144 fps as that's what i did, it just makes the game feel newer, there's guides here on steam and online
"Alice Madness Returns"
i love this game and i wish i played this before "American McGee's Alice" because i really didnt need to play it to understand Madness Return's Story, the Cutscenes have a beautiful artstyle and the voice acting is perfect
Story (7.7/10)
The story actually made sense, unlike the first game, and didn't require any context because anything that happened in the first game ends up being talked about in this game anyway. What I liked most is that it slowly reveals what's really going on instead of throwing everything at u all at once, and I was actually interested in seeing how it all unfolded.
Level Design (7.3/10)
The level design was awesome, and I really have no complaints except for maybe some glitched keyholes making it impossible to walk through, which stopped me from 100%ing the game. Besides that, every chapter was unique and had slightly different platforming mechanics, and I enjoyed it. Even the 2D platforming sections were very cool. My favorite, aside from the normal levels, is the one at the end where u roll a ball. Overall, I love the variety of the levels in this game, and you never really get bored of it because of the variation.
Voice Acting & Audio (7.9/10)
Again, unlike the first game, all of the voice acting in this game is amazing, and it almost makes it feel like an animated movie, similar to Coraline or Corpse Bride. Which made the story much more enjoyable to follow.
I liked the music in this game, especially the Main Theme. I thought it perfectly captured the dark, eerie vibe the game was going for, and the rest of the soundtrack fits that vibe really well.
Gameplay & Difficulty (8.2/10)
The gameplay is basically like the first game but way better. There are 4 weapons: the Vorpal Knife, Pepper Grinder, Hobby Horse, and Teapot Cannon, and they are all very fun to use. The game actually makes u use certain weapons to get to certain areas, which is such a cool mechanic. I spammed the Pepper Grinder and Teapot Cannon most of the game to limit the damage that would be done to me, and it worked wonders. It was overall just very fun. The game isn't really difficult at all, but there are a few enemies that take way too long to kill.
Controls (7.6/10)
Everything about the controls was smooth aside from maybe the inverted controls on keyholes and the camera glitching out when I locked onto a target. Everything else was great though.
Performance (8.1/10)
I didn't have to mod this game to get it to work, which is good. There weren't really any bugs aside from invisible walls with keyholes, as I mentioned earlier, and the game crashed about 6 times in my 25 hours of playtime, but it's not that bad since the game saves decently often. I say decently because there was a time or two where I'd have to do a whole section of a level all over again.
Value (8.7/10)
I got it for $2, but I'd pay $20 for this game. Around 16 hours of content, and it's just a very enjoyable experience. I personally don't like the Alice movies, but I enjoy this game.
Final Score
7.8/10
Very good game; highly recommend. I based my score in comparison to other games I've played because I can't just give it a 10, but it's a 10 in my heart
Alice Madness Returns improves on basically everything from the first game. The story is easier to understand, the gameplay is better, the voice acting is better, and it actually feels like the vision American McGee's Alice was trying to achieve, at least that's what I believe.
