Alice: Madness Returns Review

The twisted mind of Alice Liddell is back to explore in this smooth flowing action platformer. Jumping about and using a balanced arsenal are par for the course on her return to ruined Wonderland. Alice is haunted by the death of her family in a house fire she feels responsible for. An evil train is traversing through the artistic locales of her mind and to restore her sanity it must be stopped. Alice’s real world interactions have noticeable impacts on her vivid imagination. She will spend most of her time jumping between ledges, but a large proportion revolves around the solid combat.

Time for some Tea?

Alice’s arsenal, although not large in number, is varied and useful in combat scenarios. The Vorpal blade is quick and deals significant damage up close but is useless against shielded foes. The Hobby Horse hammer pounds into defenses but it swings slowly. The pepper grinder, a machine gun of sorts, keeps enemies at bay but is ineffective against defenses. The awesome teapot cannon, a grenade launcher, has an area of effect damage and destroys armor. Finally the clockwork bomb distracts foes for a time but deals minimal damage. You will be alternating between ranged and melee weapons when different enemies are attacking.

Alice has the ability to block and dodge from attacks. An audio chime and visual clue will inform of impending attacks. Shortly before being smashed to the ground the game slows for a brief period of time, just long enough to turn into butterflies and move to avoid blows. Alice’s umbrella can block and return many ranged attacks from larger foes. Enemy AI is also capable of dodging or blocking attacks and they keep you occupied in groups. None of the ranged weapons have ammo counters instead opting for a heat system preventing prolonged use. You’ll be using different moves and weapons to counter the nuances of each enemy type. All the weapons remain useful till the game finishes and you upgrade them to deal with progressively tougher foes.

Hysteria mode results in Super Alice

Some strong enemies are exposed when their attacks are reflected back while others are knocked down after Alice successfully dodges. You may need to attack a large enemy as it prepares to attack or position yourself to stab the weak point on an armoured enemy. The combat remains appealing and the gradual introduction of new foes prevents repetition. When Alice’s health drops low enough she can enter a black and white hysteria mode. This mode bestows Alice with invulnerability and incredible offensive power for a short time. Although rare, hysteria mode is extremely useful against the hard hitting enemies who can drain your health quickly. As good as the combat is, it still holds a secondary position to platforming.

Platforming is the biggest component in Madness Returns and thankfully it proves to be very slick. Alice easily jumps on moving platforms and can gracefully float long distances. She can perform agile double and triple jumps to gain distance and height. She can move along invisible platforms which briefly become visible after shrinking. Jets of steam allow her to float high above and continue on her way. Clockwork bombs placed on pressure switches permit Alice to make a timed dash over a temporary platform and targets can be destroyed to open up pathways. As she moves throughout Wonderland she can also collect items and memories.

The upgraded Hobby Horse has a brutally satisfying final swing

No platformer would be complete without the collectibles Alice can pick up along the way. Teeth are sparsely distributed throughout the world and they provide currency for weapon upgrades and a trail of breadcrumbs to follow. Hidden memories reveal more about Alice from characters around her. Alice uses roses for health and they recharge excruciatingly slowly after shrinking inside flowers. Health and teeth can be collected from containers and enemies although you won’t get teeth drops when in hysteria mode. The number of maximum health roses is upgraded after completing a range of side tasks. Fortunately the game provides frequent save points should Alice happen to fall.

The game is very generous with checkpoints so there is no need to be too careful when jumping about. Falling off a ledge will take you only a few jumps before your demise or, if you are lucky, one jump ahead. This helps the jumping segments progress quickly and smoothly. Jumps during the last few chapters are trickier but not frustrating, involving weights and longer, hasty triple jumps. Controls are smooth and responsive with both the 360 controller and keyboard. When in combat the game prevents you from falling from platforms if you move near an edge. Combat and platforming elements are reused but rarely do they get too monotonous.

Variety comes in the form of new themed enemies and vivid, fresh worlds to explore. An efficient use of Unreal Engine 3 provides a healthy balance of crazy, logical and artistic landscapes. Not a lot of the design is crazy but the final chapters are more outrageous. Alice visits frozen tundra, an Asian themed mountain and ventures along the bottom of the sea. Music did become very grating during my journey. Most of the music consists of a few dull chords repeated frequently enough to wear me down mentally, thankfully music can be muted. Throughout these locales Alice can shrink to find hidden areas or participate in short activities to keep things fresh.

2D platforming is just one of the diversions for Alice

Some of the hidden areas are lazy single rooms while others consist of fun platforming sequences. Certain unexpected, brief puzzles or gameplay variations help break up the pacing. These variations might see Alice sliding down long ramps to collect teeth and avoid obstacles akin to a racing game. She can solve sliding puzzles, move chess pieces about and participate in some neat 2D platforming among other ideas. None of these side tasks remain around for long, some should have been used more, but they are refreshing diversions.

When in combat the repetition is reduced because the game throws different enemies types at you. You will be fighting slugs, dolls, wasps, crabs, card guards, sailors and some who use crockery for shields. Very few of the enemies are frustrating due to obvious counters. Drifting Ruin, flying doll faces hidden in black goo, were my most hated enemy type. After being shot down they occasionally landed on unreachable platforms completely avoiding the taste of my Vorpal blade. Enemy combinations are mixed so you can’t just rely on one tactic and will need to prioritize or distract creatures.

Float like a butterfly, sting like a Daimyo Wasp

Alice: Madness Returns is a smooth platformer with engaging combat and at 15 hours you are going to be doing a lot of jumping. Spicy Horse have created healthy, repeatable combat and made the platforming simple but elegant. This adventure does play things a little too safe with working mechanics that rarely change from the first few hours. Being a bit more daring with design may have resulted in a great adventure instead of just a good one. Madness Returns has enough tricks to keep you amused until Alice finishes with her own bizarre Wonderland.