A by-the-numbers 3D platformer with outstanding art design.
I'll be honest. The reason I bought the game was for the eye candy because I love fantasy and wonderfully impossible scenery. Yeah, I bought the game for the talking fishes, the castles made of giant cards, the flying trains and--yes, that dark hair fluttering majestically in the wind. It's no wonder too, as Alice: Madness Returns is one gorgeous looking game. I don't know how great it is technically, and I don't care. Artistically, this game looks amazing. In that regard, the game succeeds. You'll be rushing through lush forests, strolling through dark caves, jumping across chasms--all while marveling at the perfectly-realized themes of each level.
As pretty as it is though, it's still a game, not a movie, and one I'm sad to say, is rather... typical. The artwork can try to mask some of its tired conventions, but in the end, Alice is a very straight forward platformer. I think its greatest flaw as a platformer is that the jumping is just so floaty that there's no real challenge to it. And because it is so floaty, it doesn't really feel like the level design truly exists. Quite frankly, after playing several hours, I feel like nothing has changed aside from the different themes of each level. Every platforming section and every arena-based combat feels largely the same.
Still, it is a very pretty game. While the actual gameplay feels incredibly repetitive (and to a degree, mind-numbingly simple), I keep playing just so I can see what the next level looks like. And that is something that has never happened to me before. To its benefit though, 3D platformers aren't all that common (2D platformers have seen a much bigger resurgence), especially on PC. If you're itching to play a modern 3D platformer, there aren't many options, so this will do just fine.
