Alice madness returns thoughts

hello all!! alice here!

recently I've been playing through alice madness returns. I have good memories of this game from when I was younger and a lot suckeir at games lol. I played it at an age where I most definitely should not have been playing it. I was looking for a cheap game to buy on steam and it was on sale, so I decided fuck it lets give it another try. well I just finished a playthrough (95% overall completion babyeeee!!! me and my homies hate bumby) and I have some thoughts about the game I would like to organize here!!

 CRITIQUES

might as well start with the things I had a problem with through my playthrough lol. I will admit, some of these issues may be from running such an old game on a current PC, but I do think some of these would stand even in the original version. all of these are mainly minor annoynces rather than proper game ruining problems.  

• Platforming- there are some parts of the game where the platforming just does not feel fair or satisfying. the part where this stood out to me most was in the second to last area, The Dollhouse. there are some sections where Alice is required to maneuver though several upward gusts of winds shooting from vents. trying to fall from one gust into another can be really difficult, but especially in this section. sometimes trying to get a good grasp on your depth perception making finding where you land really hard. mainly due to some of the vents in this area being in a really dark part of the dollhouse. the platforming was never rage inducing, but definitely had its frustrating moments. 
• Blocking/dodging- sometimes it feels like the attacks that Alice can block or dodge are just kind of inconsistant. For example, the fire breath attacks from the doll girls in the dollhouse area. maybe it was just a skill issue, but never once was I able to dodge that attack. she would still manage to hit Alice, despite the fact she was in butterfly dodge mode. if that attack cant be dodged, why can you dodge last second to avoid a thrown fire ball? 
• Lock on mode- often I found the lock on mode to be more frustrating than helpful. my main gripe is it can be really difficult to cycle between what enemy you are locked onto. sometimes it feels like it lock on target just moves around to wherever it wants. 

THINGS I LOVED

I will admit, there are a lot more things I love about this game, but I do think you should be able to critique things you love. to me the good things about the games wayyyyy outweigh my critiques. these points will probably be a bit less in depth bc I have more to get through lol. 

• Story- the story is the absolute shining star about this game!!! equal parts tragic and whimsy fairy tale, alice madness returns kept me hooked from beggining to end. the story is so full circle, and does such a good job at leaving you bread crumbs to help lead you to the solution at the same time as Alice realizes things. the themes of the game are pretty heavy, but hit close to home in a painful way.  
• Art Design- I wish I could chew on this game bc of how GORGEOUS it is. the contrast of dark gothic elements with traditional wonderland imegary is just breathtaking. the cutscenes being in a storybook cut out design is so incredibly beautiful when mixed with the violent imagery of Alice's mind falling apart. the sets of each area are so detailed at rich. how could you not love a FUCKING MASSIVE GOTHIC CATHEDRAL HELL TRAIN??!?!??!?!?!? the character design is absolutely amazing. despite most of the characters being so exaggerated and distorted they should be awful to look at, you cant help but to admire the designs. 
• Combat- combat is super fun! the vorpal blade is super snappy, the hobby horse feels like it has real weight, and decimating things with the teapot cannon never gets old. the scaling in this game is also really done well. upgrades cost just enough to keep you working on upgrades through the entire game. I for one didn't get the final upgrade on my final weapon until the very last area. it makes it so you never get too strong that the game feels too easy, but you can get upgrades often enough that you stay feeling pretty powerful. 
• Exploration- the collectables are really fun to find. for all the ones I found at least, it never felt like they were put so far out of the way it felt unreasonable. none of them were really locked behind any super crazy puzzle or challenge either. they are all put in such a way that you just have to pay attention to you surroundings and keep a close ear out. 
• Level design- the levels of the game are really fun to travel through. each one brings new challenges that fit in really well with each area that make each area feel unique. the floating card bridges, staying in the light in the deluded depths, or chasing down the hatters limbs in his domain. most of the mini game type sections in each area are also quite fun to play through. my favorites include Alice eating the eat me cake in Queensland and the 2d side scrolling sections in the Oriental Grove. 

Overall, I cannot give Alice madness returns anything lower than a solid 9.5/10. the story kept me hooked, combat was never boring, exploring was super fun, and the game is just absolutely drop dead gorgeous. that platforming can be a bit wishy washy sometimes, but it never takes away from the rest of the experience. even in 2025, I think the game stands on its own. I cant really name a game that has nailed down the specific vibes and emotions provided by Alice madness returns. I throughly enjoyed this playthrough and I plan on playing back through new game+ to try and 100% the game. maybe once I'm done, I'll make a blog post about my favorite levels and dresses in game lol. 

Thank you for taking the time to read!!

-Alice <3