Alice: Madness Returns

By Xah Lee. Date: . Last updated: .

The sequel of American McGee's Alice just came out, called Alice: Madness Returns. We've been waiting for a decade for a supposed film to come, but it turns out, we get a video sequel instead.

So, it's been a decade since the American McGee's Alice. It was eerie, beautiful, immersive game where you can feel the horror. I played it from start to finish for about 4 times in different years since 2000. Thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Its graphics was elaborate and widely acclaimed, running on the then new id Tech 3 engine (used in Quake III Arena). But even then, it was blocky. (See screenshots at: American McGee's Alice Gallery.)

Alice madness returns cover
Alice Madness Returns Cover

A decade is a long time. Computer hardware has become some 30 times faster and capacious, and software also have gone thru generations of game engines. The sequel is running on Unreal Engine 3. Let's see what the trailers portends.

Trailers

“Alice: Madness Returns -- Teaser 2”
“Alice: Madness Returns - Teaser 3”
“Alice: Madness Returns - Launch Trailer”
“Alice: Madness Returns - Story Cinematic Trailer”
“Alice: Madness Returns - Gameplay Trailer 1”

Can't say i like it. The character is now much older. According to the game story, 10 years older from last, so she must've been 26 or something, and is rendered so too. I didn't like her new face neither. Can Wonderland Alice character remain attractive as a twenty-something? Am not sure about that. Also, from these trailers, the monsters and scene seem to lost touch with Wonderland. They seem just to be generic monsters.

Game Play Video

The following is a good video of gameplay.

Dot Plays: Alice Madness Returns - NO SPOONING [P4]
Dot Plays: Alice Madness Returns - PMS MODE [P6]