Alice: Madness Returns
Of course the real world makes up a very small portion of the game. Most of the story takes place in Alice's Wonderland. But as Alice falls deeper into madness, Wonderland begins to fall apart around her. An Infernal Train is wreaking havoc on the landscape of Alice's mind, and Alice needs to find a way to stop it to save Wonderland, and in turn, her sanity.
The gameplay of Alice: Madness Returns is mostly platforming sections, broken up by occasional combat areas. There are also various puzzles, ranging from picture sliders to button matching musical pieces, that come along at nice intervals just when the game is starting to feel repetitive. There are also many hidden items that can be found, including Alice's past memories which shed a bit more light on the back story, so searching around every nook and cranny of Wonderland can prove benefitial.
The combat of the game isn't overly difficult, but it's still fun. Most enemies have their own unique weaknesses, so it's important to figure out each of their quirks and attack styles. None of the enemies on their own are particularly difficult to defeat, but the game does a good job of throwing multiple enemies of different types at you at one time, making adjusting and planning an attack strategy on the fly very important. Alice also has a dodge move that makes her disappear in a cloud of butteflies. It's both effective and visually appealing, although every once in a while it can be difficult to get her to dodge in the exact direction you want her to.
Graphically, Alice: Madness Returns isn't anything too special. The environments are all nicely detailed, but nothing looks too fantastic, save for a couple details here and there as well as the playing card level which is beautiful. Also, Alice's hair flows very nicely.
Overall, Alice: Madness Returns is a great journey that I believe more people should treat themselves to. The gameplay is solid, and the story is both interesting and emotional enough to keep you invested for the entire time.