Alice is back! A little more goth, a little grown up and a a lot crazier!!!
Even though most of the gameplay in American McGee's Alice is as straightforward as a TPS can get, its storyline is so compelling, so deep and profound, so philosophically challenging that to lay aside all the gameplay flaws is simply a must.
The story starts some time after the books. Alice living peacefully with her parents until late at night her beloved cat Kitty stumbles upon a lantern thus accidentally incinerating the place. Alice is the only one that survives this terrible tragedy, but at a cost of her own sanity, alas. Some time after the incident, a familiar rabbit with a pocket watch comes for a visit. It appears not all is well in the Wonderland, something ultimately evil has poisoned water, ground and air. The nice, if somewhat loony inhabitants of the Wonderland started to mutate into terrible nightmarish creatures. Only few of them have kept a bit of their remaining sanity, but none the less they all are very hard to recognize.
Once again Alice begins her adventure by following the white rabbit. Once there the old good friend of hers, the Cheshire Cat (that looks more like an ex-con by the way) blesses her with an adorable, yet so a bit terrifying smile and his good sense of cynicism. Seems like the dreaded Queen of Hearts has taken the full control of the kingdom of dreams. The only way to restore the Wonderland to its original self is to destroy the Queen.
A little banal beginning, wouldn't you say? Looks like something from Sanitarium: all elements are there. Main character on the journey to save the last pieces of his mind. The eternal struggle within. And both are crazy as hell. The storyline is somewhat predictable. Yet it delivers so much more than just a straightforward plot. It has so many gradations and dimensions. Paradoxically enough the characters are so bright and full of life, even though they all stand on a verge of total and uncompromisable annihilation. And the atmosphere is so wacko, that the predictability of the storyline doesn't spoil one bit of its tale.
Well, let us not spoil any more of it. Alice's tale is truly one of a kind. And should be observed and analyzed subjectively. Like any good piece de cuisine d'esprit.
Considering gameplay, it is fun most of the time (battles and bosses especially). Sometimes it is annoying (water levels). And sometimes it's just downright stupid (most of the puzzles).
Puzzles are mostly way too simple. In an old "break that, go step on that or press this tiny little button" fashion. It is only natural to expect something more from such an intelligent piece of art. But it can't all be good unfortunately.
The artworks, the world and the character design is beyond all criticism. Rarely something as stylish comes from the US developers. This time the Japanese rivals with their giant GoBOTS, shiny fantasy swords, and eyes that take half of the face are beaten without much of a trouble. Alice's eyes are big as well. But they give her that badass sinister and smart looks, which really suits such a wonderful young lady.
Music is nothing special unfortunately, but it does help to shape the atmosphere. And this is very important for an almost horror game. Speaking of which Alice does never frighten directly. In fact the game does so indirectly through the atmosphere and a loss of the main heroine. A terrible sadness of her faith is truly terrifying.
Time for a final conclusion. First of all forget all that had been said in this review. Alice is just something everyone should decide and comprehend on his own. No words are ever going to be able to express just how colorful and diverse it is. And just about how controversial it actually is as well. After Disney's filth of a cartoon, that destroyed and raped about every single one of Alice's ideas, this game is literally a feast for a thought. A feast that is serious and at the same time is not. Only for that it should be played and finished. And after it's finished even if one didn't like it, it will only prove its point even stronger. Love it or hate it, take it or leave it. There is no other way. No person alive can ever be cold to Alice.