Second Look - Alice: Madness Returns

Note: The following review contains spoilers for Alice: Madness Returns.

When I first played Alice: Madness Returns, I enjoyed it for what it was as a follow-up to the dark and twisted American McGee’s Alice, playing which spurred me to actually read Lewis Carrol’s Alice duology. However, it only occurred to me after looking up the game later that I managed to somehow miss the point of the story to some degree, and so wanted to play it again to catch anything about the game’s themes I may have missed. That, and I had been meaning to try out a $2 DLC (still available as of this writing) that introduces new dresses and further upgraded weapons that “break” the game. After taking another trip through the corrupted Wonderland via New Game+, I felt as though I was able to fully enjoy the game and appreciate it more for what it is.

American McGee's Grimm - Happily Ever After Ends Now!

Fairytales not only provide a good source of entertainment, but in many cases a valuable lesson can also be learned from them. Though this has remained true throughout history, many of these stories have been retold over time with many different interpretations, a number of which end up making the stories lighter and softer (and more well-known) than their original darker counterparts. If you are someone who thinks the darkness should be brought back to these tales, read on.

American McGee’s Grimm is a game that I had an interest in playing for quite some time. When it was first announced, I gained a desire to play it since, even though I had not played an American McGee game before, I was interested in playing American McGee’s Alice (a game I would end up playing a number of years later). At the time of its release, Grimm was a game being offered on the GameTap service, lasting for 3 Seasons of 23 weekly episodes between 2008 and 2009, and though I was a little hesitant due to the overall cost, I had seen some announcement videos online for the game and a handful of episodes, also getting an idea of what gameplay was like. Recently, I had finally gotten the chance to play it, having acquired it through a flash sale on GOG.com for $2 (discounted from the normal $10). Having played all 3 Seasons in a row, I think I can say that both the wait and the price were totally worth it.

Grimm is a dwarf who dislikes the way fairytales have gone since the time of the Brothers Grimm, and so, to this end, he invades a number of fairytales in order to bring the darkness back to them. These fairytales range from some more well-known ones (at least some of which can be attributed to the numerous Disney adaptations), such as “Cinderella” and “Little Red Riding Hood”, to some that are more obscure, such as “The Singing Bone” and “A Boy Learns What Fear Is” meaning no story is safe from his wrath (this also works really well to expose new people to the lesser known stories). Some stories even come from outside the Brothers’ selection, such as “King Midas”, “Beauty and the Beast”, and, oddly enough, “A Christmas Carol”, among others, further showing how far Grimm is willing to go in his conquest against the light.

The titular dwarf, Grimm.

The game can be played with a mouse, keyboard, or a combination of both (I went with a combo, since it felt more natural to me, but I like that the other options are there). As you move Grimm around, you can darken the area around you in a similar fashion to Katamari Damacy, with each object you darken increasing a meter at the top (called the Dark-O-Meter), allowing you to darken bigger objects and affect the level with a wider range. Your level on the meter also affects your jump and running speed, the former measurable by Grimm’s pee, which can be seen while he stands still (that was a weird sentence to type). Grimm’s main move is the Butt-Stomp (the move itself should be self-explanatory), which is not only required to advance in most cases, but can also be performed to affect an even wider range of the surrounding area, also influenced by the Dark-O-Meter. You can also gain access to a number of power-ups within each level where applicable, which can range from a temporary increase in speed or jump height to flaming pee or slowing down time, to name a few. Each of these abilities can be very useful and, when available, are more often than not required to be able to complete the stage. You also have to worry about Cleaners, who are NPCs that will clean up the darkness you have spread in an area (fortunately you can darken them as well when the Dark-O-Meter is high enough). There are also a number of hidden Secrets that can be found within a level, usually one or two at the most, and getting all 10 within an episode unlocks a bonus Gallery (this is something I have not been able to do just yet). Additionally, you are also rated by how much of the level you darken or how fast you go through it, increasing the replay value (you can’t go for one without sacrificing the other). Overall, the gameplay is very easy to pick up and master, with enough depth to prevent it from becoming stale.

A sample of gameplay (Season 1 displayed).

As there are 3 Seasons of Grimm that can be played, I like that each Season brings something new to the table in regards to gameplay. Whereas Season 1 includes the basic gameplay as described above, Season 2 takes this a step further by introducing a little more variety, such as a top-down perspective at one point in “The Master Thief” or riding a darkened boar in “The Singing Bone”, allowing the experience to feel a little more fresh each time, as well as changing the background music to something more dismal should you darken a good percentage of the level (it is also around this time that getting a Secret subtracts 10 seconds from the timer, which also gets a small redesign this Season); “The Master Thief in particular has an interesting visual experience wherein darkening enough of a level makes it look more like a black-and-white horror movie, though admittedly the episode itself has more jump scares than are really necessary. Season 3 takes things up another notch by redesigning the Dark-O-Meter, as well as making it a bit easier to tell how much of a level you have darkened in addition to adding a visual indicator of the Dark-O-Meter filling up via dark purple orbs that Grimm absorbs for each object darkened; it also not only gives a name to each Scene (the names of the levels in each episode, of which there are usually 6 to 8), but also gives each of them a preceding title card. I would say that Season 3 is the best in terms of gameplay, with some particular stand-out examples in the final episode (“Snow White”), though I would recommend playing each Season in order so as to get the most out of the investment.

The art style is visually appealing, being very stylized to help illustrate both the light and dark stages of each level, as well as giving it a look that helps it stand out from other games. It also allows easy recycling of certain character models depending on the context, such as the oft-used models for a King and a Prince. In spite of its visual style though, I wouldn’t exactly say they are appropriate for much younger players or those with weak hearts or stomachs, since some visuals may be enough to give someone nightmares, including ones that feature some amount of gore (then again, what else can you expect from American McGee?), which clashes somewhat with what vulgar humor the game also contains. Regardless, the visuals don’t get to the point of being a little too much to handle, though potential players should receive fair warning.

If a Prince is involved, expect it to be this guy.

The voice acting, being done entirely by Roger L. Jackson, is really amazing, displaying how much range he has due to having to voice both male and female characters (some voices are noticeably reused between episodes, though that’s a given here). He even shows impressive vocal range when speaking entirely in Mandarin Chinese during the “Mulan” episode, though this also means you need to read the subtitles to keep up with what’s being said. In any case, Roger L. Jackson displays a lot of talent with this game, which really helps bring Grimm and the stories he invades to life. By that same token, the sound design is also really good, with sound effects that don’t get annoying and a good range of sound bites for Grimm, not to mention the amazing background music composed for each level that fits the tone and setting of each one as well as the state they’re in after Grimm has been enough of an influence on the stories’ outcomes.

The game also has a good sense of humor, especially in the Theater segments that bookend each episode, helped by Grimm’s delivery and some of the dialogue from a number of characters, particularly in the closing Dark Theater sections (both Light and Dark Theaters can also include casual mild cursing, which increases the entertainment value of these segments and helps make the experience more worthwhile). There is also some humor value from whatever comments Grimm makes about each Scene, though one particularly funny moment comes from the “Sleeping Beauty” episode from Season 3, wherein Grimm also decides to invade “Rapunzel” and “Rumpelstiltskin” at the same time, mainly due to how much waiting is involved with each of the three stories. The amount of humor the game has, which includes some amount of dark humor, also helps to offset some of the more disturbing visuals, though whether this helps is entirely up to you.

Puss in Boots (from the Season 1 "Puss in Boots" episode)
is nothing like his Dreamworks counterpart.

However, what affected my experience with Grimm a little were a couple moments during the last two episodes of Season 3. During the penultimate episode, “The Adventures of Thumbling”, there was one Secret I could get during one level, but when I tried to grab it, I kept passing right through it; after a few tries though, I decided to just continue with the story, so I’m not really sure what went wrong with that particular Secret (every other one I grabbed worked just fine). The other one comes from the final episode, “Snow White”, wherein there was a fence during one level that I could jump over, though it quickly became evident that I was not supposed to do that, since it allowed me to see the edge of the level, ruining the immersion temporarily (I soon got back into it). There are other points in the game where certain actions allow you to see the edge of the programming, but this instance was particularly bad for me, especially since within the same level/episode I tried another, similar fence and an invisible wall prevented me from jumping over.

Overall, American McGee’s Grimm is a great game for fans of American McGee and/or games like Katamari Damacy. It has a unique and appealing visual style, a great sense of humor, easy to grasp controls, and a very intriguing soundtrack, to say nothing of the amazing vocal range of Roger L. Jackson as everyone in the game, including the titular Grimm himself. However, the visuals can end up on the heavier side at times, so those who are interested but are sensitive to this sort of thing should play at their own risk. Having gone through the entire game in virtually one shot, I wouldn’t play again so soon after, but it’s something I wouldn’t mind playing again at a later point in time.

May all our stories end so well. Until next time!

Akaneiro (Comic)

American McGee is a name in the gaming industry that is today probably most associated with his popular alternate take on the Alice in Wonderland story, a PC game entitled American McGee’s Alice, which recently received a sequel, Alice: Madness Returns, on multiple platforms. While I am not one to subscribe to one person’s entire catalog of work, I do find his alternate takes on fantasy stories, or at least the ideas behind them, to be very fascinating, such as the concept behind the free-to-play ARPG Akaneiro: Demon Hunters, from his Shainghai, China-based company Spicy Horse, which takes the popular Little Red Riding Hood fairy tale and places it in a Feudal Japan setting. While I haven’t actually played the game, I did show some interest in a tie-in comic from Dark Horse, simply titled Akaneiro, since I figured I could at least experience the story that way. The existence of this comic took me completely by surprise, since I only found out when my local comic shop listed the comic on their website. It was only when the third and final issue had come out that I thought to request back-orders, which I did so I could read the story in one shot. After reading the whole thing in one sitting, I found the comic to be overall worth the purchase.

The Iomante ceremony is about to begin in the Ainu village, which aims to help a deceased bear move on to the afterlife. A village girl named Kani, however, doesn’t feel comfortable trying to follow every Ainu tradition, mainly because her father wasn’t an Ainu villager to begin with, being a Ronin samurai who wandered into the village; a traditional facial tattoo was being applied to Kani before she kicked the tattooist in the face, resulting in only a small dot on her upper lip. As her father tries to comfort her, however, a Yokai (demon) interrupts the Iomante ceremony, turning the bear carcass into a demon as well. As Kani’s father tries to take down this new Yokai, it proves to be too much for him, at which point Kani takes his axe and attempts to fend off the demon herself. Soon, the Red Hunters of the Order of Akane, who are specifically trained to hunt Yokai, show up to finish the evil bear off, gathering the Karma Crystals that appear as a result. While most of the Ainu villagers are mad at the Red Hunters for their actions, Kani disagrees, wishing to join the Red Hunters to make peace between the two groups. After negotiations have been made, Kani sets off to find the village of the Order of Akane on her own, knowing not what exactly she had just gotten herself into.

The story, written by Justin Aclin, is actually fairly well-written and has a pretty good pace to it. While it is based on a video game, it feels self-contained, which is a good thing for people like me who are not familiar with the game proper. Being a story that’s also based on Little Red Riding Hood, it also hits on all the right points of the original tale, but with a nice twist on them to suit the narrative. For instance, the red hood takes the form of a red-dyed cloak given to Kani by her father before beginning her journey, while the role of the wolf in the story is played by a large pack of wolf demons. There’s more to the connections than this, but you will know them when you see them (assuming you are familiar with the fairy tale in some way, which you most likely are). The story also has a nice amount of foreshadowing and twists for its 3-issue run that will keep you going until the very end. I also like the way Karma Crystals are worked in, which from what I gather is an actual mechanic in the original game, their inclusion written such that they don’t really feel out of place.

I wasn’t entirely sure what to make of the artwork by Vasilis Lolos, since I found it a little odd at first, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized the style actually fits the story, considering its Feudal Japan setting. The characters are at least distinguishable from each other and the Yokai that Kani encounters have a nice variety to them. The colors by Michael Atiyeh aid Lolos’ pencils and help give the comic a nice feel to it that further matches the setting of the book. Even more impressive are the covers by Shu Yan, which are very nicely done and do the job well of catching one’s eye to the comic, displaying a lot of well-placed lighting and shading while still making Kani the focal point of the composition. While the style of the interiors may be off-putting at first to people who are regularly spoiled by big-name artists in the comic book crowd, Vasilis Lolos’ style is at least more up to par than the artists on the Mirror’s Edge and Chronicles of Vergil comics.

At the end of the journey, the Akaneiro comic is actually pretty good. The story does a good job of getting readers interested in Akaneiro: Demon Hunters by being self-contained, free Karma Pack codes on the back of each issue aside, and the art, while not the greatest, is actually a great fit for the story and is better than a few other video game comics I have seen. If you are an American McGee fan, whether you have played the actual game or not, this is a comic you can definitely get into. Even if you aren’t that familiar with an American McGee product, this is definitely a comic you can just pick up and read. The codes included with each comic are something more to entice Akaneiro players with for picking up the comic, but they also provide a perfect incentive to get non-players to start playing the game. Regardless of whether you decide to use the code or not, the comic itself should provide a good-enough experience on its own.

[OLD] Alice: Madness Returns - Still Needs Treatment

This game has been re-reviewed. Read it here: https://trophyunlocked.blogspot.com/2019/10/second-look-alice-madness-returns.html

In the year 2000, Electronic Arts released American McGee's Alice, an unofficial sequel to Lewis Carrol's "Alice" books created by American McGee. It's themes were based on that of a demented Wonderland and provided players with an unforgettable experience. 11 years later a sequel, Alice: Madness Returns, was released along with a port of the original for those who are uninitiated. The sequel continues the story of the original rather well and proves to be entertaining, but sadly falls a little short of what could've been another amazing experience.

A year after being released from Rutledge Asylum, Alice is taken in by a psychiatrist named Dr. Angus Bumby, who runs the Houndsditch Home for Wayward Youth, a shelter in Victorian London. Bumby's job is to help children overcome traumatic events in their lives by making them forget so they can live happily. During a point where Alice is outside the Home, she is transported back into Wonderland. All seems peaceful until she learns that her safe haven is once again in peril and faces certain destruction by the Infernal Train, a manifestation of her madness. As she journeys through this new Wonderland, she remembers events in her past while learning more about her mental state and the fire that killed her family.

There are 6 Chapters in the game, each based on a different section of Wonderland. However, there isn't very much inspiration from Lewis Carroll's books as there was in the first game. While the levels are based on Wonderland, they're actually moreso based on Alice's psyche and reflect her current condition. While it was nice to try and figure everything out, there isn't really much of any of the Wonderland residents that Alice has met before, though this could be explained with the help Dr. Bumby is providing to Alice changing her fantasy world. However I still found the game to be somehow uninspired compared to the original American McGee's Alice, which seemed to feel more like you're actually travelling through Wonderland. Breaks between Chapters take place in London, continuing Alice's story in the real world as she gathers more information about her past and what's really going on.

During the course of the game you obtain a fair amount of weapons, including the Vorpal Blade, your standard weapon; the Pepper Grinder, a long-range weapon that fires pepper; the Hobby Horse, a powerful close-range weapon; the Teapot Cannon, another ranged weapon that fires scalding tea for massive damage; an Umbrella, used for blocking projectiles; and the Clockwork Bomb, a powerful bomb that can either cause destruction or be used as a weight. At times, you will need the Hobby Horse or Clockwork Bomb to destroy barriers that block your path or to damage certain enemies. The Umbrella can only be used when you focus on enemies (with a shoulder button on consoles), and what happens depends on what's being fired at you. The Pepper Grinder and the Teapot Cannon are often used for their own purposes: the Pepper Grinder is used for peppering Snouts and hitting targets to unlock items and pathways, in addition to taking care of enemies from a distance, and the Teapot Cannon is usually for taking care of large groups and destroying barriers that can't normally be hit with the Hobby Horse.

Weapons are upgraded by using Teeth, which you can collect by destroying breakable items and killing your foes. You can also Shrink at any time you wish, giving you a Shrink Sense that allows you to see invisible pathways and drawings (and sometimes Snouts). This is required to go through often-hidden Keyholes as well as use the power of Shrinking Violets. While encased in this flower, your Health, determined by Roses, becomes restored and growing back gives you more Teeth and destroys the flower. When you are low on Health during a battle, you can tap into Hysteria, which doubles your damage output and makes you invincible for a brief period. You can gain more Roses for Health by painting the Rose red, whcih requires going through 4 Radula Rooms for red paint. Radula Rooms are hidden shells that give you paint for completing a minigame, ranging from answering questions to playing a special level and surviving swarms of enemies.

On the subject of mingames, there are plenty of these scattered about that break up the action, including chess and sliding block puzzles, pressing buttons in rhythm, and rolling a doll head. While this does provide a breather every now and then, they can get annoying at times, particularly the doll head segments. Fortunately if you get too frustrated, unless it's for red paint, you have the ability to skip these segments.

Alice has the ability to triple jump, something not seen very often in games, as well as the ability to glide with her dress to gain more distance. This is what you'll be doing for most of the game as you jump from platform to platform to advance further through Wonderland. There is, however, a big catch: Alice cannot grab onto ledges, which can lead to many an untimely death, nor can she attack while in the air. These abilities would've been nice to have, though I don't know whether to blame the manual taking space on the disk as opposed to it being physical.

The graphics of the game are wonderful to look at, though there is some texture loading after some items and characters appear, such as the Cheshire Cat. Within all of this, the best graphics belong to Alice herself. Her hair and dress flow beautifully and realistically even with the slightest of movements, which really shows off the game engine's capabilities. The backgrounds compliment the setting really well, in fact getting creepier, if feeling a little generic, as the game went on. The voice acting is solid and the dialogue between characters flows well, sometimes upping the suspense of the events taking place. On the musical side of things, Chris Vrenna once again delivers an amazing soundtrack that sets the tone of the game perfectly at each locale.

There is one other complaint I have, and it has to do with the final boss. Compared to the boss fight at the end of the original, it isn't exactly that difficult to beat and I didn't feel the same excitment that I felt while beating the first game. Despite that, it can still get a little chaotic as it gets you constantly moving and dodging the onslaught of attacks.

Alice: Madness Returns isn't a perfect game, but it does provide a good, suspensful story that will keep you going. Fans of the original Alice will get a nice experience from this sequel once they overcome its shortcomings, and those familiar with Lewis Carroll's original books will have a good time spotting the various references spread throughout. If you have an interest in playing this game, I would suggest picking it up and playing the original first in order to aid the story.