ALICE: MADNESS RETURNS – BC SHOUTOUT/HIDDEN GEM

     Alice: Madness Returns is a bizarrely wonderful game from American McGee. Madness Returns is the sequel to Alice, and takes place years later. Taking inspiration from Lewis Carol’s Alice in Wonderland, the story is focused on the titular Alice, as she comes to grips with her psychological trauma, and returns to Wonderland. As she returns to Wonderland, it is clear that time has not been kind to the denizens there. The Mad Hatter, Rabbit, and other famous citizens of Wonderland have become even more deranged than in her previous visit.

     The combat, locales, characters, and story of the game are truly superb, and represent an excellent visualization of Lewis Carol’s work. While not X Enhanced, the visuals and performance do really pop on the Xbox One X, highlighting the disturbingly brilliant world of Wonderland. As an added bonus, the first Alice game is available as free DLC for Madness Returns, allowing the player to experience the complete story on Xbox One. Madness Returns is a brilliant hidden gem, and an essential play via Backwards Compatibility.