GRAPHICS: Genuinely gorgeous. The world, the creature designs, Alice (the hair physics!), the fact that her appearance and outfit changes depending on the chapter you're in to better match the area around you (a mermaid-esque dress for the Deluded Depths, a dark steampunk look for the Hatter's Domain, a soft floral outfit for the Mysterious East), it's all beautiful - even if that beauty is sometimes a very twisted brand of it. The additional outfits are wonderful, too - I personally love the Late But Lucky, Cheshire, and Hattress dresses (she has cogs for pupils!). The Vale of Tears is beautiful, especially in the moments before the game begins to pull out the darker stuff, and the Cardbridge genuinely took my breath away.
CHARACTERS: The game mostly focuses on Alice (who is great by herself - I've read a fair number of essays on how important her character and how her mental health/story was handled were), but there are some fascinating and well-conceptualised supporting characters too. The Cheshire Cat has always been a favourite, as has his appearance, the Carpenter is always fun to get to again on replays, and the Queen of Hearts is beautifully designed. The main antagonist is appropriately sinister and ominous.
DIALOGUE/VOICE ACTING: I thought the voice acting was pretty good, and everyone's approaches to their lines fit well with the tone of the game. Alice's voice is sharp and she hits the emotional beats pretty well, and the Cheshire Cat and Bumby are stand-outs.
PLOT: It's dark and potentially upsetting for younger players, but I got into this game at 11-12 and loved it, so your mileage may vary. It weaves between twisted and dreamlike while in Wonderland to depressingly realistic while in London or when confronting Alice's mental state.
GAMEPLAY: Platformers aren't usually my thing, but I really enjoyed the platforming in this game. The different worlds keep everything varied and interesting, and there are always different things to keep you on your toes - you're platforming over dominoes in Vale of Tears, giant cogs and steam jets in Hatter's Domain, paper fans in the Mysterious East, floating playing cards in the Cardbridge, etc. The combat is fun enough, with a variety of different and interesting weapons to unlock along the way, and I found myself having to be pretty strategic about when to dodge and when to attack and when to back off, so it wasn't just mindless slashing.
MULTIPLAYER: None.
Favourite Male Character: The Cheshire Cat ...does he count as male?
Favourite Female Character: Alice
First Character I Liked: Alice
Favourite Character Design: The Cheshire Cat
Favourite Moment: Either floating down into Wonderland for the first time, the first time entering Cardbridge, or the train station scene at the end
Favourite OST: Vale of Tears, Jack Splatter, Radcliffe's Fate
Least Favourite Character: Bumby
CHARACTERS: The game mostly focuses on Alice (who is great by herself - I've read a fair number of essays on how important her character and how her mental health/story was handled were), but there are some fascinating and well-conceptualised supporting characters too. The Cheshire Cat has always been a favourite, as has his appearance, the Carpenter is always fun to get to again on replays, and the Queen of Hearts is beautifully designed. The main antagonist is appropriately sinister and ominous.
DIALOGUE/VOICE ACTING: I thought the voice acting was pretty good, and everyone's approaches to their lines fit well with the tone of the game. Alice's voice is sharp and she hits the emotional beats pretty well, and the Cheshire Cat and Bumby are stand-outs.
PLOT: It's dark and potentially upsetting for younger players, but I got into this game at 11-12 and loved it, so your mileage may vary. It weaves between twisted and dreamlike while in Wonderland to depressingly realistic while in London or when confronting Alice's mental state.
GAMEPLAY: Platformers aren't usually my thing, but I really enjoyed the platforming in this game. The different worlds keep everything varied and interesting, and there are always different things to keep you on your toes - you're platforming over dominoes in Vale of Tears, giant cogs and steam jets in Hatter's Domain, paper fans in the Mysterious East, floating playing cards in the Cardbridge, etc. The combat is fun enough, with a variety of different and interesting weapons to unlock along the way, and I found myself having to be pretty strategic about when to dodge and when to attack and when to back off, so it wasn't just mindless slashing.
MULTIPLAYER: None.
Favourite Male Character: The Cheshire Cat ...does he count as male?
Favourite Female Character: Alice
First Character I Liked: Alice
Favourite Character Design: The Cheshire Cat
Favourite Moment: Either floating down into Wonderland for the first time, the first time entering Cardbridge, or the train station scene at the end
Favourite OST: Vale of Tears, Jack Splatter, Radcliffe's Fate
Least Favourite Character: Bumby
archivistbluum
6 months ago