the more i think about american mcgee's alice, the more fond of it i become. its linear path is simple yet enchanting, perhaps addicting. i really enjoyed the "brutalist" nature of it. platforming is slow, and the atmosphere of each level feels oppressive. you will run into lots of sudden enemy and environmental encounters that leave you dead. combat is janky and unsatisfying at times, and can feel like a guessing game. the game isn't particularly hard as you can save at any point, but you can expect to die a lot.

the world itself is a gothic and more blatantly twisted tale of the original wonderland. you follow alice's narrative journey inside her own head, visiting old acquaintances and locations of the mind. it's a narrative journey of mental health, showing alice at her most miserable moments but also her endurance to keep going, which is reflected in the game-play itself.

despite any flaws it may have, "american mcgee's alice" is an incredibly solid experience that i stepped into blind and greatly loved. its gothic and 2000's emo aesthetics are what initially attracted me to it, (per usual) and are unmatched.