I think this game is mediocre at best, the controls and battle system feel janky, but then, why do I give it 5 stars as a score?
And it's because everything else, I enjoyed the whole playthrough of American Mcgeee's Alice, it feels from beginning to end like the passion project it is, a game that someone wanted to develop because they felt the inspiration taking over them.
The atmosphere and worldbuilding of the game feel fantastic, it's a grim reimagining of Alice in Wonderland's universe, it takes onto the idea that (Spoilers ahead about the general story on the following lines) Wonderland is Alice's inner self, which has been tainted after the loss of her parents in a fire. Wonderland serves as a coping mechanism from her survivor's guilt, and creatures such as the White Rabbit are her beacon of light onto the asylum her real self is now in. There's other creatures, like the Queen of Hearts or the Jabberwocky, which are just the opposite, the negative emotions that want to take over her, such as guilt and depresion, and that she has to overcome through her journey.
Gameplay wise, I played the game through Nightmare difficulty (the highest option), and I found that, when I went at the beggining without thinking too much, the combat was just too hard, but the real approach the fighting of this game has is focused around abusing the AI and the tools you're given on each situation, and as the game progresses, you're given new fancy tools to approach different playstyles, with the Jacks and the Blunderbuss being the ones I used the most on the end of the game, but that doesn't mean that other weapons had their uses, the Vorpal Blade was the first weapon, but I used it through all the game since it's the only way to kill enemies without using magic, and the Ice Wand was a formidable weapon, with offensive and defensive abilities.
In level design, the game is very rich, you have phases that are focused on combat, on exploration, and on platforming, some of them your main problem will be "How I beat those enemies effectively?" and on others it will be "How can I find the exit of this labyrinth?", each level feels different from the rest, both in gameplay and in aesthetics, and it's a rare case when they overstay their welcome.
I don't think this game is for everyone, since it has a lot of things a lot of gamers may despise, but for those like me that look for other things that won't find on your average cookie videogame, and instead you want to play a game that wants to have it's own personality and charm, this is a must play.
And it's because everything else, I enjoyed the whole playthrough of American Mcgeee's Alice, it feels from beginning to end like the passion project it is, a game that someone wanted to develop because they felt the inspiration taking over them.
The atmosphere and worldbuilding of the game feel fantastic, it's a grim reimagining of Alice in Wonderland's universe, it takes onto the idea that (Spoilers ahead about the general story on the following lines) Wonderland is Alice's inner self, which has been tainted after the loss of her parents in a fire. Wonderland serves as a coping mechanism from her survivor's guilt, and creatures such as the White Rabbit are her beacon of light onto the asylum her real self is now in. There's other creatures, like the Queen of Hearts or the Jabberwocky, which are just the opposite, the negative emotions that want to take over her, such as guilt and depresion, and that she has to overcome through her journey.
Gameplay wise, I played the game through Nightmare difficulty (the highest option), and I found that, when I went at the beggining without thinking too much, the combat was just too hard, but the real approach the fighting of this game has is focused around abusing the AI and the tools you're given on each situation, and as the game progresses, you're given new fancy tools to approach different playstyles, with the Jacks and the Blunderbuss being the ones I used the most on the end of the game, but that doesn't mean that other weapons had their uses, the Vorpal Blade was the first weapon, but I used it through all the game since it's the only way to kill enemies without using magic, and the Ice Wand was a formidable weapon, with offensive and defensive abilities.
In level design, the game is very rich, you have phases that are focused on combat, on exploration, and on platforming, some of them your main problem will be "How I beat those enemies effectively?" and on others it will be "How can I find the exit of this labyrinth?", each level feels different from the rest, both in gameplay and in aesthetics, and it's a rare case when they overstay their welcome.
I don't think this game is for everyone, since it has a lot of things a lot of gamers may despise, but for those like me that look for other things that won't find on your average cookie videogame, and instead you want to play a game that wants to have it's own personality and charm, this is a must play.