Parents' Guide to

Alice: Madness Returns

By Chad Sapieha, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 18+

Gory game based on children's character is for adults only.

Game PlayStation 3, Windows, Xbox 360 2011
Alice: Madness Returns Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this game.

  • Alice: Madness Returns Game: Screenshot #1
  • Alice: Madness Returns Game: Screenshot #2
  • Alice: Madness Returns Game: Screenshot #3

Community Reviews

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age 14+

Based on 8 parent reviews

speedyhobbit
speedyhobbit Adult
May 19, 2020
age 13+

Not for the Fainthearted or People that Don't Like Gore

I marked it as easy to play/use. That said, if your kid cannot handle watching R-rated movies, or you do not allow them to watch R-rated movies or anything with large amounts of virus and gore, keep them away from this. There are scenes with asylum treatments that EXACTLY match the kinds of things they did in the Middle Ages through the early to mid1800s in explicit detail, and there's at one point a child with a transected torso, among other things. As a child, my mom never censored movies- I watched the Shining when I was in first grade and was fine- but if your child is easily affected by movies or games, keep them away. Teens- much more likely to be fine with this game, but if they don't like horror movies, they won't like this

This title has:

Great role models
Easy to play/use
Endgame
Endgame Adult
April 19, 2019
age 18+

Very mature

Do not make your kid under 18 play this game. It is 18 plus. There is blood and gore,horror sequences and enough things to give person a nightmare

This title has:

Too much violence
Too much consumerism
See all 8 parent reviews

What’s It About?

The sequel to a nearly decade-old game for grown-ups that imagined Lewis Carroll’s famous Alice character as a young woman in an asylum dealing with the death of her parents, ALICE: MADNESS RETURNS sees our heroine continuing to struggle with her sanity. She journeys from the real world -- a gray, dismal place filled with foul-mouthed, shifty-looking characters -- back to Wonderland, which is brighter and more colorful but filled with malevolent fantasy creatures looking to kill her. With guidance from the Cheshire Cat, she equips herself with weapons to defend against the things attacking her and sets out to explore the now-perilous make-believe realm.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (8):
Kids say (21):

It’s tempting to simply write off this continuation of Alice’s tale as a gory exploitation of a beloved children’s character, but there are some interesting ideas at play. As a girl, Alice’s extraordinary imagination takes her to a scary but ultimately safe place. But what will that same imagination do when she gets older and suffers a terrible loss? This game, like its predecessor, puts forth the notion that her capacity to dream will take her to much more terrifying -- indeed, even lethal -- locales.

Unfortunately, the storytelling never moves much beyond this intriguing idea. Worse, the actual gameplay, though well-tuned and intuitive, is rote and repetitive. It’s a shame that there should be such a lack of creativity in a game inspired by a story that celebrates the imagination. Grown-up fans of the classic tale with a taste for dark fantasy may find enough of interest to make the journey worthwhile, but everyone else can leave this one safely on the store shelf.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the original Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and imagine what might have become of her character when she returned to the real world.

  • Families can also discuss violence in games. Where do you draw the line on violence in the media that your kids consume?

Game Details

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