Alice: Madness Returns

The story was okay, but I also didn't know what was going on half the time.

They have you going through lots of platforming sections, doing mundane tasks that don't seem to be relevant to story progression at all (like the sailors in Chapter 2), or playing the exact same minigame/event multiple times in one level.

it's age has nothing on how well the visuals hold up by todays standards, because it's late 2000's grime perfectly contributes to the deliciously gothic design of the game. the gameplay, while clunky at times, because of the aforementioned issues i brought up in the beginning, can still be extremely satisfying. normal difficulty is perfect, but you can change it to harder or easier (nightmare upon completion) at any time you want. the platforming is generally smooth to get through and alice's jumping mechanic is satisfying. countless of enemies with their own gimmicks and such awesome weapon design, i just wish each had +1 additional upgrade option as in late game there's no use for teeth.

i sincerely believe everyone should experience am:r at least once in their lives for how much of a gem it is in it's genre, so i urge to at least watch a gameplay. the voice acting is witty and engaging, the art direction is sublime, the writing is interesting and overall so much passion and care was put into this experience. rip asylum forever