NO THANKS TO ea. This is a marvelous game by the original creator (Mcgee). Unfortunately, due to ea's decision-making, we will no longer receive extra content on Alice... through EA. Besides the obvious reasoning, greed & sloth, I will boycott ea for as long as I can. Honestly would have pirat-.... nvm. ARRGGG!!
Also, ea doesn't deserve the capitalization.

Another entry on a list that I like to refer as "Great game! Unfortunately, EA."
If you, as expected when buying an older EA title, finish their job for them, you can mod this game to be the Special Edition, which includes a launcher for American McGee's Alice, the first game, and by downloading it you can play both of them, as I did, demonstrated by my hours count. This review will be about both of them, as playing the first game takes very little effort and you totally should.
Both Alice 1 and 2 are absolutely amazing, first one is a forgotten gem, thanks mostly to EA who doesn't give you an ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ way to play it, second one still thanks to EA has kinda been forgotten too. The atmosphere across the two titles is consistent but fairly different, there's a lot more shock factor in the second one but that's a good thing, a bit of a retcon on the main event that causes Alice's insanity but it also greatly improves the narrative, they're astounding games. Too bad EA robbed us of a third game and was so ass to everyone involved, devs and fans alike, that it was the final nail in the coffin of McGee's will to put up with the gaming industry's ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥.

Alice 1 aged very gracefully, it's a bit wonky but given that it runs on Quake 3's engine you can't really ask for too much, it's very enjoyable to play and it's only shortcoming is the platforming, the ideas are solid but the game engine just isn't cut for landing on a tiny platform from afar.
Alice 2 fixes the platforming issue, it's very enjoyable, the only problem is that sometimes the hardest enemy to beat is the camera. You will die a lot because of it, but thankfully you just respawn on the last solid platform you were standing on, so it's forgiveable. But the game is just too easy, even when played at high difficulty, it's more story-driven than anything, its saving grace is the fact that the story is damn good.
Now, the issues of the EA's Steam port of the second game: again, they just needed a couple of lines of code to give us 60FPS, they could've just given the first game and all the DLC contents as a Steam DLC, having DRMs on a 13 years old game is moronic, and the lack of Steam achievements kinda hinders replayability, if there were achievements I'd be more likely to play NG+ to find every secret.

In conclusion, EA is a pile of dung that was so ass it made McGee retire, the game is well worth the money, too bad the money ends up in their pockets.

Alice: Madness Returns is such a hidden gem of a psych horror game that just doesn’t get enough attention. The game is a dark and twisted take on the classic Wonderland, and it’s seriously captivating. You play as Alice, exploring a nightmarish version of her world, solving puzzles, and battling some really creepy looking enemies.

The art direction is absolutely stunning—every level feels like stepping into a surreal, gothic fairy tale. The atmosphere is thick with a dark, unsettling vibe that’s really unique and immersive. The gameplay mixes platforming and combat, and it’s all really smooth and satisfying. What makes this game really special though, is its storyline.

The umbrella block mechanic wasn't working for me at first when I got to the first menacing ruin, but to fix it I just easily adjusted the default input code and it worked perfectly fine afterward!

Alice: Madness Returns is definitely worth playing. It’s a seriously underrated game that deserves more recognition for its creativity and depth. Literally one of my favorite games ever. I will actually never ever forgive EA for passing Alice Asylum. (unless they come back around and make it happen) You Greedy Assh0les.

GIVE US ALICE ASYLUM EA!!!!!!!!