The Alone in the Dark series has had a rough time of it over the past fifteen years or so. Its first attempted revival, also titledAlone in the Dark, was too ambitious, janky and nonsensical for its own good and ultimately wound up getting the series put back on ice. Only one other game was released between that one and this latest attempt:Alone in the Dark: Illumination,and it was even worse. It had none of the charm the 2008 game had (in spite of itself) and was instead just plain bad. It was so bad that it was almost immediately forgotten, leading many to think that the Alone in the Dark series was well and truly dead.
Well, thankfully, the folks at Pieces Interactive and THQ Nordic still saw some potential in one of gaming’s oldest horror series and did their best to draw it out inAlone in the Dark (2024). The effort is, surprisingly, actually successful in a lot of ways. In terms of story, atmosphere and puzzle gameplay, the game has some real meat. As for graphics, combat and actual scares, well let’s just say that mileage may vary.
For those who don’t already know, this iteration of Alone in the Dark is a loose remake of the very first game, originally released all the way back in 1992. It’s still set in the potentially haunted Derceto Manor and still revolves around Jeremy Hartwood, but is otherwise doing its own thing. It follows the efforts of Private Detective Edward Carnby and his client, Emily Hartwood, as they delve into the mysteries of Derceto Manor in search of her uncle.
As one might expect, their search doesn’t exactly follow a typical course. Something is very wrong with Derceto and its residents may very well be even worse off. Yet none of them seem to realize it. Or perhaps they do and are involved with whatever is going on behind the scenes. It’s just one of the many things Edward and Elizabeth are going to have to get to the bottom of if they want their stories to end well.
WhileAlone in the Darkisn’t exactly groundbreaking in terms of the type of story it’s trying to tell, itdoesdo a good job of keeping one invested. Put another way, all the familiar horror elements are here: jump scares, monsters, nightmarish dreamscapes and shifty characters that are not to be trusted, but they’re all used in ways that keep players wanting to continue pulling on the story threads.
There are also two smaller stories wrapped up in the bigger one: those of Edward and Emily. Players choose one or the other at the outset and spend the rest of the game living that character’s experiences. They don’t differ radically from one another; gameplay and story events are largely the same, but things don’t necessarily play out the same way. Minor characters show different sides of themselves depending on which of the two they’re talking to, leading to cutscenes playing out differently and offering extra bits of information to glean. For example, the first scene with Derceto resident doctor sees him doing his best to appear hospitable and professional when talking to Edward, but with Emily he’s condescending and belittling.
Alone in the Dark’s cast are surprisingly well-rounded creations
He’s the same character, but players get to see two very different sides of him. The same is true for most ofAlone in the Dark’sminor cast, making them surprisingly well-rounded creations. Beyond this, there are also exclusive cutscenes for both Edward and Emily, granting players additional chances to learn and piece more of the picture together during their second playthrough.
Whoever the player chooses, Edward or Emily, that character will take on the task of following in Jeremy Hartwood’s footsteps and sharing in his horrors. The other will conduct their own investigation, mostly oblivious (at least at first) to the supernatural happenings at Derceto. This isn’t to say that Emily and Edward’s stories will be completely identical, though.
Indeed, they start out roughly the same but will eventually diverge to include different locations and exclusive cutscenes. Players even get the chance to learn more about Emily and Edward themselves and their pasts. The two can even get unique endings depending on how many collectibles the player obtains (more on them later).
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Puzzle Gameplay in Alone in the Dark has two flavors: Modern and Old School.
Following Jeremy involves solving supernatural puzzles, exploring twisted renditions of places from his memories and combating the hostile horrors that inhabit them. Starting with the puzzle solving,Alone in the Darkoffers two difficulties: Modern and Old School. Modern will feed players regular prompts, hints, prods and highlights to help them get through the various puzzles and thinking challenges.
Old School, however, removes almost all of that. The game offers almost no hints outside of the in-universe clues themselves, letting players work just about everything out for themselves. Playing this way was refreshing and is highly recommended for those who enjoy having a free hand. If it gets too hard, however, one can toggle to the other mode at any time should they find themselves well and truly stumped.
Combat, unfortunately, isn’t as strong. This, along withAlone in the Dark’sgraphics, is what most highlights the AA status. Basically, combat is where the jank lives in this one. It’s not alotof jank, mind you, but it is enough to be noticeable. The biggest issue has to do with enemy attacks: if they get an attack in, they can easily stun-lock the player and even kill them if they happen to catch them against a wall or in an enclosed space. Melee weapons are only available intermittently, so the chances of getting caught without one are high if you aren’t careful.
Alone in the Darkencourages ranged combat and even stealth, but stealth seems to be broken too easily to be viable, and enemies tend to move too quickly for shooting them to feel comfortable. This could be by design, as it definitely makes combat encounters feel tense. It might feel a bit awkward for some players, however, especially when playing as Emily since she seems to inflict less damage than Edward does.
Besides puzzling and combating strange creatures, there are also plenty of objects for players to find and collect.Alone in the Darkcalls these “Lagniappes” (literally meaning “extras”) and groups them into sets. Each set’s items aren’t localized; they could be anywhere within Derceto and the locations associated with it, and some can only be obtained by either Emily or Edward.
Fortunately, collection progress is shared between playthroughs, so players needn’t worry too much about missing something on their first run. Completing lagniappe sets unlocks both extra tidbits of information and more tangible bonuses that can be collected in Derceto Manor. It’s kind of like a running new game plus, in that lagniappe unlocks are immediately reflected across all playthroughs. And, yes, collecting enough of these can influence how things turn our for Emily and Edward. So, for both gameplay and story reasons, players would do well to seek out as many of these as possible during their stay at Derceto Manor.
In terms of overall presentation, Pieces Interactive did a decent job withAlone in the Dark.It’s not the prettiest or the most detailed horror game one can play, but then it doesn’t really need to be. Its older visuals actually compliment the 1930s setting, and the overall art style does a good job of casting a dreamlike pall over everything. Memories and dreams, especially how they can degrade, twist and grow indistinct, are major themes inAlone in the Dark’sstory and the presentation plays into that. Just as the background isn’t so important in dreams, so it’s not all that important here either.
Alone in the Dark’smusic adds to this too, but it’s mostly there to set the tone for each story chapter and location. It quiets down and swells up when it needs to and will often catch players with well-timed stingers, but there aren’t any iconic tracks here, at least none like"Who am I"from the 2008 game. This is okay, though, because it helps to contribute toAlone in the Dark’sunsettling atmosphere. And, yeah, unsettling is about as scary as it gets aside from a few jumpscares and sudden shifts. It’s kind of likeResident Evil 7: Biohazardin that sense; it’s not a terribly scary game, but it has its moments and the puzzle-solving and mystery make up for it.
Closing Comments:
While it’s not an out-and-out home run, this newest Alone in the Dark is perhaps the first series entry in a long time to give fans a decent horror experience. The story doesn’t take very long to get going, but it doesn’t just hit the gas and go full speed into crazy town either. The pacing is steady and deliberate, letting players take each step into madness right alongside Emily and Edward. Twists and insights are revealed slowly and usually only after some sort of puzzle challenge. One can take it all on with or without all the modern guidance features too, so there’s a decent experience here for both puzzle-enjoyers and those who’d rather just get on with the story.
Combat is functional and the weapons actually have some satisfying punch to them. There are moments where enemies can stun-lock the player for cheap kills, though; one quickly has to get used to kiting enemies into large open spaces before trying to finish them.Alone in the Dark’sgraphical presentation can also feel dated, but it likely won’t pull players out of the game as it actually kind of adds to its old-timey, dreamlike aesthetic.
It’s not a horribly frightening game, but it nonetheless has a thick atmosphere and an air of mystery that one cannot help but want to delve further into. This latest Alone in the Dark likely won’t quite make the horror classic cut, but it’s close. It’s close enough that any follow-up will almost certainly be something just about any horror fan will excitedly look forward to playing.
