Alone in the Dark

Alone in the Dark breathes new life into the original's haunted house premise while adding a solid foundation of modern horror game design.

The original 1992 Alone in the Dark, developed by Infogrames, is considered to be the first ever survival horror game. While I haven’t played the 1992 original, I have played many of the games inspired by its creation, including the Resident Evil series which I’m a big fan of, with the Resident Evil 2 remake being one of my favourite games of all time. Thirty-two years after the release of the original, Alone in the Dark has been remade by Pieces Interactive, bringing the investigation of Jeremy Hartwood’s disappearance to life with modern graphics built on the Unreal Engine 4 and with perform...

Same mansion, different horrors.

Still, Alone in the Dark is well worth its 15-hour playthrough, even if it's just for its puzzles, incredibly rich and inviting environments, chilling atmosphere, and nightmarish landscapes, all while discovering Emily's backstory and how it ties into Jeremy's and the Dark Man's presence. There were more than enough well-written story beats that kept me intrigued, in which I constantly wanted to find out what happened next, but also areas that I feel could have easily been fleshed out to take this beautifully rich game to greater heights.

Alone in the Dark (2024) revisits the original 3D Survival Horror with respect for the 1992 game and the games inspired by it.

“Alone in the Dark is the confidently silly horror remake the 1992 classic deserves.”

Alone in the Dark is a success in more ways than it's not. There are notable issues preventing it from reaching that upper echelon but nonetheless developer Pieces Interactive has crafted an engaging experience with enough charm that fans of the series, or indeed the genre, will no doubt lap up.

Like a Louisiana voodoo priestess, Alone in the Dark is not without its charms, but its basic combat lacks the flexibility and function of Resident Evil 4, its inventive narrative is never as mind-bending as Alan Wake II, its uninspired creature design can’t compete with Dead Space, and it’s not nearly as scary as any of them. Its central mystery intrigued me enough to lure me through its strand of imaginative settings all the way to its story’s end as Edward, and its puzzle design did feel consistently rewarding, but I was disappointed to discover that there wasn’t a substantial enough differ...

There are bright spots here that genre veterans can and likely will latch on to, but Alone in the Dark feels a bit too rough and unpolished in areas that are too critical to the experience to ever be able to truly meet its full potential.

Alone in the Dark is an interactive sci-fi drama game that at times feels remarkably similar to Cloverfield. Whilst every single aspect of the game's concept is solid it sadly suffers from poor execution and could have clearly been done better. Don't believe the hype, Alone in the Dark isn't the game it should of been.

Alone in the Dark is a tough game to review, and one I imagine my feelings about will wax and wane just as frequently as the tides come in and out. I feel mixed on nearly every aspect of the experience, and ultimately I'm not sure I can say any one part of it hits the lofty heights of some of its predecessors.

Great ideas and a storied history are mired in mediocre combat and a disappointingly unpolished delivery.