Alone in the Dark Reviews
Check out Alone in the Dark Review Scores from trusted Critics below. With 51 reviews on CriticDB, Alone in the Dark has a score of:
Alone in the Dark, a remake of the beloved 1992 classic, endeavours to narrate a gripping horror story. However, while it excels in certain aspects, it falls short in capturing the essence of true horror.
Alone in the Dark has plenty of written text, from books and clues to patient files and transcripts. Every piece of writing includes voiced audio from the character responsible for it, and the voice work never falls flat. You could almost remove the visual side of the game entirely, and you’d be left with a compelling and clear mystery podcast.In a sea of remakes and unearthed old IPs, something rarely stands out as different enough from its original to feel unique while staying similar enough to earn the same title. Alone in the Dark 2024 achieves this balance shockingly well. This is a fresh story, but the respect and adoration of the original are clear at every turn. Because that original happens to be the grandfather of survival horror, Alone in the Dark is a must-play for any fan of the genre.
Alone in the Dark is one of the forefathers of the survival horror genre. Emerging from the shadows in 1992, the franchise has spawned numerous titles that delve into the human psyche. After a maze of hits and misses, Pieces Interactive aims to resurrect the franchise with a reimagining of the original adventure. Will this return to the harrowing mansion manage to capture the essence of fear that made the original games so iconic?
While this reimagining of the 1992 cult classic is lacking on some fronts, it makes up for the superb and unsettling atmosphere sprinkled throughout the whole game all while being a strong love letter to the original.
Alone in the Dark is a superb survival horror game that successfully blends old-school design sensibilities with modern genre trappings hamstrung by technical
I did run into a few issues with the Series X version of the game. I had it crash on me every single time I transitioned from Chapter 1 to 2, no matter who I was playing as unless I skipped the cutscene. It was repeatable every time and during Chapter 2, at random parts while playing as Edward, my Xbox would overheat and shutdown. I have never had the issue before and pulled up WWE 2K24 and let a CPU vs CPU match run for 2 hours immediately after without a hitch. I was able to finish the game without further issues and the developers told me they hadn’t had this bug before so it may just be my machine.
The Alone in the Dark reboot is here and avoids the pitfalls of previous entries. Here’s what we thought of this spooky reimagining of the series.
Alone in the Dark is a considerate reimagining of a pioneering classic, weaving together nifty puzzles, edge-of-your-sofa combat, and clever scares.
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 performances from award-winning actors Jodie Comer and David Harbour.
Alone in the Dark breathes new life into the original's haunted house premise while adding a solid foundation of modern horror game design.
A '90s survival horror throwback modernized with a visual overhaul and much-needed QoL changes but hampered by rough writing and animations.
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.
The new Alone in the Dark is just the right game for fans of games full of suspense, who are tired of annoying jump-scares. So if you value the captivating atmosphere over adrenaline jumps in similar titles, you will really enjoy this reboot.
This re-imagination of the original trilogy aims to scare you to the bone and returns to infamous locations with a whole new story and mythical places to explore.
Alone in the Dark is a solid reimagining of the original 1992 release, and it plays very well on the Steam Deck!
Before Resident Evil, Silent Hill, or any of the other horror staples were chilling and thrilling fans, there was Alone in the Dark. Unfortunately, after laying the foundation for the whole survival horror genre, the series lost its way with some truly dreadful revival attempts interspersed with long periods of dormancy. And now we’re trying again with a fresh reboot of the series simply titled Alone in the Dark from Magicka 2 and Titan Quest developer Pieces Interactive and publisher THQ Nordic.
Despite its faults, Alone in the Dark is a return to survival horror genre roots with a high emphasis on exploration and storytelling.
Alone in the Dark isn’t flawless, but it’s definitely one of the best entries in the series so far and an accomplished reimagining. Its story will keep you on your toes, even if sometimes you might feel like it could have a little more fleshed out. And while the game’s combat doesn’t impress, the oppressive atmosphere throughout is effective at keeping you on edge. Throw in a bucketload of enjoyable puzzles to overcome, and you have a survival horror that’s well worth spending some time with.
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.
It’s been more than 30 years since the original Alone in the Dark made its debut, and now we’re coming full circle with the game that helped define the survival horror genre. Clearly having an influence on Resident Evil with its puzzles, weight management system and overall creepy theme, the remake of Alone in the Dark has definitely borrowed a few things from more recent games in Capcom’s series. Unfortunately, Alone in the Dark can’t decide what it truly wants to be and falls a li...
Alone in the Dark presents a promising yet imperfect reimagining that captures the essence of a mesmerising, atmospheric adventure game. However, it struggles to rationalise the inclusion of clunky combat and basic stealth elements that detract from the overall experience.
Alone in the Dark’s moments of homage will land more strongly with longtime fans of the original, and the optional director’s commentary in the upgraded PC install is a fun add-on to enjoy; it would have been even better to have included it with all versions of the game. Still, newcomers will have no problem going in cold, as the runtime of eight hours or so for an initial playthrough requires no previous experience with the franchise whatsoever. The value will lie in how immersed one finds oneself in Derceto's intrigues because, besides the personal trauma bubbling underneath it all, its monsters are pushovers.
Pieces Interactive’s 2024 reboot of Alone in the Dark reminds me in numerous ways of the classic Silent Hill games, for better and worse. Combat is impactful, but not always recommended. The drifts between Derceto and supernatural worlds are unsettling, but also janky. The characters feel compelling and mysterious, but also unemotive and somehow detached. And in all of that, it tells a truly intense story that cranks it to eleven by the end and sets up from something even more interesting. You won’t find a perfect horror on the level of Resident Evil 4 in this version of Alone in the Dark, but it still captures the trademark macabre psychological horror and compelling investigation that this series has been missing for far too long.
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.
Alone in the Dark 2024 revitalizes a classic franchise with a compelling setting and exploration focus, despite being marred by bugs and lacklustre combat.
Alone in the Dark once again has us heading back the Derceto, the iconic location from the original game, complete with a reimagined cast of familiar faces. While the atmosphere and exploration are all top notch, some basic gunplay and bland puzzles unfortunately hold this back from greatness.
You better must choose if it’s worth spending your spare cash, because it might not be the game for you and it might be for others.
Now, that’s not to say there’s nothing to enjoy, far from it! I really enjoyed the writing and performances, but it likely says something that I had a lot more fun just rushing through on a second playthrough on easy to see the story differences than I did on my initial go on normal where I actually had to explore.
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.
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 difference to make a repeat playthrough as Emily feel particularly worthwhile. While this remake is undoubtedly a step up from the three-decades-old original, Alone in the Dark fails to escape the shadows of the other contemporary survival horror titans that it helped spawn.
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’s influence on the industry has been pretty large, very much pioneering the survival horror and allowing games like Resident Evil to exist. Unfortunately, though it’s a game that has struggled over the years. 2008’s ridiculously ambitious soft reboot “Inferno” could have been a great return, but didn’t hit the mark, with some fundamental problems that put the series on ice. Meanwhile, 2015’s Illumination took the franchise’s core and turned it into a third-pe...
Alone in the Dark should be quite the event of a release. Serving as a remake of the original 1992 horror game, the title often described as the ‘grand daddy’ of survival horror, this is an attempt at bringing the series into the modern age. The only problem is the franchise has tried this once before with the incredibly poorly received 2008 reboot. Sixteen years later and sadly, Alone in the Dark has repeated history, failing to capture modern audiences. A swing and a miss.
Alone in the Dark marks a fine attempt at contemporary survival horror mechanics but is completely adrift with an incoherent narrative, dull design, and baffling tonal choices.
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.
While it’s great to witness the return of survival horror royalty, Alone in the Dark haphazardly follows modern genre trends where it once invented them. While it mostly succeeds at drawing players into a Lovecraftian mystery, it's hard to ignore the underbaked action elements used to patch these story beats together.
Alone in the Dark is a weak survival horror pastiche largely devoid of original moments. The occasional dash of character in its 1920s Deep South setting can't make up for repetitive puzzles and the feeling we've seen all of this before.
As remakes go, Alone in the Dark has a hard time measuring up to horror stablemates like Resident Evil. All of the requisite ingredients might be here, but they're poorly realised and implemented, resulting in a game that has its moments, but is hamstrung by shoddy combat, half-baked visuals, and more than its fair share of bugs.
Alone in the Dark is a scare-free horror experience, rife with technical issues, a nonsensical plot, and lacklustre performances from its two notable stars.
This reboot of a long-dormant horror franchise doesn't do enough to justify digging up the dead.
As it stands, it’s very hard - if not impossible - to recommend Alone in the Dark in its current state. Even if you can look beyond the blandness of its design, story, and gameplay, the sheer lack of polish is far too frustrating to warrant spending any money on. It’s a game that, without exaggeration, I had been looking forward to for years. All that’s left now, though, is a sour taste.
Alone in the Dark tempts you with some great ideas but inevitably provides no substance. Couple that with less than stellar gameplay and a hunger to tell a better story, I left Derceto Manor feeling unimpressed, frustrated, and ultimately dejected by the sum of its parts
Great ideas and a storied history are mired in mediocre combat and a disappointingly unpolished delivery.
A lackluster and fragmented game that never really comes together in any meaningful way. In almost every sense that matters, from story to combat, horror, and atmosphere, Alone in the Dark leaves much to be desired.
The 2024 Alone in the Dark is a deeply flawed game, but at least it's never boring. The first playthrough is fun despite its issues, mostly thanks to the campy story, and exploring Derceto is rewarding, even with the simplistic puzzles. The second playthrough is where it becomes apparent that there isn't much to the game. At best, it's an incredibly basic and generic survival-horror game that's stuck in the past, and at worst, it's buggy and doesn't justify its $60 price tag.
Alone in the Dark, a remake of the 1992 PC classic, is regarded as the godfather of the survival horror genre with its pioneering use of polygonal characters on pre-rendered backgrounds. Despite being overshadowed by Resident Evil, the remake offers a compelling dive into madness that won't overstay its welcome.
Returning to its interwar period roots, Alone in the Dark successfully reworks and expands the original game’s scenario and characters, but its exploration, puzzle solving and combat largely stick to now familiar survival horror routines.