Alone in the Dark

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.

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?

If you liked the Resident Evil 2 remake, you will easily enjoy Alone in the Dark which makes for a solid survival horror game.

Alone in the Dark serves up a classy and confident slice of old-school survival horror, all sliding puzzles, creaking floorboards, and long, dark shadows. Though it undeniably lacks the grander scope of its Shock & Gore contemporaries, this quaint tribute to yesteryear impresses with its kooky cast, strong atmosphere, and vintage ‘ghost story’ vibes. Crucially, Alone in the Dark fans have a new adventure they can be proud of.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.