Alone in the Dark

**Review of Alone in the Dark**

Having a long history with the Alone in the Dark franchise, it's fair to say my expectations for the latest installment were high, especially given my nostalgia for its origins. My first real encounter with the series was playing the Dreamcast version in the early 2000s, and I've always appreciated the blend of horror and adventure it aimed to provide. When I finally got my hands on the current version on PS5, I was eager to see how the series had evolved. Unfortunately, while it does offer some good moments, it ultimately falls short of its predecessors and similar titles in the genre.

The story revolves around Emily Hartwood and private investigator Edward Carnby as they delve into the mysteries surrounding Derceto Manor, searching for Emily's missing uncle, Jeremy. Right from the start, I felt a disconnect with the narrative. The plot veers into bizarre territory almost immediately, with characters popping in and out as the duo transitions through a disjointed series of locales, ranging from the streets of New Orleans to arid deserts. The shifts feel abrupt and confusing, and it's hard to invest in the storyline when understanding what's happening becomes a chore.

This installment markets itself as a survival horror game-a classification I agree with, though not entirely convincingly. The encounters with various monsters, including mutant skeletons and Swamp Thing-esque creatures, become repetitive quickly. While the enemies looked decent and had varied designs, their AI lacked depth; they mostly charged at you without strategy, resulting in encounters that felt more like an inconvenience than a challenge. Surprisingly, I found myself indifferent to many of the puzzles as well, often resorting to online guides for solutions. They tend to be pattern-based and lack the cleverness that keeps players engaged.

Weapons in the game-ranging from a revolver to a shotgun and a tommy gun-perform well in terms of animation and sound design. I gravitated towards the shotgun for its effectiveness. Post-patch, the availability of ammo seemed improved, which is certainly a positive note. However, the game lacks the feeling of progression one often appreciates in games of this genre. There are no upgrades to your abilities or weapons, causing encounters to feel somewhat stagnant and unrewarding.

Graphically, the game isn't particularly awful, yet the environments lack a sense of personality or atmosphere. It felt as though the design team focused on delivering a game rather than creating an immersive world. The character animation appears stiff at times, particularly during actions like climbing ladders. While the voice acting is acceptable, the lack of clarity in the narrative made it challenging to connect with the characters.

Alone in the Dark can be completed in around six hours, but it feels even shorter due to its lack of depth and engagement. There is only one major boss encounter that appears right at the end, further alienating players from building any connection with the challenges the story has to offer. I primarily played as Edward, and I had little interest in switching to Emily due to the narrative's disjointed nature.

Overall, Alone in the Dark feels like a missed opportunity. It holds some production value, but it fails to capture the magic that made early survival horror titles compelling. As it stands, this game earns a rating of 6 out of 10. It may be worth purchasing during a sale-perhaps when it dips to around twenty dollars. For now, those looking for a gripping horror experience might find better offerings within the genre.

Solid story, good acting for the most part and a stellar setting! Absolutely loved exploring all the locations and the great detail put into those locations. Combat was a bit janky for me. Struggled especially against one small enemy that would consistently glitch under the floor on PC. Frustrated me greatly and is my biggest knock on this fun game.

I completed the Edward Carnby run in about 11 hours which is probably a bit longer than average. I encountered a few other glitches (like getting stuck on objects and walking on air instead of descending a stair case). Overall, I had a mostly good time and recommend this game to anyone who is a fan of old-school horror games as it has some good references to the original in here.

Once upon a time there was a video game that invented a terrifying genre but got worse as the series went on. One day THQ resurrected themselves in Norway and decided to resurrect a video dead gaming franchise called Alone in the Dark.

They tried remaking Alone in the Dark but the only thing on their mind was copying Resident Evil 4 and the Last of Us Wooooh! Which made a fun romp but was nothing like Alone in the Dark original.

The art style is good but the character designs are uncanny! WoooohH! Except Miss Hartwood is so hot. (The lust of 100 demons humiliate you for a cartoon chick.)

This game has nothing to do with the original besides there is a frog in the intro. There are more outside zones like Bourbon Street for whatever.

The monsters are the least terrifying thing in this game. None of them have supernatural behaviors and the combat doesn't elicit that because Melee in the original was so important. So crucial. The enemies are just zombies but with Eldritch horror monster characters. Nothing weird or terrifying.

You know, It's ok to deviate from the original but Alone in the Dark 2024 isn't it. It doesn't know what it wants to be. I wanted a 1:1 remake made in Unity but we can't all get what we want so we have Alone in the Dark 2024.

If you want a generic horror game. Go buy it on sale. But if you wanna remake of Alone in the Dark from 1992? Summon Cthulhu cause you ain't gonna get it here.

Given how mishandled and mismanaged the Alone in the Dark series has been in it's 30+ years of existence (looking at you especially, 2008 game & 2015 Illumination), it's a miracle a much better game still got made. This 2024 remake / reboot / re-imagining pays homage and is very faithful & respectful to the 1992 classic original's spirit and flavor with modern gameplay & graphics. I've finished the game 7 times (4 as Edward, 3 as Emily), and the game's story, characters, atmosphere & 1920s rural Gothic noir setting are very alluring and engaging. Not overly familiar with either David Harbour or Jodie Comer, but they played their respective protagonist roles brilliantly.

Combat is no doubt inferior when compared to recent Resident Evil games, but still serviceable and enjoyable. Graphics and animation is often ridiculed as "PS3-era" quality, which I don't see as a negative given this is a "AA" game with far less budget compared to recent Resident Evil games or Alan Wake 2, and many games for the PS2 and PS3 eras still look great even now. Another criticism I find odd is the game being "too short", when majority of action or survival horror games tend to clock between 6-12 hours of story & gameplay. I spent 8 hours as Edward and just under 7 hours as Emily in most of my playthroughs. So it was time well spent for me. No inventory managing as well any sort of health or weapon upgrades is no doubt glaring shortcomings. But given it's limited AA budget, I guess more emphasis in AITD 2024 was placed in story telling, characters, atmosphere, setting locations, and visuals.

As for the step in the right direction, you have to look no further than the last 2 games prior to 2024 Alone in the Dark... 2008 game and Illumination. 2008 game had potential, but is a jumbled mess with too many styles and ideas mixed in like a certain Resident Evil 6 but much worse. As for Illumination, I've no clue why they greenlited such a game in the first place. It's just so bad, it seemed to effectively bury the series for good. So it's simply a pleasant surprise to see THQ Nordic revive this long forgotten franchise, especially when it's the pioneer of survival horror games. The same can be said for Outcast's revival (with "A New Beginning"), which is the pioneer for open world games. The latest Alone in the Dark does a lot of things right despite the glaring flaws, that it's provided a solid modern foundation in reviving the series going forward. I feel optimistic it will grow an audience in due time, since many gamers are always on the look out for an alternative to Resident Evil, and Alone in the Dark 2024 will deliver on that craving. It's just wonderful to see Alone in the Dark back with a great game that will serve as an ideal entry point for newcomers to the series.

I wanted much more than this. This is just buggy mess. Story isnt something special, bad graphic. Game is around 7-8 hours long. I really have hight hopes about this one. There are plenty graphical and sound problems. Sometimes game looks like it is from mid 00's. I played as Edward Carnby, probably the game is same as if you play as Emily. The ending of the game is similiar to RE 7 but the feeling at the end isnt same. For me only good thing in this game are locations. Alone in the dark series deserves much better game than this one. At the end my suggestion is to skip this game or if you are a big horror fan as I am, buy it on big sale.