Alone in the Dark

Explore a world full of mysteries and dangers in Alone in the Dark— an adventure game with elements of horror and survival set in a noir atmosphere and Lovecraftian thrillers, featuring a well-crafted plot, cinematic quality scenes, and a third-person perspective (camera over the hero's shoulder). A unique reboot of the classic survival horror franchise Alone in the Dark with slight action inserts and a focus on atmosphere. Visually it looks decent, although it falls short compared to other releases in terms of graphics quality.

Mikael Hedberg, the screenwriter of the games SOMA and Amnesia, worked on the plot of Alone in the Dark (2024) together with the in-house writers of Pieces Interactive. As a result, the game lore has been significantly rethought, becoming more serious and darker. It lacks moments that evoke surprise due to their absurdity or illogicality, which the original trilogy was "famous" for. However, such moments were not discarded but reinterpreted or restructured with respect to the classic and organically integrated into the new canon.

For example, the key house of horrors; strange patients of the asylum; indescribable monsters; curses of pharaohs from ancient Egypt; disappearing and reappearing enemies, characters, items; the swamps of Louisiana and New Orleans; pirates and even a playing piano — all of them have received some explanation, interconnection, emerged as memories, and became the result of fantastic phenomena. Some may turn out to be manifestations of the main characters' mental disorders.

From the bearded 1992 original, the plot's setup, the setting, and the images of the two main characters — detective Edward Carnby and his employer Emily Hartwood — were borrowed. Movie stars David Harbour (Sheriff Hopper from "Stranger Things") and Jodie Comer (Villanelle from the series "Killing Eve") gifted the characters their appearance, voice, animations, and movements. The updated protagonists turned out to be charismatic, which, along with the capture of facial animation, lip, and cheek movements, added realism to the events.

Louisiana in the 1920s — an era of post-war prosperity known as the "Roaring Twenties." A time of upheaval, reflected in the frame: everyone smokes, drinks, indulges, and is unashamed to explore their desires. The unusual color of the local places is created by the combination of redneck culture from the southern states of the USA, urban citizens with French roots, and local cultist Native Americans. The constant sound of jazz enhances the atmosphere and adds authenticity.

Everything begins with Edward and Emily's arrival at the Derseto psychiatric hospital to find out the state of affairs regarding Jeremy Hartwood — Emily's uncle. Earlier, the niece received a letter from him, indicating that the staff and patients of the hospital worship an ancient Evil cult, which will soon summon it and doom the world to destruction. Only Jeremy knows the truth, but he suddenly disappeared a couple of days before the heroes' arrival.

As a detective, Edward immerses himself in the investigation and applies all his professional skills. Emily, on the other hand, explores her family's drama and experiences personal anguish from the loss of loved ones. The choice between them will affect cutscenes, dialogues, interactions with NPCs, and the heroes' relationships with the surrounding world. For example, where the detective encounters resistance, Emily will receive support. Or when Edward leaps into an alternate reality, his partner will not notice the passage in front of her. There are quite a few secondary characters, and they have been given basic personality traits.

As the heroes progress, they encounter paranormal phenomena, learn about cults and black magic, explore the history of Derseto, investigate parallel realities, and fight Lovecraftian horrors. The game must be completed twice to fully understand the plot. Overall, it will remain unchanged, but unique gameplay sections will explain the nuances, and dramatic moments will reveal the heroes from different sides. The scenes differ not only in script but also in staging, visual and atmospheric design, emphasizing the individuality and character of each character.

The plot may seem mundane only upon a cursory acquaintance. Careful and deep immersion will allow players to enjoy the story, discover Easter eggs and references, and appreciate the reworked game lore.

In Alone in the Dark (2024), there is no open world, but the authors skillfully disguise this by combining two popular approaches to creating virtual realities, ensuring variety and quick immersion.

Somewhere in the thickets of Louisiana, amidst swamps and Indian graveyards, lies Derseto — the main setting and a kind of hub location. It is a troubled shelter, hospital, and psychiatric facility. The place looks long abandoned, although it has many inhabitants. Several of its floors are occupied by numerous locked rooms connected by intricate corridors. These will open as the game progresses or when the necessary items are available, and will quickly close forever after key plot moments.

In Derseto, there is plenty to wander around, things to loot, people to talk to, check, and attempt to unlock. The rooms of the facility noticeably differ from each other, as they were created by hand, filled with numerous items, and well-decorated. Thoughtfully selected lighting, color palette, and sound effects, such as creaking floorboards and strange rustlings, enhance the atmosphere of horror and mystery. Small details dictated by the setting create a believable virtual environment that draws players in from the very first minutes.

At certain moments in the plot, players will venture into other, linear and simpler-designed locations, but much more diverse: Egyptian ruins, Louisiana swamps, desert landscapes, a riverboat, snowy expanses of Greenland. Visually, they are enriched with atmospheric elements such as fog and rain. There are few activities here; it is enough to run from start to finish, but the concentration of action is higher, and gameplay variety is broader due to new items.

The game alternates dialogues, exploration, and action scenes. In the mansion, players will need to solve puzzles, discover useful items, and do quite a bit of back-and-forth wandering, exploring nooks and crannies, reading notes, and observing the interactions of characters. The gameplay in standalone locations descends into a corridor shooter: defeat enemies using improvised means. The combat system is rigid, as managing controls feels like a struggle: the protagonist seems to deliberately act sluggishly and hesitates.

The arsenal in Alone in the Dark (2024) includes firearms: a pistol, revolver, shotgun, and Thompson submachine gun. The shooting mechanics are mediocre; to hit accurately, you must wait for the crosshair to converge, and there is also a shortage of ammunition. Melee weapons consist of various items: pipes, paddles, shovels, axes, pickaxes, and more, but they break after a couple of hits. The "Molotovs" scattered throughout the level can be thrown into crowds of enemies, but as soon as the character picks up a bottle, they immediately slow down, which spoils the entire idea.

Occasionally, the game offers short and optional stealth sections. The stealth mechanics are quite simple: sneak past enemies and throw objects to distract them with noise. There are few enemies; some appear only once or twice during the game, but their designs are varied: shadows, zombies, flying monsters, sea creatures, and many others.

The roster of puzzles is small—sliding puzzles, pixel-hunting for keys and hints, finding missing pieces, entering combinations to unlock doors —although they are usually well camouflaged. You will need to solve them throughout the game. There are difficulty settings that highlight interactive elements, making puzzles easier. But even on classic difficulty, they can be solved in a couple of minutes.