"Alone in the Dark" tested: The new edition of the cult survival horror game reinvents itself
19/3/2024
Translation: machine translated
The game that founded survival horror is getting a new edition. The reinterpretation of "Alone in the Dark" is reminiscent of classic games of the genre - for better or for worse.
Survival horror is one of my favourite video game genres. With its mixture of dark atmosphere, puzzles, combat, exploration and, at its best, story, it casts a spell over me every time. With "Alone in the Dark", the founder of this ingenious genre, which has been around for over 30 years, is now in front of me - well, almost. It is a reinterpretation of the classic that laid the foundations for genre giants such as "Resident Evil" and co. in 1992.
On an exploration tour with David Harbour
The opening of "Alone in the Dark" already fills me with joy. Troubled by a letter from her uncle, Emily Hartwood hires private detective Edward Carnby. She wants to work with him to investigate her uncle's supposed whereabouts: the Villa Derceto. That brings back memories. I love it when games throw me into an enclosed area like a huge mansion, police station or space station rather than overwhelming me with large, open areas. Sorry "Resident Evil 4", the puzzle possibilities just click together better in clustered areas.
Source: Cassie Mammone
After the first cutscene, I decide which character I want to control. Here I meet familiar faces: While Jodie Comer slips into the role of Emily Hartwood, David Harbour shows up as a detective in the role of Edward Carnby. Because I want to accompany the familiar face of Jim Hopper from "Stranger Things", I decide in favour of the US actor for my first playthrough.
The impact this has on my experience only becomes clear on the second playthrough, when I decide in favour of Emily as the protagonist. On the one hand, small details change, such as the starting equipment. These include an engagement ring for Emily and the detective licence for Carnby. As time goes on, bigger differences become apparent, such as the reactions of the residents of Derceto Manor. While Edward Carnby is an outsider who is viewed with suspicion, Emily Hartwood is more welcome. As Jeremy Hartwood's niece, she is a familiar face. The locations that Edward and Emily visit at the beginning of the game are more or less identical. Towards the end of the game, increasingly large diversions become noticeable.
Source: Cassie Mammone
Lots to do in the evil residence
What can I expect to find in the magnificent residence? To find out, I first get an idea of my surroundings and explore the various rooms. "Alone in the Dark" is kind enough to provide me with a map of the villa early on, which automatically shows which doors are locked, where puzzles are located and whether I have finished exploring a room. This is very helpful as, typical of the genre, there are little puzzles in every nook and cranny. I solve them to make progress or to obtain certain items. Because I mustn't forget one thing: When protagonists of survival horror games do something, it's to collect their entire environment. I mean, of course I need rat poison, an ominous syringe and a fountain pen. While we're at it, I'll pick up the dog collar too.
The whole thing is broken up by cut-scenes and battle sequences. While at the beginning I shoot at humanoid monsters (at least in their form) with my handgun, I later fight off flying or crawling beasts with a classic shotgun or a Tommy gun. The typical survival horror madness awaits me.
At some points I leave Derceto Manor. The action-packed passages outside the manor are a nice change from the otherwise rather quiet gameplay, where I dedicate myself to solving puzzles in the slightly gloomy atmosphere of the manor. Neither the passages in the villa nor those outside are particularly nerve-wracking. I therefore hardly feel any creepiness while playing. The many cutscenes add to the mysterious noir feeling, but they take me out of the immersive atmosphere that has been built up beforehand. For me, "Alone in the Dark" is therefore more of a relaxed trip into the survival horror past than a scary horror experience.
"Old but Gold"
The classic mix of puzzles, collecting and combat make "Alone in the Dark" a solid experience for me. I like running through winding buildings where a door needs to be blocked every five metres or a painting needs to be put together. If you have stayed away from "Resident Evil" and co. for these reasons, "Alone in the Dark" will hardly change that.
The reinterpretation of "Alone in the Dark" also brings some modernisations with it. For example, I can switch on a puzzle aid in the options, which can be personalised and can support me in different areas. This means that puzzles can be highlighted in colour on the map of Derceto Manor as soon as they are solvable. Without the help, they remain colourless and only marked as puzzles. A visual aid helps me with some puzzles and sometimes the playable character even tells me what I can do if I don't solve the puzzle straight away. During my first playthrough, I switched off this help, as I like to rack my brains over such challenges. To be honest, the puzzles aren't particularly difficult either. On my second playthrough, I switched on the puzzle help. I already knew what to expect, so I made faster progress.
I find changes like this extremely motivating for further playthroughs because they make the experience more comfortable and therefore more inviting. Especially when a game is over after just under ten hours, this gives me the opportunity to stay in the game world I'm having so much fun in.
One puzzle in the second half of the game, however, almost drove me mad. Because there were no internet guides available at the time of testing, I got a friend to help me after 45 minutes and despite the puzzle help, we despaired. In the end, I was able to solve the puzzle with a lot of clicking around. I'm very curious to see how the internet reacts to it. Maybe it will turn out to be a bug. I encountered such bugs more than once while testing. Among other things, Carnby suddenly didn't want to draw his weapon even though there was a monster in front of him. Things got really wild when this monster couldn't damage him either and I had to reload the save game. From time to time, actions didn't work for me - another bug that could only be solved by reloading the savegame.
Sensible modernisations
I found another useful modernisation in the Management of items. When I have used an item in all the required places, it disappears from my inventory and ends up in a kind of archive. There is also no limit to the maximum number of items I can carry with me. This eliminates annoying trips back to inventory boxes.
Source: Cassie Mammone
I must emphasise the successful German dubbing. From genre classics such as "Resident Evil" and "Silent Hill", we are used to trash that has found a firm place in meme culture thanks to bullshit bingo slogans or strange-sounding dialogue. Carnby's narrator, Dennis Schmidt-Foss, and Emily's narrator, Lena Schmidtke, do a great job, as do their colleagues. Not only are all the conversations between the characters set to music, I can also hear the many texts of letters, diary entries and notes read aloud. I'm not even used to so much read-aloud luxury in the remakes of "Resident Evil".
A few legacies remain
Despite all the praise for new and old survival horror elements, the game has a few flaws. For example: even though fighting in modern titles such as the "Dead Space" or "Resident Evil" remakes is great fun, the reinterpretation of "Alone in the Dark" remains true to the genre and leaves me with an unsatisfactory feeling when shooting at the monsters. I can count the selection of weapons on one hand. The option to upgrade the various firearms doesn't make it any more exciting either.
However, I can avoid some fights by sneaking around the enemies, for example. Unfortunately, this is even less fun than shooting. That's why I choose the unsatisfactory solution of tactical retreat on my second playthrough: I run away and avoid the confrontations as much as possible. I didn't even do that in "Silent Hill 2", even though all the confrontations there are extremely unpleasant on purpose. Oh well, at least I don't have to deal with any tank controls.
The many characters in Derceto Manor are also confusing, especially at the beginning. I'm constantly hearing or reading about people I can't yet get a picture of. This may be intentional to create the image of a mysterious mansion. However, it irritates me rather than arousing my interest. The exaggerated noir-style staging, which utilises the images of the hard-boiled detective, the morally questionable characters and the gloomy atmosphere, doesn't help either. The plot becomes clearer as the game progresses and towards the end I am interested in the fate of the main characters.
Talking of endings: these can be influenced by the character selection at the beginning. In typical old-school survival horror style, there are several variations of this in "Alone in the Dark". While the conclusion of the first playthrough looks the same for both characters, further endings can be unlocked for Edward or Emily if certain items are found or tasks are completed.
Source: Cassie Mammone
Conclusion: a relaxing trip into the past
"Alone in the Dark" is a successful survival horror game. As a fan of the genre, I am pleased about a few sensible modernisations such as the simplified inventory management and the interactive map. I can overlook most of the legacy issues such as the unspectacular shooting sequences.
Source: Cassie Mammone
The story also kept me entertained and I was curious to find out what secrets awaited me at Derceto Manor right up to the end. With the two playable main characters and several endings, "Alone in the Dark" also has plenty of replay value. Revivals of old game series are always a reason for me to celebrate. Even more so when the reinterpretation is so successful. I'm delighted to have this little piece of video game history in my hand and I'm excited to see what the future holds for "Alone in the Dark".
"Alone in the Dark" is available from 20 March for PC, PS5, Xbox Series and was provided to me by THQ Nordic. I tested the PC version.
Cassie Mammone
Freie Autorin
I wrote my first text about video games when I was eight years old. I haven't been able to stop since. The rest of my time is spent on my love for 2D husbandos, monsters, my cats and sport.