Alone in the Dark Review - Welcoming Retread of Survival Horror Staples

One of the earliest pioneers for the survival horror genre, Alone in the Dark has quite the legacy. There’s no denying that the series has been pretty hit-and-miss throughout the decades, with 2008’s Alone in the Dark being unfairly panned by critics. But nearly a decade after the total misfire that was Alone in the Dark: Illumination, we’re now back with a brand new Alone in Dark simply titled ‘Alone in the Dark’. Which is definitely not going to cause any confusion. In this review of said new Alone in the Dark, we’ll be delving into the work of Pieces Interactive, and their take on the long running series.

The game offers two characters as separate playthroughs. Series mainstay Edward Carnby (played by David Harbour) and Emily Hartwood (Jodie Comer), who has appeared in the occasional Alone in the Dark title as the niece of one Jeremy Hartwood. The beginning of the game will be largely similar regardless of which character you choose. However, a couple of hours in you’ll be treated to different routes, cutscenes and NPC interactions. It’s certainly worthy of two playthroughs, just as with Resident Evil 2. Adding to that potential is the inclusion of Lagniappes. These are collectible scattered throughout. They not only act as a mark of progression, but some also offer unique in-game bonuses upon completing a set. The catch? Some sets may only be completed by playing through both sides of the story.

And that story is loosely based on the very first Alone in the Dark. Still considered a survival horror retro classic, the plot of the original Alone in the Dark saw Emily receiving a letter that her uncle had taken his own life. She hires a driver to take her to Derceto, an estate in Louisiana, to investigate her uncle’s demise. Carnby meanwhile, travels to Derceto in order to uncover a secret for a client of his detective agency. In Alone in the Dark 2024 however, the driver Emily hires is Edward. And Edward’s client is Emily.

Derceto isn’t Jeremy’s house, but it remains his home. An institution for the mentally unstable. What’s more, Jeremy isn’t dead. He’s simply missing. You enter Derceto full of suspicion as you find a near empty house. When you do eventually run into the locals, it’s not exactly a warm welcome.

Soon however, things take a sharp twist. You’re no longer in Derceto. You’re now in the French Quarter, wandering the streets with some inhuman inhabitants. Then almost as quickly, you’re back in Derceto. This opening section sets the scene for a game which builds on the usual explore then manor/lab/city by transporting the playing to-and-from the key locations regularly, but without missing a beat. Small siloed areas of exploration interspersed with the main gameplay locale.

That exploration largely revolves around singular puzzles. Rarely do they overlap, and instead it’s simply a case of find object A to connect with port B. It’s a very linear construction, but that doesn’t mean that it’s not enjoyable. In the latter half of the game you’ll be taxed more considerably. Though even here each puzzle can typically be solved with only a little deeper investigation into your surroundings. None of this is particularly original nor innovative. However, it is designed well enough that you’re constantly drawn to the next moment. Knowing that a solution to the puzzle is just around the next corner, and that in turn leads to another puzzle.

While Alone in the Dark is a great experience, there’s no denying that Pieces Interactive clearly didn’t have the size or budget of Capcom’s Resident Evil remakes team. There are many minor irritations that can build to an occasionally frustrating experience. Trying to interact with multiple items in close proximity or the unwieldiness of combat. There’s also a handful of bugs – many likely to be fixed in the near future – but during the course of this Alone in the Dark review we got stuck on door frames more times than could be considered acceptable. We also found many occasions in which the audio was delayed; a gunshot ringing out seconds after it was fired. As stated above, these issues will likely be fixed sooner rather than later, hopefully bringing the finer details up to scratch with the core gameplay loop.

Despite these blemishes, Alone in the Dark is a thoroughly enjoyable game. For nostalgia fiends it may not rank as the best Alone in the Dark game yet, but modern design philosophy would prevent that more often than not. Instead, it is likely to bring in new fans to the series. Gamers who’ve never previously played an Alone in the Dark game will find a lot to love here, as will anyone looking for a by-the-numbers modern survival horror game. In fact, while it doesn’t break any new ground, Alone in the Dark is likely to be the best new survival horror game you’ll play this year.