Does Alone in the Dark Have What It Takes to Bring the Franchise Back on the Map?

Developer Atari’s 1992 release Alone in the Dark was a revolutionary game in more ways than one. On top of being one of the earliest games to feature fully 3D environments with at the time realistic animations, it also set the foundation for survival horror games to follow – right from the fixed angle cameras to the puzzles based progression and much more. The franchise pumped a few more games over the next couple of decades, but popularity slowly waned in the face of declining critical and commercial success which ultimately resulted in Atari selling off the brand to THQ Nordic in 2018.

Almost 5 years later, Alone in the Dark has been brought back into the limelight with a full-fledged remake that’s currently in development. While fans are really excited about this release, there is some rightful skepticism surrounding the release. Will the game be able to capture the same magic as the genre-defining original, or will it end up being a poor and generic modernization of Alone in the Dark that fails to garner much fan interest like its predecessors? Of course, answering such a question requires looking at different aspects of this game, carefully analyzing each of those parts, and then making an educated guess on the matter.

The story is set to be a mix of old and new, which should make for a narrative that is both fresh and recognizable at the same time. The game takes players to the creepy Derceto Manor as the investigative duo Edward Carnby and Emily Hartwood explore the mystery surrounding the disappearance of one Jeremy Hartwood who is Emily’s uncle. You can choose to play as either Emily or Edward, and the story will play out differently depending on who you choose for the playthrough – meaning that you have to complete at least two playthroughs to get the full experience.

Alone in the Dark is set to feature a star-studded cast with David Harbour of Stranger Things fame assuming the role of Edward and Jodie Comer of Killing Eve fame taking on the role of Emily. The writing seems to be solid from what we have seen so far, but characters have this habit of exhibiting little to no facial expressions while muttering their voice lines – which certainly dampens the emotional impact of those story beats. While some might think that having a poker face adds to the horror of it all, we really hope that this issue gets fixed with the final release.

Coming over to the gameplay side of things, Alone in the Dark’s remake is a far cry from the gameplay that we saw in the original. As you can already see, players will be witnessing the action from a third-person perspective as they explore the many locales while investigating the mystery behind the disappearance of Jeremy. It’s rather fascinating that the original Alone in the Dark created the blueprint for Resident Evil’s gameplay mechanics, and the recent remakes are dictating the design philosophy for this upcoming remake.

Alone in the Dark, or any other horror game for that matter, heavily relies on the atmosphere to convey a sense of horror – and the remake seems to have nailed this aspect. The muted color palette used in the game works well with the drab environments that do a great job of unnerving you to the bone. There’s also generous use of smoke and fog to mask away distant areas, which help accentuate the jump scares for a constantly horrifying experience.

Apart from exploring these environments, players will also be partaking in different activities like solving puzzles and engaging in a multitude of combat encounters. You will have to solve puzzles to obtain clues, which will help you inch further toward unraveling the mystery behind it all. The game also has accessibility options for guiding players through this process, so those who would like some assistance in unearthing clues can turn on helpful hints while hardcore fans can skip that altogether and do all that hard work by themselves instead.

The combat also looks like a beautiful modernization of the mechanics that we saw in the original. Ammunition is a scarce resource, so players will have to be mindful of enemy positioning and ammo reserves to survive the toughest challenges in the game. The melee combat makes a return, and you can use close-range weapons to take down enemies when you are out of ammo or in a pinch. The trailer also showcased different kinds of enemies ranging from chargers to hulking beasts, so that should help in keeping things fresh on a consistent basis.

The combat encounters might not get too intense as something like the Resident Evil 2 remake, but action will play an important role in the grand scheme of things nevertheless. That said, Alone in the Dark’s combat mechanics do feel a bit floaty in comparison to the recent remakes. You see, there isn’t much of a heft or weight to the player movements and shooting animations so that might need to be worked upon as we approach the release date.

But a major problem that stands in the way of Alone of the Dark’s success is its release date. It’s set to come out for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S on October 25th this year, which puts it in direct competition with Alan Wake 2 – another heavily anticipated franchise revival of the same genre which is set to release a week earlier on October 19th. Remedy’s game has a clear first-mover advantage in this competition, which does pose some serious threats to the potential sales for Alone in the Dark.

All things considered, Alone in the Dark looks like a promising reimagining of the influential survival horror classic. There are some rough edges here and there, but by and large – Alone in the Dark is looking to be on the right track. We have some really high hopes for this project and the game is not only focusing on bringing back the fans of the original but also introduces the franchise to a modern audience. As it stands, the fate of this franchise belongs in the hands of this revival – and we genuinely hope that the beloved IP finds a new life amongst the modern horror staples on the market.

Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.