8Bit/Digi

New Chapter, Same Concept

As a series, Alone in the Dark is something like the Granddaddy of the 3D Survival Horror game, but this latest entry is a wholly reimagined version of the 1992 classic that wants to blaze its own path of Lovecraftian nightmares. Developer Pieces Interactive may not have followed the blueprints of the original exactly, but it would be hard to make something worse than some of the previous titles, and they honor the foundation the other games laid. This recent sacrificial offering is trying its best to earn the name, Alone in the Dark.

We once again find ourselves in 1920s Louisiana, as Emily Hartwood (Jodie Comer) attempts to locate and rescue her uncle, Jeremy, hiring a private detective, Edward Carnby (David Harbour) to assist her. Their investigation sends them to Derceto Manor, a home for mental health patients, or as it would have been referred to then, an asylum. This former plantation is larger than it seems, hiding many secrets, and searching through it will lead to an adventure of cosmic horrors, sending both characters through space, time, and nightmares alike.

Players begin by selecting a character, Emily or Carnby, and though the choice does not affect the gameplay much, it does matter in other ways. Whichever protagonist is not selected seems to have the more boring encounter, claiming not to have seen the monsters or gone on the spectacular journey the other has until much later on in the game. Both also have different cutscenes and a couple of sections that are geared specifically for them and their past. A single playthrough will be short, between 7-9 hours, but the developers say it is best experienced through both perspectives. It will also benefit players who enjoy the game and its lore to complete it with both investigators since there are story bits and collectible items that can only be found as specific characters, as well as the possibility of additional endings. 

Bumping Around in the Dark

The gameplay will feel standard to fans of the genre, with typical movement and clear ways of interacting with items, but that is only if the player opts to go through with the Modern experience. This mode offers more guidance for puzzles, explanations of objectives, highlights important objects as well as texts, and genuinely makes some parts of the game less of a head-scratcher. There is also, however, Old School, a type of play that gets rid of that guiding hand and provides more of a challenge that lovers of the classic game may want to see. Thankfully, along with the difficulty, there are customization options that may be toggled, so everyone can adjust to their preferences.

Even with the Modern settings, it was rare that the game felt like it was babying me when it came to the puzzles, which is excellent because they are a huge part of the game. Alone in the Dark rewards exploration, attention to detail, and in some cases, re-checking places that have already been searched, as many of the clues are hidden in plain sight, but are easy to miss. Players will constantly be referring back to their notes and suspicious of any random numbers they find. I enjoyed the puzzle design, as there was a range of difficulties, and even the ones I missed seemed quite obvious after the fact. They are also non-linear in many cases, as my playthrough and order of operations looked different than others. I see it as a draw not to be confined in this way, able to tackle them with more breathing room, but I get how some people could also find it overwhelming and carrying around so many notes and items for various brainteasers as a burden. Some elements are quite cryptic, and even with the Modern setting it is possible to be stuck, but there were many times when the hints helped without directly telling me, letting me still feel a sense of accomplishment.

The last part of the gameplay is combat. Many monsters roam the halls and haunt the foggy streets of New Orleans, so players are equipped with a few different firearms, melee weapons, and booze to help heal them. These creatures are scary and cool at first, but there is little variety and they aren’t too much of a threat unless a few of them catch the player in a corner or the character gets stuck. Deaths will happen, but they simply feel like an error, a pause before moving past to the next story bit. 

Combat in the game isn’t that enjoyable, as the character’s movements and melee attacks don’t feel responsive. The idea seems to be to use the firearms at a distance or to try and get an early advantage against multiple enemies, but switch to melee with weapons that will break on a few hits when the foes get close. However, once the player knows where enemies will come from they aren’t much of a challenge and the close-quarters fighting feels loose and reckless, while bullets weren’t plentiful, but also only felt scarce once or twice. It didn’t feel quite like survival horror in that aspect and there is a somewhat passable dodge, but it is possible to do an entire playthrough without even knowing it exists. The stealth sections are also incredibly lackluster, especially when brute force or some extra patience can overcome those parts just as easily.  

Embrace the Dark, Don’t Fight It

Forget fighting—I’m a lover, of this game. Not everything about it works, but the parts that do are so close to being fantastic. The graphics are excellent in parts, but there are sections, mostly outside of Derceto, that fall apart a little the more they’re analyzed. While inside the manor, however, things feel creepy and cozy. The light coming in from outside to brighten up the many rooms of the plantation looks remarkable at the right angle, while some areas that have been sealed for years are expertly lit for the mood—I just felt at my best when exploring the abundantly green halls and learning my way around this magical maze.

This gothic structure is amplified by some solid moody tunes that help keep me on my toes. Certain sound effects, like the gunfire, and footsteps, as well as screams and screeches, hit just right. When the storm roared at night, I wanted to sit and look out the window, listening to nature rage against the horrors happening inside. The voice acting isn’t bad. There are some superb reads and then a few sections that feel subdued, but both of the two main characters feel like they want to embody the roles, just that they aren’t sure how much to give at points. There is a slew of other voices accompanying them and a whole mess of various pronounced accents that range from strangely comical to perfection.

My heart beats a little faster for a solid video game with strong noir elements and I’m happy to say that the writing featured here is exceptional in some places, mostly the small details, secondary character development, and additional lore. The main story isn’t amazing, and it falls apart in what feels like a rushed ending, but some tried and true elements at work are still welcomed in a case like this, while a few bits seem disconnected and flimsy. So much of this works and then builds up to catalysts that are full of missed opportunities, as one of the words that will come to define 2024’s Alone in the Dark is potential. I’m not sure if it was all necessarily wasted, but the game could have capitalized on so much more. There was a moment when we first encountered a major boss that I instinctively aimed my pistol and pulled the trigger, but I realized too late that he had made me point the gun at myself and I could not stop from blowing my own brains out. I genuinely stopped, paused, placed the controller down for a moment, and said ‘Bravo.’ If there had been more instances like that, I’d be singing its praises to anyone who’d listen.

Better with the Lights Off

As much as I may have gotten into Alone in the Dark’s spooky vibes, some serious issues are going on behind the scenes. There are standard visual imperfections, like pop-ins, stuttering, and misplaced graphical elements showing up in the wrong spots. The audio also cuts out randomly in small parts, or in a few cases, for entire scenes, and there are a couple of moments that I genuinely wasn’t sure if the effects were acting up or if it was an attempt at clever psychological horror. The game fully crashed once, but there were also a couple of times it had to be reset to fix something. A prime example was an issue where keys we acquired in the early portion of the game that are needed to progress were somehow used twice on the same gate – like the order of operation triggers messed up – meaning it wouldn’t open the final door, creating an odd softlock. After wasting time and exhausting all other options, returning to a previous save and re-doing that part allowed us to continue. It could have been worse, but still, I spent a lot of time worrying I’d run into similar mishaps down the line.

These types of games usually have a ton of reading and require re-assessing notes to solve puzzles, so as someone who is legally blind, I greatly appreciate that the majority of these missives players find are read to us via voiceover. Need to hear it again? Press a button and it happens, making things much easier. This doesn’t work on some of the images or maps, sadly, which could have used a better zoom feature. I’m also thankful there were options for the subtitle text, but those messed up once or twice as well and we noticed a couple of grammar issues. It’s nothing big, just worth noting they were missed in QA and playtesting. 

Alone in the Dark is unfortunately marred by numerous bugs, which can be fixed, but the combat can’t—not easily at least. Had it taken more risks, capitalized on its story beats, or pulled out a few more impressive moments, it’d be much easier to overlook those shortcomings, but reading back over my notes I find the game hard to recommend, except to those who are willing and waiting to be fully immersed in an experience like this. 

A New Nightmare

There’s charm here for sure, I like the vintage horror filters and classic character skins offered as extras, and I almost want to try playing with the director’s commentary, but most importantly, even knowing about all of these problems, I still do want to play more. It’s also just nice to boot up a game that doesn’t need to be online and I don’t have to roll my eyes at microtransactions, so plus one point for the bare minimum. It’s the little things these days. Warts and all, Alone in the Dark isn’t going to impress many, it’ll only be remembered fondly by a few, or when compared to other games of the same name, but the franchise is trying hard to come back and show that we’re still carrying a torch for it.  

Disclaimer: The publisher through a PR representative provided the game used for this review.

This review is the critique and thoughts of one writer. If you want to see how other critics felt then check it out on OpenCritic.

8Bit/Digi is an independent media outlet that provides insight into the gamer community of the San Francisco Bay Area.

Alone in the Dark (PS5)

7

Good

7.0/10

Pros

• Derceto is an amazing environment to explore.
• Clever puzzles to solve.
• Excellent writing, especially in the background details.

Cons

• Weak combat and lackluster stealth.
• Some performance issues.
• Short single playthrough, at least two recommended.