As someone who’s played a lot of modern survival horror games like Alan Wake, the Resident Evil remakes, Outlast, and Madison, I think I’ve had enough of a range of horror flavors over the years. You’d imagine my surprise and excitement when I heard that Alone in the Dark was being resurrected, this time with star power in the form of Jodie Comer and David Harbour leading the game.

I had been too young to play the originals back during their release, but I was around for the first reboot that was released in 2008, though was too scared back then to ever play it. But the third time would be the charm, as I would undergo a journey into a bone-chilling adventure that would freeze my inner core. Or so I thought.

Having seen the stars involved with this game, I had the assumption that it would have a highly mature and often realistic gruesome, akin to Resident Evil 7: Biohazard. But this title does things a bit differently, going back to where survival horror games started; by emulating the B-movie schlock that all horror fans love. Does it stick the landing or is it just too bad to be any good?

Story and Gameplay

Where to begin with Alone in the Dark? This is a deep game lore-wise, but honestly, it’s more confusing by the end than when I had started. The game begins set up almost like a haunted house but kind of devolves with its story into a tree with branching ideas that bear no roots. There never seems to be one answer for the goings-on in this game. And while I’m a crazy person who likes ambiguity in life, this one’s story just didn’t feel fulfilling to me by the end.

Where the game I feel shines is in its stilted acting. I’m not sure if this was purposeful or not, but Harbour and Comer feel kind of wooden in this game, giving it a true B-movie feel. They feel very far off from how they usually are on-screen in other projects. The real difference though comes from their backing cast that shines in each character’s peculiar performance. These side characters feel more as if they’re in a horror comedy like Shaun of the Dead, whilst Comer and Harbour are off in some kind of L.A. Noire knockoff or something.

In all honesty, the gameplay is pretty decent, with puzzles being slightly difficult yet not overwhelming. Gunplay is beefy and each weapon packs its own punch, though reminds players that you aren’t playing as Rambo. You actually play as either Harbour or Comer’s characters, Detective Edward Carnby and Emily Hartwood respectively during a playthrough, and each can and will experience different scenarios as you play each one through the campaign.

I have to give it to the devs on this one; Alone in the Dark has so many extremely memorable environments. The mansion Darceto, pyramids, swamps, it’s all just done very well and made the gameplay pretty varied from time to time through new puzzles and scenarios. Bravo.

Audio and Visuals

Although the acting is a bit here and there, the sounds throughout the game and the production of the whole thing are well done. Doors you open slam shut behind you, scaring you every time, and enemies will consistently try and jump-scare you when given the chance with jarring music or noise to ensue.

Visuals on the other hand, really are the biggest knock against this game. Sometimes they look truly mesmerizing, and other times, they look laughable. The most noticeable are the differences between our two main characters and the supporting cast. The leads look photo-realistic, while the others look like cartoons.

Feedback

I really wish that Alone in the Dark had a more simple story. It jumps from here to there at the drop of a hat and leaves me wanting more at every turn. Just when I thought a story thread would lead to a big revelation, a new one would appear, leaving me feeling let down. I kind of get what they were going for, but there are so many things that feel wasted.

Combat, while great in gunplay, sucks in terms of melee. This is some sluggish and unresponsive combat. I know these aren’t super strong people, but these attacks are super lacking. This title needs to give a bit more feedback when hitting enemies.

Conclusion

When push comes to shove, Alone in the Dark is a fun game that I still think about even after having finished it completely. Its themes, characters, and haunted house feeling made me enjoy the game a bit more than I probably should have. Honestly, I was addicted to playing this game from start to finish and marathoned it. And I already want to play it again.

This certainly isn’t the best game survival horror game I’ve ever played, but it is one of the most memorable. Alone in the Dark just proves that things don’t have to be perfect to be enjoyable. Just look at most horror films.