IIt’s fitting that this latest Alone in the Dark game chooses a generational curse as its premise, as the series that pioneered the survival horror genre hasn’t had a good run for nearly 30 years. Its various misadventures include the disastrous 2008 game of the same name. The game included a blink-only button, among many strange design decisions. But it was terrible, at least in an interesting way, and that’s more than can be said for this boring and derivative re-imagining of the game that started it all.
Set in early 20th century Louisiana, Alone in the Dark follows Emily Hartwood (Jodie Comer), who is sent to a mental health clinic after receiving a worrying letter from her uncle Jeremy. It depicts a visit to Tokoro Delceto Manor. So worried, in fact, that she not only hires private investigator Edward Carnby (David Harbour) to accompany her, but one of the first questions she asks Carnby is whether he’s “waving a gun.” I expected that there might be a need for it, so I was wondering if he brought a gun. She is there to meet her uncle.
As it happens, you get to choose between Carnby and Heartwood to swing the gun, and that decision creates a slightly different perspective on the same story. This reimagining retains the general premise of his 1992 original, but its presentation and mechanics are heavily borrowed from Capcom’s remake of Resident Evil 2. Explore Delceto mansion in limited freedom and solve simple puzzles to unlock different rooms. This is interspersed with more action-oriented segments where you enter Uncle Jeremy’s dreams and fight monsters in locations inspired by HP Lovecraft’s stories.
Very boring most of the time…Alone in the Dark, 2024. Photo: Places Interactive/THQ Nordic
The southern Gothic manor house is fun enough to explore, and the puzzles it contains may be a little distracting. But for the most part, Alone in the Dark is pretty boring. The biggest problem is writing. The game aims for a snappy, noir-esque detachment, but it can’t match it with the fundamental silliness of a Lovecraftian mystery. The sudden switch in tone and location is more disconcerting than interesting. It also struggles to justify itself. Why do the dual protagonists spend most of the game apart, even though Heartwood specifically hired Carnby to protect her?
If Pieces Interactive was hoping that the star talent they hired would improve their writing skills, unfortunately the effect is quite the opposite. Comer seems confused as to what Heartwood’s character is. Almost every line she says is off-key. Simple filler phrases like “I need the key” sound like something a sarcastic teenager would say to her. Harbor sometimes sounds like he’s reading a script with one eye on the clock, but he does a somewhat better job of it.
It’s worth noting that the Resident Evil games aren’t narrative masterpieces either. But those people teeth Scary and exciting, the qualities of Alone in the Dark stumble past. Aside from a few instances, exploring the mansion lacks any sense of suspense, as combat and puzzle-solving exist in separate realms. Even in the dream world, encounters with monsters are surprisingly rare. Assuming you can’t stand enemies quaking in corners due to the game’s regular AI glitches, it might be fun to shoot them when they appear, but most other interactions are underwhelming or not at all It’s frustrating. Melee combat is sluggish, but opening doors and climbing ladders is excruciatingly slow.
The sudden change in sound is more disconcerting than intriguing… Alone in the Dark, 2024. Photo: Places Interactive/THQ Nordic
Moreover, for someone who is supposed to be lost in the abyss of madness, Jeremy’s dreamscapes are disappointingly mundane. These include Louisiana swamps, cemeteries, warehouses, and libraries (apparently ancient). You’ll visit some more exotic locations later on, but they’re too fleeting to have much of an impact. It takes enough effort just to hear real people talk about their dreams. If you’re going to force yourself to experience a fake person’s dream, you’d better make sure it’s very weird.
Where Alan Wake 2’s excellent surrealist horror offered a clear and compelling story while reveling in its weirdness, Alone in the Dark was too staid, too clumsy and, so haphazard that it evokes nothing more than a shrug. The mystery surrounding Jeremy’s madness isn’t worth the weighty unraveling, but the combat and puzzle-solving are just a shadow of Resident Evil 2’s excellent design. It seems the curse lives on.
Source: www.theguardian.com
