I recently saw an announcement stating that THQ Nordic are producing a new Alone in the Dark game. Upon seeing that announcement, my first thought was “I wonder if the other Alone in the Dark games are available on Steam”. Taking a look, I saw that they were heavily reduced and quickly picked up the first five games for a little over €2. As a fan of the Resident Evil franchise, it surprises me that I’ve yet to play any of these games but I’ve learned enough about these games now that I thought it would be interesting to provide an overview of the Alone in the Dark franchise which is both incredibly important in the history of video games but is also very inconsistent in quality.
Of course, it makes sense that we begin with the game that started it all, the 1992 Alone in the Dark video game. Originally released for MS-DOS and developed by Infogrames, Alone in the Dark has you select either Edward Carnby or Emily Hartwood to explore a mansion which ends up being supernatural. The game laid the foundation for what would become the survival horror subgenre by establishing fixed, claustrophobic camera angles, finding items to solve puzzles and defend themselves from the monsters that inhabit the mansion etc. which was later popularised by the Resident Evil franchise. The game proved to be so successful that the idea of producing an anthology of horror games, called Virtual Dreams, was scrapped in favour of producing sequels to Alone in the Dark.
Alone in the Dark was followed by a promotional spin-off game called Jack in the Dark that is short, Christmas themed and features a character relevant to Alone in the Dark 2. Alone in the Dark 2 was released shortly after Jack in the Dark in 1993, and made some drastic alterations such as emphasising the combat over puzzles, reducing the horror element of the game and only allowing you to pick Edward Carnby to play as although there are a few moments where you play another character. While still being positively received, many viewed it as a step down in quality from the first game.
Alone in the Dark 3 was released in 1994 and followed Edward Carnby again as he investigates the disappearance of Emily Hartwood in a Western ghost town. The gameplay can be viewed as a blend of 1 and 2 with more puzzles, less combat and a little more horror than Alone in the Dark 2 while still retaining the linearity of the second game. After the release of these three games, there were some ports to other platforms but it was a few years before another Alone in the Dark game was released.
In 2001, a reboot of the Alone in the Dark franchise called “Alone in the Dark: The New Nightmare” was released for multiple platforms. The game allows you to play as either Edward Carnby or Aline Cedrac with the game playing very differently depending on who you choose. Edward’s story is more combat-focused while Aline’s story focuses more on puzzles. While there were some criticisms of the game’s glitches and how similar it was to other survival horror games, it was still well-received and sold well.
In 2005, a film adaptation simply called Alone in the Dark was released. Directed by the infamous Uwe Boll, the film bombed at the box office and received overwhelmingly bad reviews with some even declaring it to be one of the worst films ever made! Nonetheless, it did well in the home video market and eventually got a direct to DVD sequel in 2009.
In 2008, another reboot of Alone in the Dark was released, this time simply called “Alone in the Dark”, which sees Edward Carnby facing off against more supernatural entities. The gameplay uses first-person and third-person gameplay as well as other additions such as being able to drive a car! Nonetheless, the game ended up getting mixed reviews as critics complained about the awkward controls, bad writing and acting and technical issues. It even ended up getting to the point where Atari, the publisher for the game, threatened reviewers who gave low scores with lawsuits!
The most recent game to have been released, as of this article, is Alone in the Dark: Illumination which was released in 2015. Unlike the other games in the franchise, Alone in the Dark: Illumination is a multiplayer game which has players traversing randomised levels while fighting off enemies. The game ended up receiving overwhelmingly bad reviews and, in 2018, Atari ended up selling the Alone in the Dark franchise to THQ Nordic.
The Alone in the Dark games have been incredibly important to the survival horror subgenre of video games but I think it’s also fair to say that the franchise has been inconsistent when it comes to quality. Hopefully the upcoming reboot by THQ Nordic will be well-received and reinvigorate the franchise. Let me know your thoughts on the important but inconsistent Alone in the Dark franchise, whether you have played any of the games, what you thought about them, whether you’re excited about the upcoming reboot and any additional information you might have on the topic.
Thanks for reading and if you wish to seek any of the titles I mentioned, don’t hesitate to use amazon.co.uk or amazon.com for all of your needs! Also feel free to follow my curator page on Steam “JRPG Reviews” for thoughts and opinions on any JRPGs that I play and my YouTube channel “Victory Achieved Gaming” where I guide my friend through challenging games.