Alone In The Dark review: Monster mansion action game is spooky, nostalgic fun
Alone in the Dark was a breakthrough video game on PC in 1992.
It basically launched the survival horror genre and was a landmark step forward in interactive gaming at the time.
Without it, there’d be no Resident Evil series.
Flash forward 32 years and we’re now getting a modern-designed sequel from THQ Nordic.
And, with the help of some serious A-list acting talent, we’re back in the spooky mansion that is Derceto Manor to fight off vile monsters and solve a mystery.
Think of Alone in the Dark as a mix of film noir stylings with a Scooby Doo-esque caper to unravel and some good old Resident Evil creature bashing.
Killing Eve actress Jodie Comer heads the cast of this over-the-shoulder title, playing Emily Hartwood, who is seeking her missing uncle.
She’s roped in Hopper from the hit Netflix show Stranger Things, actor David Harbour, who plays a classic rugged private detective-for-hire called Edward Carnby.
The gimmick here is that this really is a play twice game.
At the outset you pick to be either Emily or Edward as you attempt to unravel the mystery in the gothic American south.
And then, to really get the whole story, you need to come back after a roughly eight-hour game play through, and do it all again as the other protagonist to see whole cut-scenes and sections you missed from their perspective.
It’s a simple but well executed idea and gives the game a longevity that would have been missing hard it been more like a modern Resi game with the single direction of travel.
Alone in the Dark looks good but not amazing on the PS5.
The cut scenes do well to get across the acting of the on-screen talent, and with these two expert stars in control it really delivers that vintage gothic yesteryear vibe.
As you progress you’ll come across a series of other bizarre characters at the ‘home for the mentally fatigued’.
And that helps to double-down on the odd, spooky feeling that permeates this game. A feeling THQ Nordic have done well to nail.
The gameplay is everything you’d expect from a survival horror title and does nothing to really shake up the genre.
So there’s little ‘new’ here in a playability sense.
But what it does, it does well.
It’s not quite up there with the current Resi games but a welcome return to a long-past setting with a strong sense of horror.
The baddies are grotesque and the characters arguable equally so.
Well worth a look if you’re seeking the comfort of nostalgia with some quality acting talent.
VERDICT 4/5
