Alone in the Dark, we saw the survival horror remake in action

The fact that it has largely disappeared from the modern imagination, also due to the rebirth of historical series such as Resident Evil and the recent reappearance of Silent Hill, must not make us forget a truth as simple as it is important: in the beginning it was Alone in the Dark the first three-dimensional survival horror, and it was from those foundations that the genre developed into the myriad formulas we know today. That said, an illustrious name is certainly not enough if there are no decent developers to support it, and the presence of this saga in modern gaming has been so weak that it has led many (even long-standing) players to forget about it almost completely. The decline has been such that, where the future of “competitors” is still being discussed practically everywhere, the announcement of the remake dell’originale Alone in the Dark has passed almost on the sly, despite its release is scheduled for this year.

Indeed, it is understandable that the expectations are not exceptional, given that the team behind the project – Pieces Interactive, mainly known for Magicka 2 – does not have a curriculum capable of giving enormous certainties; the very little played seen to date, then, certainly didn’t improve things. Yet the game has returned to show itself recently, and what we have seen has rekindled our interest. In fact, the intent seems to be to make this legendary horror series popular again, with a nod to the many recent developments in the genre.

Heal from cosmic horror

The premise of the new Alone in the Dark is very similar to that of the original work, but some changes could lead it towards unexpected developments to say the least. It’s hard not to be optimistic about the writing, however, as the director and author is Mikael Hedberg – author of Soma and Amnesia – whose abilities are anything but underestimated.

The mystery begins when Jeremy Hartwood sends his niece Emily a letter, warning her that he is being pursued by an unidentified dark figure. What is written is delusional enough to lead the girl to run to her uncle, being accompanied by the private investigator Edward Carnby. In this remake, however, Jeremy does not take his own life, and is actually undergoing major treatment villa derceto, inhabited by more than one somewhat suspicious individual. For heaven’s sake, everything still seems to revolve around dark rituals and cosmic horrors of various types, but, considering who is at the reins of the project, it is reasonable to expect several twists related to the presence of the good Jeremy in the plot and the topics covered.

The story is clearly one of the central elements of this remake and, to ensure that it is conveyed in the best possible way, Pieces have enlisted the help of two established actors to play the protagonists of the game. To give the face to Edward is the very good David Harbourwhile Emily is played by the able Jodie Comer: through motion capture their interpretations are an integral part of the experience, and during the presentation it was pointed out several times how much their skills raise the general quality of the events. We’re a little sad that Edward’s iconic mustache waved to maximize Harbour’s expressiveness, but we understand the choice.

However, that is not all: the presence of two playable characters it is not ancillary, and experiencing the events as Emily or Carnby completely changes some events and the reaction of some characters to their actions. We haven’t gone into much detail about the contents, and at the moment it is difficult to understand if there will be entire different playable sections – as in the remake of Resident Evil 2, for example – or changes related only to the plot; whatever the case, to get a complete picture it will be necessary to tackle the campaign using both.

Residential evil

Didn’t see much gameplay again, but if nothing else we now have a better idea of ​​how this will work the fight, and what we observed reminded us very closely of the formula of recent Capcom remakes. Also in this renewed Alone in the Dark, in fact, the view is close behind, with deliberately awkward aim management to maximize tension, and limited but useful dodging to facilitate repositioning when attacked by the monstrosities that populate Derceto and the surrounding areas. However, Hedberg was keen to underline the differences, specifying how the intention was not so much to imitate the recent successes of the competition, but to propose a modernization as faithful as possible to the concept of the original.

It seems for example that ammunition will be scarce, sometimes forcing you to use improvised objects to throw at enemies, or melee weapons to defend yourself. The possibility of setting fire to some elements of the maps and oil stains also seems to be another very important mechanic to obtain advantages over dangerous groups of enemies. That wasn’t enough, the puzzles here have an importance and presence comparable to the fights, and sometimes require careful exploration of the surroundings and collection of clues to be overcome.

Of course, the developers have still thought of players who are not very accustomed to puzzles, inserting facilitating aids for anyone who does not want to rack their brains too much, however it is if nothing else positive to see how they want to stand out in the genre by offering a slower and more reasoned title than usual. The focus here is psychological horror, and the intent seems to be to make Villa Derceto a sort of disturbing entity, around which dark and indescribable forces move.

For what concern technical sector, the title did not seem to us to have who knows what production values, and it is clear that the Pieces do not have the technical capabilities shown by Capcom and Bloober in recent years; however, it must be said that, compared to past presentations, the steps forward have been truly remarkable, demonstrating the fact that development has advanced quickly and without major stumbling blocks. The fact that the original creator of the series, Frédérick Raynal, has given his blessing to the team calling them “perfect for the job” is also a very good sign. He may not be the right time for the rebirth of this great name, and the return of the original trinity of horror series.