While Capcom’sResident Evilcoined the term “survival horror,” there are many who considerAlone in the Darkthe first proper example of the genre.Alone in the Darkwas one of the premiere horror game franchises of the 90s, spawning multiple sequels. Its legacy carried on through the early 2000s, though that’s when things got off the rails.
In 2005,critically-panned filmmaker Uwe Bollreleased theAlone in the Darkmovie, which is widely considered to be not only one of the worst video game film adaptations ever made, but one of the worst movies ever made, period. Then in 2008, a newAlone in the Darkgame was released for seventh generation consoles that earned mixed reviews from critics, followed byAlone in the Dark: Illumination, which was even more poorly received than its predecessor.
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Alone in the Darkhas been dormant since the ill-fatedAlone in the Dark: Illumination, but now the franchise is making a comeback in a big way.THQ Nordic opened its big showcase eventby announcing a re-imagining of the originalAlone in the Darkgame, in development for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X.
TheAlone in the Darkre-imaginingis set in the 1920s gothic American south, with players able to choose between playing as Emily Hartwood or Edward Carnby, just as in the original. After selecting their character,Alone in the Darkplayers are let loose to explore the creepy Derceto Manor, all the while combating supernatural enemies and solving puzzles in classic survival horror fashion. It’s been 30 years since the launch of the original game, so fans can expect vastly improved graphics, modernized controls, and more.
While the originalResident Evilwas influenced byAlone in the Dark, it seems thisAlone in the Darkre-imagining is taking its cues from theResident Evilremakes of recent years. While gameplay is only briefly shown in the trailer, it’s clear that theAlone in the Darkre-imagining is going to use an over-the-shoulder camera and is generally giving off aResident Evil 2/Resident Evil 3remake vibe.
TheAlone in the Darkre-imagining has big shoes to fill, and it’s unclear if it will be able to live up to the high bar set by the original and other games in the survival horror genre. However, what’s been shown so far looks promising, and many fans may be happy that anewAlone in the Darkgameis coming at all.
Alone in the Darkis in development for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X.
