This preview contains spoilers for Alone In The Dark: Prologue.
People, especially Resident Evil fans, might forget that there was a time in the industry before the mainstay seminal horror series. In a year when Resident Evil 4 was remade to universal acclaim, and the beloved Dead Space did pretty much the same, there is another remake coming soon and it should have more eyes on it. Alone In The Dark was first released in 1992, predating the original Resident Evil by 4 years, and helped lay the pivotal groundwork for the zombie survival game to thrive.
Unlike Capcoms flagship series, however, the years have not been kind to Alone In the Dark. The last true game in the franchise was released in 2008 and was plagued with bugs, glitches, bizarrely bad dialog, and clunky controls to name a few issues with the game (of which there are many). Before that, the last official release was in 2001 which was well received but is probably better remembered through the Uwe Boll film adaptation starring Christian Slater. There was a point in 2015 that was an online multiplayer game but for the sake of everybody, that never happened, and let’s never mention it again.
THQ Nordic
This brings us to now, the year 2023, where against all odds the franchise is getting a much-deserved new lease on life 15 years later. This is after Atari sold THQ Nordic the rights after that game we will not mention. Even with a new publisher, it is hard not to be very skeptical of given how they have teased us with a good time for so long. And as much as I love THQ Nordic, their track record has been inconsistent. Games, like Destroy All Humans, demonstrate one side of that coin, and a Game like Biomutant on the other. Biomutant, that’s the not great one.
Honestly, though, everything Alone in The Dark had done in anticipation of this October has been well thought out. The game has not given away much, opting to keep the game shrouded in mystery. Why can’t more developers do this!? I can understand the argument on the other side, with Alone in The Dark being a forgotten franchise they it might turn some people off and I get that. This is a horror game though, showing all your cards in your marketing is such a bad move and they seem to understand that.
Grace Suanders
The Demo also seems to understand that fact, offering very little in the way of actual understanding. Instead, they add a whole lot of questions. The game is predominantly a Remake of the first game though it will clearly draw from Alone In The Dark 2 as well. The demo is set prior to the events of the main game, offering a minor amount of setup for the story to come without being actually needed to understand.
The player takes control of Grace Saunders, a patient at the Derceto Manor Psychiatric Hospital in which Jeremy Hartwood, uncle to protagonist Emily, is also a patient. Grace Herself was first featured as the protagonist Jack in The Dark which itself was meant as promotional material for Alone in The Dark 2 where she was the deuteragonist alongside series lead Edward Carnby. Does her inclusion mean they are setting up the sequel for a remake in the future? Or could this mean both games are being merged into one game? Even still, how much will her character factor into the larger narrative? These are all questions we will have to wait till October to get answers to, but they pose interesting questions.
Grace is also featured in the first trailer where she could be seen hanging dolls from her ceiling and having a noose draped around her neck while smiling. It turns out her mind might be more messed up than that though the demo starts off simple enough. Grace sits in her room which, aside from the dim lighting expected in the 1920s. The same goes for the creepy horror decor of old dolls and black-and-white photos.
The Demo
You leave the room after a commotion is heard and already you get a sense of absurdity as one room seems to lead outside into the sunlight. As you get closer it is just a bathroom. Here you are greeted with a mechanic that hopefully remains in the game throughout. That is the creepy creaking of the doors as they slowly close behind you. This obviously reminds me of the classic Resident Evil games which of course they were going to copy. It’s a minor addition, but it genuinely feels like they are taking the right elements.
After you leave you are introduced to Jeremy Hartwood at a typewriter. He writes a note and when Grace turns away he vanishes. Grace, being the good girl she is, sets out to mail Jeremy’s, which as you probably already guessed sets the 2023 game in motion. She unlocks the door to the hallway and, at first it seems normal, but it soon switches to a very creepy alternative. This isn’t just a few things moving, or a dark area then gets bright. They really showcase what their horror game can do using the power of an SSD as they barely hide anything in the transition.
Grace then heads toward the lobby but the entire thing has turned into a swamp, which since Derceto is in Louisiana wouldn’t be too odd, you know… Outside… That’s when the first literal jump scare occurs. As you approach the water a monster jumps out of the water at you before submerging again. In this context, Grace simply chastises it and moves along begging the question of if this is why she is committed there or are these things what we will encounter in the main game. The next part I loved the most, since as she ascended the stairs again a button prompt appearing on the railing prompts her to use her body to push a bear statue down and cross the swamp using it. Again after that, she sneaked through a small window next to a locked door using a prompt. These are simple moments, we have seen them before, but a horror game with great out-of-the-box traversal is always welcome and I hope Alone In The Dark has a lot more coming.
At the end of it all she mails the letter and the camera pans out. She gives the camera a smile which, based on that first trailer, is never a good thing. This is quickly confirmed as a monster crawls through the darkness and jumps at the camera, ending the demo. Once again, after a title card, we see Jodie Comers’ Emily Hartwood and David Harbours’ Edward Carnby approach the mansion. The camera swings around them implying that after we fade to black here we will be playing them in the final product.
Alone In The Dark Is Back
I’ll get this out of the way first. The worst mistake Alone In The Dark is committing, is releasing in such close proximity to Alan Wake II. Remedy has built itself up as a studio with a commitment to quality, the sequel to their 2010 game of the same name is arguably their most anticipated title to date. Alan Wake is one of my favorite games of all time, I literally screamed when it was announced a year ago.
That seems to be its only sin, however. THQ Nordic as a publisher and Pieces Interactive as a developer both seem to understand what Alone In The Dark should be, an atmospheric horror game. Remaking this game, in contrast to other remakes this year gives players a chance to witness the story with fresh eyes and no need for understanding of the franchise.
Even though the demo only lasts for 10-15 minutes it checked every box I needed it to and for the first time left my mind at ease about the state of Alone In The Dark. In a year as stuffed as this, it remains to be seen if it will fall under the radar, and even more remains to be seen when the game releases on October 25th, 2023 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. All mysteries aside though, what I did learn from this demo is that Alone In The Dark is one to keep your eye on.
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