Written by Matt Cabral, 4/28/2008
Long before Resident Evil sent the undead shuffling towards gamers, or Silent Hill permanently implanted Pyramid Head into players' nightmares, Alone in the Dark had our neck hairs jumping to attention. In fact, over fifteen years ago, when the series first set our skin crawling, the term “survival horror” hadn’t even been coined. Now, following four games and an embarrassingly bad—even for hack director Uwe Boll—film adaptation (Tara Reid stars as a brilliant archeologist—you do the math), the series returns to reclaim its creep-inducing street cred. Simply titled Alone in the Dark, the granddaddy of horror games makes its next-gen debut with a highly produced reboot borrowing nothing, save for the series’ original star Edward Carnby, from the franchise’s previous entries.
Faithful fans will recall spook-chasing Carnby as a spry private detective in the 1925-set original game. Taking place in the present day, Dark does feature the same protagonist, however, if you’re expecting an 85 year old ghost-haunting hero, you’ll be disappointed; Carnby, sporting jeans, leather jacket and five o’clock shadow could actually lose himself in a line-up of other recent gaming protagonists like the new, on-the-run Sam Fisher or Condemned 2’s Ethan Thomas. But fear not, secret-solving gamers, AitD’s twisted yarn promises to explain why Mr. Carnby hasn’t aged a bit, as well as unravel many other unsettling mysteries.
At the forefront of AitD’s many secrets is a doozy involving New York City’s Central Park. The popular destination for picnics, peaceful walks and people watching has been overtaken by some unknown terror—a horrifying, demonic curse that’s seemingly turned its human visitors into flesh-craving maniacs. The game’s creators have even posed this eerie, tone-setting question: “In a city where real estate is so valuable, why hasn’t all this unoccupied land been urbanized?” They make a good point. Sure, there are land-protecting laws in place, but you’d think a biz savvy shark like Donald Trump would've found a loophole, allowing him to construct penthouse properties on the valuable land; unless, of course, something much scarier than an insult-spewing Rosie O’Donnell keeps him at bay.
AitD plans on matching its intriguing premise with equally engaging gameplay. Taking a cue from successful serialized television dramas such as Lost and 24, the game is broken into episodes. The eight 60-90 minute chapters include cliffhangers and “previously on” recaps not unlike the recent Lost: Via Domus. Additionally, players can cue up a DVD player-like menu and fast-forward past small segments or entire chapters. While this might sound like sacrilege to serious gamers, the ever-increasing casual audience may appreciate the ability to skip a spirit-crushing boss battle. The creators believe they’ve crafted a film worthy narrative, and they don’t want a potentially frustrating gameplay moment to keep gamers from reaching the end credits.
The cinematic inspiration reaches far beyond the ambitious story, though, as AitD aims to deliver an experience that stings all the senses. Visually, the game is gorgeous, and a no-HUD approach ensures you’ll enjoy every detail-soaked step of each haunting level. This isn’t anything new, as many games have recently adopted a clutter-free screen, but AitD ups the immersion even further by seamlessly integrating its inventory screen into the action. With a quick button press Carnby opens his jacket, and its entire interior fills-out the screen. Players are then presented with a realistic view of the guns and gadgets he’s got up his sleeves, in his pockets and on his belt. Clever gamers can use this opportunity to combine different items to create better ones (think herb-mixing in Resident Evil, only much deeper.) Obvious recipes, like glass bottle + rag + lighter + gasoline = Molotov cocktail, are just the beginning; combine an aerosol can with a lighter for a flesh-searing flamethrower, or mix and match more unlikely pairings—we’ll let you figure them out—for a clip full of demon-stopping explosive bullets.
In addition to your jacket-full-of-fun, AitD encourages players to resourcefully use the environment as a weapon. Chairs offer a nice melee option, but chairs engulfed in flames are even more effective; grab one, set it ablaze and see how tough those zombies are now. Fire is your friend, not only for barbecuing baddies, but also for clearing obstructions. Forget about hunting for keys or entry codes—flames provide an all-access pass in AitD. And whether they’re licking at the heels of a crazed predator, or burning through a blocked passageway, they look absolutely incredible. We’ve seen things burn in games before, but these fiery effects achieve an unmatched level of realism that’ll have pyro-loving players breaking out the marshmallows for toasting. Instead of going from flame-engulfed to practically disappearing—like most burning objects in games—AitD’s fire puts objects through all the pyrotechnic paces; a door, for example, will briefly be covered in flames before turning charcoal black, then crumbling into a pile of ash and charred wood. To put it in proper perspective, expect to be as impressed by AitD’s fire tech as you were with BioShock’s groundbreaking water effects.
The game also looks great beyond its bar-raising fire effects. This is, after all, a survival horror title, so mood lighting and shadowing are cranked up to a super eerie level. And a cinematic camera optimally frames every single move, so you’ll enjoy watching the action as much as controlling it. Without spoiling too much, we’ll just say there’s a driving sequence through the chaotic, choked streets of NYC that makes those car chases in the Bourne movies look like a driver’s ed class—amazing stuff. Setting the game in a realistically rendered New York, and populating it with paranormal threats definitely plays to the title's fright-fueled edge. The stylish mix of amazing visuals, engaging storytelling and inventive gameplay—all complemented by polished production values—could crown AitD the new survival horror king. But regardless of its future rank in the popular genre, what we’ve seen so far already has us counting the days till it scares our pants off.
