2024 is already following in the footsteps of 2023 in terms of providing players with new horror games to look forward to, with reimaginings ofAlone in the DarkandSilent Hill 2arriving this year to compliment last year’s excellentDead SpaceandResident Evil 4remakes. After slipping from its planned October 2023 release date into first January and then March,Alone in the Dark’s reimagining will now be here soon. This series stands as one of the progenitors of the survival-horror genre, but it didn’t manage to stay as relevant as the series it inspired, particularly theResident Evilfranchise.
The timing of the newAlone in the Darkis arguably one of its greatest strengths, arriving at a moment when the survival-horror genre is in the full swing of a renaissance. Still, it’s only natural to draw comparisons between it and the other, more modern takes on the genre represented by last year’s highlights ofDead SpaceandResident Evil 4. In a recent conversation with Game Rant,Alone in the Dark’s producer Andreas Schmiedecker both acknowledges the inevitableconnection betweenAlone in the DarkandResident Evil, while explaining how the Lovecraftian gothic horror title is definitively still its own thing.
Alone in the Dark Invites Comparison But Stands On Its Own Within the Genre
Originally arriving for MS-DOS computers in 1992,Alone in the Darkwould end up being one of the foundational pillars of survival-horror, a genre that didn’t even exist at the time of its release. By establishing the conventions ofsurvival-horror gameplayand incorporating a wide variety of horror influences (including homage to the films of George Romero and Dario Argento),Alone in the Darkwould inevitably end up being one of the primary inspirations for Capcom’s spiritual successor to the Famicom titleSweet Home– the now legendaryResident Evil.
Alone in the Dark’s producer Andreas Schmiedecker embraces the full-circle moment ofResident Evilpotentially acting as an inspiration on the series that inspired it. That said, he’s quick to point out that players should expect something unique from thenewest iteration ofAlone in the Dark:
We conserve the classic survival horror elements of (scary) exploration, challenging puzzles, fraught combat and a deep story (in the best tradition of Silent Hill and earlier Resident Evil games) with the presentation of a contemporary 3rd-person game. And while many other games go more into the “terror”-part of survival horror, we see ourselves more in the tradition of psychological horror - and in that regard we’re lucky to have David Harbour and Jodie Comer on board, whose spellbinding performances will convince everybody who’s here for the story-experience.
Whilethe newAlone in the Darkgamemay borrow some of the elements and modern quality of life improvements of its survival-horror contemporaries, the tone, story, and horror atmosphere aim to deliver something unique within the genre that both call back to its origins and offer up something new for avid horror game fans.
Alone in the Dark
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Alone in the Dark weaves a chilling tapestry of psychological horror and Southern Gothic charm, reimagining the iconic game that set the benchmark for the genre. We invite you to join us on a journey into madness, where each encounter could be your last. With each step you take closer to unravelling Derceto’s mystery, the eyes that watch from the darkness grow hungrier.Every bullet means the difference between survival and an unthinkable end. The next door you unlock could lead to a nightmarish realm offering nothing but slashing claws, grasping tentacles, and frayed sanity. Journey to interbellum Louisiana, where an era of decadence hides a darker tale - of escape from past traumas and an intolerant society, into the waiting grasp of something darker, something that has patiently lurked for impossible eons.This is Alone in the Dark as you’ve never seen it - a skillfully-woven narrative of Southern Gothic elegance and eldritch madness that pays homage to its legendary origins while taking the next step forward in survival horror storytelling.
