Before Resident Evil and Silent Hill, 1992’s Alone in the Dark helped lay the groundwork for 3D survival horror before the genre even had a name. Players explore a haunted building filled with intricate puzzles and terrifying monsters, with gameplay emphasizing careful management of scarce resources. It even featured two playable characters with separate scenarios, an idea later adopted by Resident Evil 2. Various sequels of varying quality followed, but it’s been years since the series became a cultural fit.
Last year, developer Pieces Interactive announced plans to revisit the popular first game and reimagine it for a modern audience. Alone in the Dark fuels the recent wave of survival horror remakes, and a dedicated showcase gave us our first look at how the classic was rebuilt from the ground up.
This new vision of Alone in the Dark largely sticks to the blueprints of the 1992 game. After receiving a disturbing letter from her uncle, Jeremy Hartwood, Emily Hartwood enlists the help of a detective. hard-liner Edward Carnby to find out what happened to him. They visit the haunted Decerto countryside hospital, where Jeremy tests himself after claiming to be harassed by an evil entity known as the Dark Man. Emily is also grappling with a mysterious family grief known as the Hartwood Curse, and their visit quickly turns into a battle for their sanity and lives. Pieces will go all out for this remake by inviting Jodie Comer actors (kill New Year’s Eve, Free guy) and Port David (violent night, Strange things) to lend Emily and Edward the same voice and visuals.
Like the original, Alone in the Dark features two separate campaigns for Emily and Edward, and although the story has the same setting, the events unfold in a different way. People behave differently around each character, and they will also visit exclusive areas, encouraging players to experience the game twice to see everything. Pieces also reveals that progress from the first playthrough, such as the items you find, will have a subtle impact on the second. Fans should expect new twists in the original story while also keeping an eye out for the rich references and Easter eggs scattered throughout.
As you explore Decerto and beyond, you’ll be attacked by all sorts of supernatural monsters, from strange insect-like creatures to grotesque humanoid creatures made of vines. You can destroy them with guns, but ammo is limited, so you’ll have to choose your battles and use your resources and environment wisely. That means relying on melee weapons, throwing stray objects, and posing hazards like firing puddles of gas to set enemies on fire. Alone in the Dark also emphasizes puzzle solving. Decerto is filled with weird puzzles and riddles, and you’ll need to put on your detective hat to find clues that point in the right direction.
Alone in the Dark will launch on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC in time for Halloween on October 25. You can get a feel for what’s to come by playing a free downloadable prequel chapter fee is called Grace In The Dark. Launching today, this short demo is inspired by Alone in the Dark 2’s Jack in the Dark opening game and features young Grace Saunders exploring Decerto weeks before the main game begins. head.
With Resident Evil helping usher in a survival horror renaissance with quality new titles and Silent Hill returning, now is the best time for Alone in the Dark to wake up from hibernation. We just hope Pieces can regain its magic and remind players why the series was once so appreciated by horror fans.
