There are no possibly no fans of survival horror games who aren’t familiar with the iconic Alone in the Dark from 1992. Our team also tried out this beloved title, and I enjoyed the original game as much as the Resident Evil, Silent Hill series, and Bizzo Casino games (I am also an avid gambler!). In 2024 the Swedish game developer Pieces Interactive gave all the gamers the chance to delve into the iconic classic game with new visuals. They developed a remake, a “reimagining” of the original title. We all were pretty excited to dig into the dark secrets of haunted manor this time and played the PS5 version of the new title. Why not return to the roots of horror gaming?
This reimagining of the 1992 survival horror classic is set in the early 20th century. The story revolves around Emily Hartwood (Jodie Comer) and Edward Carnby (David Harbour). Emily receives a worrying letter from her uncle Jeremy. After that, she comes to visit him at Derceto Manor, a sanatorium for “mentally fatigued” people. Jeremy writes in his letter that the mysterious Dark Man is after him. As soon as Emily arrives, she finds out that her uncle has gone missing. Emily hires private investigator Edward Carnby to help her on her mission, and the player can choose between Emily or Edward to play through the grimdark yet gripping horror story.
Dark Derceto Manor in 1920s Louisiana is a perfect backdrop for survival horror. This is a mysterious old haunted manor with locked doors, that creates a right mood just like in the original game. The setting and the setup build the stage for the unsettling narrative. As the player navigates the story, he or she digs into new dark secrets of the haunted manor, sneaks past monsters, finds items, and solves puzzles. The search for Jeremy turns into a dangerous occult adventure in the world of sinister ancient forces. Whether you choose Edward or Emily to play, the storytelling with five chapters remains the same, besides some cutscenes.
Though the haunted manor is a setting for all five chapters, Each chapter sheds light on certain of Jeremy Hartwood’s memories and has its distinct realm, unique challenges, and locations (for example, the ancient temple). That’s why playing this game doesn’t feel monotonous. It took us, avid gamers, about 9,5 hours to complete all the chapters, but on average the playthrough would take about 7,5 – 10 hours in total. The full completion of the game and all its five endings took us 21 hours. Three secret endings are especially intriguing, but to unlock them the player needs to search every corner and collect all the 45 lagniappes – collectible items that are scattered over the game.
The only thing about gameplay mechanics we didn’t find satisfying was the weak combat system. The controls are buggy, and we had to deal with numerous Al malfunctions. The list of weapons itself is impressive and includes hatchets, bricks, Molotov cocktails, revolvers, shotguns, as well as a crucifix. Well, we have to deal with occultism, right? Another interesting thing about the gameplay refers to the non-standard and interesting interactions.
The brilliant Doom Jazz soundtrack adds suspense to the atmosphere of the game. The soundtrack features compositions of the famous composer Árni Bergur Zoëga and musician Jason Köhnen. In his interview with GameRant the main composer of the game, Árni Bergur Zoëga mentioned four main musical styles/elements that dominated the musical score. The four main styles were Drama, Mystery, Noir, and Horror. Therefore, the musical score was the experiment, a blend of different musical styles. In our opinion, the experiment turned out to be great. The sounds of drum beats, saxophone, and keyboard immediately pull you in and keep you on the edge. The haunting soundtrack, presence, and lighting create a visually stunning 3D masterpiece. All these elements relieve the tension that is perhaps the key to horror movies and games.
New Alone in the Dark is worth playing even if it isn’t perfect. It catches up with the best traditions of the survival horror genre, the exploration of creepy Derceto is a satisfying and rewarding experience. We’ve really enjoyed the game despite all the technical issues.
