Explore the dark side of Derceto in Alone in the Dark while uncovering its hidden mysteries and fighting for your life.
Remakes and remasters are common ground when it comes to the really old fan favorites, though it doesn’t always mean that the result of picking up the old IP is worth it. We’ve had a few horror remakes and remasters, but there are a few brilliant ones, too. As we all know, this is a risky business, and Pieces Interactive seems to have taken the plunge into the remake territory of game development. This semi-obscure Swedish studio was founded in 2007 and started with small games like Puzzlegeddon in 2008.
This same studio went on to delve into the world of DLC creation for games like Magicka from 2012 onward, and they haven’t stopped moving forward when they released a sequel for Magicka and even took a more ambitious step with DLC content for the all too infamous Titan Quest in 2017.
However, the real star at Pieces Interactive is an ancient fan-favorite from 1998 and a reimagining, Alone in the Dark, and this studio is taking a shot at what might be the most anticipated remake of the year. Yes, the nightmare is back for another round with an endless string of improvements and a ton of new twists and turns to explore from 20 March. So, get ready and keep the lights on; it will be weird and possibly a little scary.
Alone in the Dark is already known for not being as forgiving on the jump-scare front, but what really helps it shine is how the world shifts and changes as you progress. You’ll be taking on the role of either Emily Hartwood or Edward Carnby, which means you can experience the story from two different perspectives as the story changes slightly for each character.
Now, things become even weirder because your objective is to find Emily’s uncle, Jeremy Hartwood, after she finds out that he’s disappeared from Derceto Manor. However, while Decerto Manor might be a home for the mentally exhausted, there’s much more going on than just a little burnout involving good ol’ Voodoo.
Starting in Alone in the Dark, you’ll get a brief cinematic showcasing just how much detail went into the world as Emily and Edward drive along to Derceto. You’ll eventually have to decide who you’ll play, and as mentioned before, the story is mostly the same, but there are differences with some of the conversations and cutscenes depending on who you pick.
The key differences are as follows: Playing as Emily will give you a more direct view since Jeremy is technically a family member, and she’s somehow more used to the weird goings on. At the same time, choosing to play Edward changes things to an outside perspective as he has no clue what to expect. Either way, the end goal remains: find Jeremy Hartwood and survive Derceto Manor.
Right off the bat, there is one thing to take note of. The world and the character design already clearly show a lot of work and detail, but there is one small catch, and it comes in with display contrast. As you may have guessed, Alone in the Dark is naturally going to take place in a lot of dark areas, and you’ll have a handy flashlight to light your way, but the use of global contrast in development can affect whether or not you’ll ever have to use it depending on your display.
High-end displays with a great contrast ratio will definitely play to the game’s strength of giving you a very dark world to explore, while lower-end displays will make it so you’d never need the flashlight. This isn’t necessarily a flaw, but it can change the experience and create massive variations between gamers.
Moving on to what will definitely confuse or amuse you, this one is a double whammy. Alone in the Dark will have you running an investigation of sorts; this means you’ll likely end up gathering notes, books, etc. Unfortunately, not everything you collect will be relevant to what you’re looking for or currently doing, but it’s a good idea to pay attention and maybe even read through some of the things you pick up because there’s a good chance that you’re going to it need it to solve a puzzle.
The most common examples would be important locations or codes, and there’s no way of explaining how easily you’ll get stuck in such a way that you can’t progress because you’re missing a key item or detail. However, if you didn’t pay attention, you can still revisit notes or pieces of information you picked up. To sweeten the deal, old clues that are no longer relevant will be automatically archived to make your life easier.
Now, another major aspect that will confuse some of you is the map. Sadly, you won’t have this modern map to work with since Alone in the Dark takes place in the 1920s. You’ll instead have the equivalent of a paper map that looks like an architectural drawing of Derceto while you’re in the manor.
This can be quite confusing to read, so it is recommended that you try to get a good feel for the map and how it reads. Unfortunately, your map will only really work for the manor, and you’ll essentially be blind when the world changes and shifts to different locations around you as you progress.
What stands out in Alone in the Dark is the horror side of things, and as can be expected, there will be times when you need to fight for your survival. Luckily, you’ll have a pistol, and you can find other guns, but ammo is painfully scarce. Like The Evil Within, you’ll need to be careful with how you spend your ammo because you’ll never know when you’ll find more. Your only alternative for defending yourself against some of the eldritch horrors that want to get in your way comes in the form of random melee weapons such as a shovel, pickaxe, hatchet, and whatever else might be nearby.
However, nothing lasts forever, and melee weapons will be one hit away from breaking after taking down a single monster. While Alone in the Dark is a horror game, a melee weapon that lasts longer would be nice to have, and it’ll still maintain the horror aspects instead of leaving you defenseless.
At the very least, being able to punch your way to some form of survival would also be nice because having no weapons or ammo when you’re being chased will leave you running and trying to dodge past the danger. Neither of these options is always viable when there’s no space to do either.
Naturally, with combat of a sort in Alone in the Dark, you’ll also have to worry about your health bar. This is where things take an interesting turn; you’ll find bottles almost everywhere you go, and they are useful for healing, but there is a major flaw that might become a problem.
Alone in the Dark gives a mostly detailed and decent tutorial, but sadly, it doesn’t exactly give any indication as to how to use the bottles when you’re on the mouse and keyboard. The control layout seems to be designed for the controller, and it’s quite obvious from HUD, but nobody likes to flounder about while trying to figure out what does what.
As mentioned, you’ll need to keep track of the notes and clues you pick up to make your investigation easier in the long run. However, Derceto can be quite a maze of doors, and not all of them are unlocked, or you’ll need to hunt down pieces of different puzzles. Now, keys aren’t a major issue, and it’s a standard practice.
What stands out the most in Alone in the Dark is the interesting puzzles you’ll need to solve. However, some puzzles are a bit more intricate and have you searching for missing pieces; others will have you scratching your head while trying to figure out the missing link in the area around you or your clues. Sadly, we can’t share too much on this without risking spoilers, but similarities can be a key factor to look out for.
To save the best for last, this one is for the collectors among us—the few who want to find every tiny little detail and collectable item. Alone in the Dark is no stranger to this, as there are a lot of them. Collectables are referred to as Lagniappes in Alone in the Dark, and there is a literal mountain of them scattered throughout the world.
While they’re not mandatory to find, these curious items will usually give you more lore to add to the already vast collection and sometimes even help with your investigation in unexpected ways. The only advice for those looking to fill the collection is to leave no stone unturned and prepare to explore everything several times over because the world around you is always changing in small or big ways.
With everything said and done, you’ll need to keep in mind that Alone in the Dark is, first and foremost, a horror release, but there are survival aspects too. Unfortunately, picking up everything you can find is handy, but you can’t waste resources because they don’t respawn in the Decerto.
However, your journey taking you to strange places beyond the Decerto also means that some things are missable. It’ll be wise to make a point to explore everywhere to get what you can and be as prepared as possible for what comes next.
On the visual side, Alone in the Dark will impress immediately with how well-optimized everything is. Normally, new releases like this would show some issues with lag due to a lack of optimization, but that’s not the case now. The dark-themed world and the characters all have a unique part to play in this strange release, and they all bring everything to life in the best ways.
Now, a game like Alone in the Dark would never be complete without phenomenal voice acting and background music to match. Luckily, the developers went above and beyond to bring this masterpiece to life with voice acting that will make you feel like you’re in the 1920s. It’s rare to see great voice acting and matching background music, but we get lucky with a gem like this every now and then. However, on the other side of Alone in the Dark is the amazing sound effects from the various monstrosities you’ll be fending off.
The highlight in this regard is the level of detail with facial expressions during cutscenes and conversations. Right behind the facial detail is the accuracy of the world design; everything from the manor to the random trip to the bayou shows an unholy level of dedication and love that went into this release.
Overall, Alone in the Dark is definitely turning out to be a masterpiece that needs to be experienced by new players and those looking for a blast from the past. Between the world and character design, along with the brilliant voice acting, you’re in for a hell of a ride while possibly running for your life at times.
It seems 2024 is turning out to be the year of great releases and the rise of semi-obscure studios, though this is not just what we want; it’s what we all need. Here’s to hoping Pieces Interactive carries on with the great work and continues to blow everybody away with the work they’re doing.
