ALONE IN THE DARK (2024) is the latest incarnation of the classic survival horror video game franchise that started before Resident Evil was just a glint in Shinji Mikami’s eye. It has had its ups and downs over the years but never quite managed to bottle lightning the way its first game did with Detective Edward Cromby and Emily Hartwood investigating the mysterious going’s on at Derceto Mansion. Well, we’re back at Derceto with Edward now played by David Harbour and Emily by Jodie Corner.
The premise is that it is the 1920s and Emily has received a mysterious letter from her uncle, Jeremy, who has a history of mental illness. Specifically, Jeremy believes the Hartwood family is cursed and that he’s possessed by the Devil. Emily, being a concerned niece, believes he might be being abused in the asylum and wants to retrieve him. Upon arrival, well, things are decidedly weird. The staff and patients don’t seem to be abusive but Jeremy is missing. From there, things rapidly get supernatural.
The original Alone in the Dark was originally supposed to be a Call of Cthulhu game and the Lovecraftian elements are back in force here. I won’t spoil which monsters make an appearance but there’s a scary Egyptian looking deity on the front so if you know, you know. The monster designs are well-done and suitably creepy. Sadly, the majority of the game isn’t very scary and is closer to PG-13 than R-rated despite this being similar to the Mature-rated Silent Hill 2 and Resident Evil 2‘s remake.
The gameplay is pretty similar to the above mentioned pair but slightly worse combat. You’ll also have far less combat in general with a goal being to get around the monsters over defeating them. You’ll spend the majority of the game navigating Derceto to figure out various puzzles before being transported to pocket dimensions based on Jeremy’s memories (as well as references to various Lovecraft stories).
The characters are probably my favorite part of the game with all of them being all lovable eccentrics. Some of them are better than others with the characters of Grace and Ruth being my favorite. The art style is also somewhat dissonant with Emily and Jodie having obviously had scanned faces while the rest are more stylized animation. The “twist” at the end was one I really appreciated too.
In conclusion, Alone in the Dark (2024) is a pretty good game but with flaws. The game is more cozy than scary and could have had much better combat. Still, I think it’s something worth picking up if you’re a fan of H.P. Lovecraft or want an enjoyable puzzle experience. They’re pretty easy puzzles but it’s a relaxing game that I played through twice.
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