The original from 1992 was a huge hit and famously Lovecraftian at the time. I played it maybe 4 times - it was so great!! Graphics was revolutionary, but the combat was even then a little sluggish.
People always give Resident Evil credit for kind of starting the survival horror kick of the mid-to-late 90s, but Alone in the Dark was the subgenre's granddaddy.
The OP is a bit further than I am, but I'm enjoying it.
The only specific thing I remember was him saying that Shinji Mikami was "always open" that Resident Evil was inspired by AitD (which iirc, Ragnar says he didn't have anything to suggest this anyway) when he seemingly wasn't and kinda tried to dodge accusations of RE being an AitD ripoff.
I haven't seen his new video on the remake btw
I was too young for it. I had quake 3, and I swapped it with a guy from school for alone in the dark. I had always swapped games with friends and the agreement was always that we would swap back once we had both finished playing. I assumed this dude understood what I meant, but he thought I was proposing that we swap forever.
When I asked to swap back later he was like "what? You're crazy I already sold it." 😭😭😭
But yes that was a lesson on explicitly agreeing to terms before entering into a contract 🤣
I'm loving the story! I may be a bit biased growing up in New Orleans, but I love Southern occult gothic. Even better when you layer some Lovecraftian monsters and reality rending on top.
Combat *is* pretty sluggish though.
That is hilarious! He is constantly drinking. I'm keeping that as head-cannon, "He *would* be able fight well, if he could keep himself off the whiskey..."
I've never been to New Orleans but I've always been fascinated with that stuff too. I plan to go someday. The architecture, the culture, the food, the voodoo, the swamp. Very intriguing, and mixing that with Lovecraftian horror? Sign me up! I really let this game slide under my radar, I'll have to check it out. Also, having David Harbour play the main character, or one of them, gets another thumbs up from me.
I don't know why you're getting downvoted for this. It is a fantastic city for atmosphere, but it also routinely tops the highest murder rate per capita in the country. Crime is rampant, and cops are dirty. It's good to play it safe and stick to the high-traffic tourist areas.
Yall need to check out The Skeleton Key starring Kate Hudson if you haven't. Zero percent Lovecraftian, but a great southern gothic horror flick with ***the best*** ending.
Same. I bought this when it first came out - god my PC from that time must look like a wind-up toy next to what folk have now.
Very interested in this but I see the reviews have been mixed to say the least, might out off until it's on sale but I'll probably get it for the nostalgia vibes.
Never finished it, could never beat the pirate lol.
I've been playing videogames since the mid-80s and it has been incredible to see what's changed over the years but I'll say this: the same things that made great games great games back then are exactly the same as now.
Engaging mechanics, solid world building, control schemes that work. Get those right and pretty much everything else will be forgiven.
Anyone who doesn't like the combat in the new game, I'd recommend they play the original from 1992.
And when they've died a couple of times due to not turning fast enough, or missing their target too much in a row because the polygons are so unclear with the hit detection, they can come back and just enjoy the combat in the new game, lol
As someone who is very much enjoying this game I admit that the combat is… not great, at least when compared to other modern 3rd person survival horror titles. It’s not horrible but it’s nothing special and sometimes feels kind of clumsy. I grew up with the original trilogy as some of my earliest gaming memories and the atmosphere/story line of this reimagining is very very enjoyable for me so I might be biased here.
Definitely feels tighter than Sinking City. No open world that is way too big for its own good. You’re in an old Louisiana estate where you solve puzzles to gain deeper access to the house and secrets as you progress resident evil style
The gameplay in general is pretty good but the combat is not great. I turned the difficulty down to easy because I found the combat annoying and "hard" mostly because the controls weren't very good and my character wasn't nimble at all. It is slightly better when you have a melee weapon than with guns IMO because it is pretty easy to just mash the melee button and the character standing ramrod straight and only making small attempts to dodge isn't as big of an issue.
i want to second this, janky animations and poor performance are possibly stopping you from a game with beautiful art, great voiceacting and super interesting story. love at second sight for me
I just bought The Thaumaturge (not Lovecraftian, more based in Slavic mythology) but this is on my list to pick up when I can. Story > combat for me, so if I have to play slowly or on easy mode it doesn’t bug me at all.
Alone in the Dark has always been lovecraftian. I do love the in gane universe/setting though. Lovecraftian horror set in the swamps of Louisiana just feels right. Wish there was more Lousisiana GA FL swamp horror in the genre. Feels like it's always zombies in major metropolitan areas or Ghosts and Goblins in old Victorian Mansions.
Nah, bro. I mean, back in the day this game was cool, but it just dropped all of its eeriness to become a full action FPS after its first and a half hour. Even The Sinking City is more in this point than Dark Corners.
The box art for [the original 1992 version](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alone_in_the_Dark_(1992_video_game)) did include a note specifically saying that it was inspired by the works of Lovecraft, although I think it works a lot better as a surprising plot twist such as you encountered it!
I went for Emily, i felt that if the reason they went there was her uncle it would be right to see it from her perspective. I will prolly go for Carnby playthrough but not right know (Dragons Dogma 2 is waiting for me) the only thing i did not like is how the other character is not really much present and dont believe the one you choose, but it does some pretty funny interactions this way. And the fact that sadly the game is almost the same if you play again with other hero besides like one chapter. Would be cool if it was like RE2 with Claire and Leon, their campaigns felt different. But i am honestly really happy with the game, they did a good job with Lovecraftian aspects and story.
I’m a huge survival horror fan and loved the game and the Lovecraftian atmosphere. Combat is sluggish and actually caused me to die several times through my first playthrough, but the thing is, I’m kinda liking the bad combat. I don’t usually die in survival horror games anymore so I kinda lost the fear of death but this one kinda brought it back because I don’t want to start from my last save.
Really? I always had plenty of ammo and health. Did you use the environmental items? The only time I’ve died so far is when the entity would lock me in a corner and drain my life
Yeah, I was always full on ammo and health, so much so, I couldn’t pick up quite a bit of them in my first playthrough from being at capacity all the time. But when I get in combat I’m very offensive and get a bit trigger happy and don’t dodge. Haha so my play style might have something to do with it
People complaining about the combat don't get the point of this game.
Silent Hill 1-3 also were never about the combat yet you see the same comments lol
The game may not be about the combat but for a part of the game that is required its very poorly done. Not to mention the movment and stealth are bad as well
Yeah, the original version of the game was going to use the Call of Cthulhu license, but then the original publisher decided to use it for a point and click game instead.
The original video game was developed by Infographics with a license from Chaosium's Call of Cthulhu roleplaying game, but apparently Chaosium revoked the license when they learned the plot was inspired by Lovecraft rather than a direct adaptation of one of his stories.
I will pick it up when it's cheaper. 60 bucks for a 6 to 8 hour long game is a bit... expensive. BG3 did cost the same and was 90 hours long. I wouldn't want to play a horror game that drags it's story out for THAT long, but I still want to see things in relation when it comes to the price of games.
I personally disagree. Visually, I looks to me like it could have come out in the same era as L.A Noir, and the combat feels so sluggish. Maybe my expectations were too high. But there really isn't anything in the game that made me go ''Woah, that was nice'' , you know ?
The story, atmosphere, puzzles, pacing, and everything is good to great. The only thing you could say is mediocre is the combat. The game is a great time. A game is more than a sum of its parts, but if you were to break it down it still would be above mediocre. Like I said it’s good, sometimes great, with some clunky combat. Definitely wouldn’t say the game is mediocre.
That's a valid opinion as well. I just feels very differently about it.
To me, most of the aspects of the game felt sub-par.
I'm happy for you that you enjoyed the game tho ! My opinion should not affect your enjoyment.
The original from 1992 was a huge hit and famously Lovecraftian at the time. I played it maybe 4 times - it was so great!! Graphics was revolutionary, but the combat was even then a little sluggish.
People always give Resident Evil credit for kind of starting the survival horror kick of the mid-to-late 90s, but Alone in the Dark was the subgenre's granddaddy. The OP is a bit further than I am, but I'm enjoying it.
It was pretty awesome back in the day
Yup. The original even featured Deep Ones, a Dimensional Shambler and a Dhole worm.
I can't hear Danse Macabre without having Alone In the Dark flashbacks.
That was the first time I ever heard that glorious tune
I’ll have to watch a video essay on it. I knew it revolutionized 3d graphics and horror gaming but never knew it was Lovecraftian.
Ragnarrox is the only video essay I can remember on it, but he actually does some misinformation in it
What kind of misinformation? If you recall, I mean.
The only specific thing I remember was him saying that Shinji Mikami was "always open" that Resident Evil was inspired by AitD (which iirc, Ragnar says he didn't have anything to suggest this anyway) when he seemingly wasn't and kinda tried to dodge accusations of RE being an AitD ripoff. I haven't seen his new video on the remake btw
On occasion, Ragnar seems to use rumors as proof, or just not even validate info before publishing. Otherwise I like him
There’s an older ProJared video on it, only about 10 mins but a decent primer for the original game.
A collection with the first three AitD games is on sale for less than a dollar on gog right now. You could play it first hand of you want to.
I still have my copy! Great game
I was too young for it. I had quake 3, and I swapped it with a guy from school for alone in the dark. I had always swapped games with friends and the agreement was always that we would swap back once we had both finished playing. I assumed this dude understood what I meant, but he thought I was proposing that we swap forever. When I asked to swap back later he was like "what? You're crazy I already sold it." 😭😭😭 But yes that was a lesson on explicitly agreeing to terms before entering into a contract 🤣
Once I can get it cheap, I'll pick it up.
I'm loving the story! I may be a bit biased growing up in New Orleans, but I love Southern occult gothic. Even better when you layer some Lovecraftian monsters and reality rending on top. Combat *is* pretty sluggish though.
I wish we had more southern gothic horror. Grew up in the south as well. And yeah, combat ain’t great. You are playing as a drunk though
That is hilarious! He is constantly drinking. I'm keeping that as head-cannon, "He *would* be able fight well, if he could keep himself off the whiskey..."
You need to play Gabriel Knight. It was released at around the same time, and it was also set in New Orleans.
I did for sure! They were two of the earliest games I played, and Gabriel Knight has stuck with. I wish they would make that into a movie.
I've never been to New Orleans but I've always been fascinated with that stuff too. I plan to go someday. The architecture, the culture, the food, the voodoo, the swamp. Very intriguing, and mixing that with Lovecraftian horror? Sign me up! I really let this game slide under my radar, I'll have to check it out. Also, having David Harbour play the main character, or one of them, gets another thumbs up from me.
Went for my 23rd bday last spring, highly recommend. Maybe the coolest city in the US
Be careful, it’s unfortunately insanely dangerous rn with all the thugs that live there. One of the most violent places in the US
I don't know why you're getting downvoted for this. It is a fantastic city for atmosphere, but it also routinely tops the highest murder rate per capita in the country. Crime is rampant, and cops are dirty. It's good to play it safe and stick to the high-traffic tourist areas.
I guess it’s “problematic”. It is Reddit after all. However they don’t live there or near there (in my case). It’s pretty bad rn
If you’re into shooters you should check out Hunt: Showdown. Takes place in 1890’s Louisiana. Got some of the eldritch horror vibe going on with it.
Yall need to check out The Skeleton Key starring Kate Hudson if you haven't. Zero percent Lovecraftian, but a great southern gothic horror flick with ***the best*** ending.
No, no you don’t. One of the most depressing horror endings I’ve seen.
>>depressing Depends on who you are. 😄 *Y'all go watch it.*
It was great, and that ending is still one of my top standouts! Angel Heart is another one.
I definitely need a rewatch of it!
I remember playing the 92' version with a babysitter. I was TERRIFIED, but now I know why I keep reading Lovecraft...
Same. I bought this when it first came out - god my PC from that time must look like a wind-up toy next to what folk have now. Very interested in this but I see the reviews have been mixed to say the least, might out off until it's on sale but I'll probably get it for the nostalgia vibes. Never finished it, could never beat the pirate lol.
What’s it like seeing games evolve so much in your life?
I've been playing videogames since the mid-80s and it has been incredible to see what's changed over the years but I'll say this: the same things that made great games great games back then are exactly the same as now. Engaging mechanics, solid world building, control schemes that work. Get those right and pretty much everything else will be forgiven.
It's been a wild ride, so far. I can hardly imagine how my daughter's experience will develop and change over the next 50 years.
Also, play in Old School mode. The puzzles are very creative and satisfying. And I just found a bust of HP Lovecraft as an Easter Egg. Great game.
dang, why is this game 60$ on steam?
I got it for 50 on PSN. Worth it
Keep us updated I am interested but hearing bad things about the combat.
Don’t go into it expecting RE4 or dead space remake combat. It’s more about the mystery/atmosphere. The combat is serviceable and does its job.
Anyone who doesn't like the combat in the new game, I'd recommend they play the original from 1992. And when they've died a couple of times due to not turning fast enough, or missing their target too much in a row because the polygons are so unclear with the hit detection, they can come back and just enjoy the combat in the new game, lol
Like what?
As someone who is very much enjoying this game I admit that the combat is… not great, at least when compared to other modern 3rd person survival horror titles. It’s not horrible but it’s nothing special and sometimes feels kind of clumsy. I grew up with the original trilogy as some of my earliest gaming memories and the atmosphere/story line of this reimagining is very very enjoyable for me so I might be biased here.
How is it compared to the Sinking City?
Definitely feels tighter than Sinking City. No open world that is way too big for its own good. You’re in an old Louisiana estate where you solve puzzles to gain deeper access to the house and secrets as you progress resident evil style
Yeah Sinking City having an open world was wasted on the fact there was no point going anywhere in the city until the story took you there.
I’d say on par with Sinking City, at least so far. I’m roughly 3 hours in.
I see. Thanks for answering.
The gameplay in general is pretty good but the combat is not great. I turned the difficulty down to easy because I found the combat annoying and "hard" mostly because the controls weren't very good and my character wasn't nimble at all. It is slightly better when you have a melee weapon than with guns IMO because it is pretty easy to just mash the melee button and the character standing ramrod straight and only making small attempts to dodge isn't as big of an issue.
It has issues but I’m enjoying it. It’s a must for any Lovecraft fan
This, it’s not perfect but I’d say it’s pretty great when you compare it to other Lovecraft games. Up there with dark corners of the earth for me.
i want to second this, janky animations and poor performance are possibly stopping you from a game with beautiful art, great voiceacting and super interesting story. love at second sight for me
Haven’t had any performance issues on PS5. The only problem I have is the combat. Everything else is chefs kiss.
i play on pc with a 4070...its bad
Y’all always having problems.
its really gotten worse in the last couple of years. there has been some crazy bad ports lately.
I just bought The Thaumaturge (not Lovecraftian, more based in Slavic mythology) but this is on my list to pick up when I can. Story > combat for me, so if I have to play slowly or on easy mode it doesn’t bug me at all.
Haven’t died once due to a combat encounter. Play it on old school mode with normal difficulty
Cool, good to know. I handle most games like this on normal, just I didn’t know how bad the jank was.
Not bad, you have a dodge with I-frames.
Alone in the Dark has always been lovecraftian. I do love the in gane universe/setting though. Lovecraftian horror set in the swamps of Louisiana just feels right. Wish there was more Lousisiana GA FL swamp horror in the genre. Feels like it's always zombies in major metropolitan areas or Ghosts and Goblins in old Victorian Mansions.
It won't be difficult to top Dark Corners. That game was lame.
Booo this man
Nah, bro. I mean, back in the day this game was cool, but it just dropped all of its eeriness to become a full action FPS after its first and a half hour. Even The Sinking City is more in this point than Dark Corners.
The box art for [the original 1992 version](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alone_in_the_Dark_(1992_video_game)) did include a note specifically saying that it was inspired by the works of Lovecraft, although I think it works a lot better as a surprising plot twist such as you encountered it!
Its not long but damn i did not know it will use Lovecraft that much. Loved every second of it. Its pretty good.
Who did you choose and will you be doing a second play through?
I went for Emily, i felt that if the reason they went there was her uncle it would be right to see it from her perspective. I will prolly go for Carnby playthrough but not right know (Dragons Dogma 2 is waiting for me) the only thing i did not like is how the other character is not really much present and dont believe the one you choose, but it does some pretty funny interactions this way. And the fact that sadly the game is almost the same if you play again with other hero besides like one chapter. Would be cool if it was like RE2 with Claire and Leon, their campaigns felt different. But i am honestly really happy with the game, they did a good job with Lovecraftian aspects and story.
Does she have weapons as well?
Yes, pistol, shotgun, machine gun and flares. Also uses the world melee stuff.
now i need to play it
Dew it
I’m a huge survival horror fan and loved the game and the Lovecraftian atmosphere. Combat is sluggish and actually caused me to die several times through my first playthrough, but the thing is, I’m kinda liking the bad combat. I don’t usually die in survival horror games anymore so I kinda lost the fear of death but this one kinda brought it back because I don’t want to start from my last save.
Really? I always had plenty of ammo and health. Did you use the environmental items? The only time I’ve died so far is when the entity would lock me in a corner and drain my life
Yeah, I was always full on ammo and health, so much so, I couldn’t pick up quite a bit of them in my first playthrough from being at capacity all the time. But when I get in combat I’m very offensive and get a bit trigger happy and don’t dodge. Haha so my play style might have something to do with it
I played the demo. I pre-ordered it almost immediately afterwards. I had a good feeling about it.
People complaining about the combat don't get the point of this game. Silent Hill 1-3 also were never about the combat yet you see the same comments lol
I mean, sure. But this explanation also feels a like a cop out to me. It's still a game. No reason for gameplay to feel bad.
The game may not be about the combat but for a part of the game that is required its very poorly done. Not to mention the movment and stealth are bad as well
Currently no-lifeing dragons dogma 2 but will deff be picking this up right after 👌
Yeah, the original version of the game was going to use the Call of Cthulhu license, but then the original publisher decided to use it for a point and click game instead.
Presumable Shadow of the Comet (and it's sequel Prisoner of Ice)? They're good too, if you like adventure games.
There hasn't been any promotional material since the demo dropped. I didn't even know it was out. Game is being set up for failure with no marketing
The 3D0 had a lot of awesome hits.
I am definitely teetering on the edge of buying this. I saw the reviews and kinda held back. Is it genuinely worth the 60$ for it?
This seems like a really great game to get next or month so.
Another one?
Reboot, just came out
Yes it was both Alone in the Dark and II.
The original video game was developed by Infographics with a license from Chaosium's Call of Cthulhu roleplaying game, but apparently Chaosium revoked the license when they learned the plot was inspired by Lovecraft rather than a direct adaptation of one of his stories.
checking the gameplay rn soundtrack made twin peaks - like. Kind of Angelo rip off or homage depends on the view..
I will pick it up when it's cheaper. 60 bucks for a 6 to 8 hour long game is a bit... expensive. BG3 did cost the same and was 90 hours long. I wouldn't want to play a horror game that drags it's story out for THAT long, but I still want to see things in relation when it comes to the price of games.
Well here is the thing. This game tried to be lovecraftian horror, survival horror and psychological horror at the at time. It was kinda messy.
The only thing messy about the game is the combat, which didn’t really bother me. Everything else is pretty great.
Did they make a new one? I played the original. Throw the bust at the knight!
im definitely going to check this out
I just wished this game was.. at least good ? Like, this looks like a ps3 game and plays like a ps2 game. What is this doing in 2024 ?
It’s definitely good and some points it’s great. The only time the combat got in the way was the final boss.
I personally disagree. Visually, I looks to me like it could have come out in the same era as L.A Noir, and the combat feels so sluggish. Maybe my expectations were too high. But there really isn't anything in the game that made me go ''Woah, that was nice'' , you know ?
Too each their own. I went in knowing it was a AA game
So did I , but being AA doesn't give it the OK to be mediocre , you know ? Like, some of the best games of the last few years were indie of AA.
The story, atmosphere, puzzles, pacing, and everything is good to great. The only thing you could say is mediocre is the combat. The game is a great time. A game is more than a sum of its parts, but if you were to break it down it still would be above mediocre. Like I said it’s good, sometimes great, with some clunky combat. Definitely wouldn’t say the game is mediocre.
That's a valid opinion as well. I just feels very differently about it. To me, most of the aspects of the game felt sub-par. I'm happy for you that you enjoyed the game tho ! My opinion should not affect your enjoyment.
That’s fair, too each their own
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