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Developer (Platform): Pieces Interactive (Xbox Series X)
Publisher (Release): THQ Nordic (2024)
Length: 3-5 hours
Genres: Adult; Survival Horror; Mystery; Action
❗️Disclaimers❗️:
trypophobia warning
moderate violence and depictions of mental health illnesses
this review contains low-level spoilers
recommendation: vibe check and buy on sale if you fancy clunky survival horrors
👍 Pros 👍
Excellent sound design with some impressive visuals
Enough balance between combat and exploration to get through
👎 Cons 👎
Unfocused and uninspired narrative confused by itself
Jodie Comer and David Arbour do not turn in their best performances
Frustratingly unresponsive controls
👀 Synopsis & Trailer 👀
Client Emily Hartwood and private investigator Edward Carnby embark on a harrowing quest for answers; Emily to the mystery of her missing uncle, Edward to the toughest case he will ever face, and both to questions they dare not ask themselves.
🛎️ Introduction 🛎️
Alone in the Dark is an enigma, an amalgamation of contemporaries that never embodies or seems to understand any of them. The phrase ‘master of none’ comes to mind and not even the Hollywood talents of Jodie Comer and David Arbour can drag this southern gothic-inspired survival horror out of the many shadows it places itself under. It’s clunky, unfocused, and yet still somewhat strangely charming, infuriatingly tickling that third-person over-the-shoulder itch while never fully satisfying it.
🧩 Plots 🧩
Like its many awkward parts, Alone in the Dark tries to marry the psychological intensity of Silent Hill with the pretentious but substantive unreliability of Alan Wake into a cohesive exploration of mental illness and family curses. Sadly, the frenetic flipping from neo-noir mystery, Eldritch horror, to sci-fi Thing-esque knockoff is a jarring and jagged experience that leaves the experience saying absolutely nothing.
He doesn’t look too happy…
A simple premise quickly descends into chaos, haphazardly setting up an unreliable narrative that’s more frustrating than interesting. Silly and unrealistic turns abound and sections of the game feel unrelated and created more for visual diversity than plot relevance. The whys quickly become the who cares, and Alone in the Dark, despite its voiced notes and collectibles scattered around, never inspires much effort to learn anything more about its world.
They treat mental health here?
A collection of endings is offered, a couple tailored to which character you decide to play as, and all of them are anticlimactic. The lack of any real build up strips any finale of any and all weight and, thanks to the attempts to bend the player’s mind, never delivers that revelation, be it definitive or metaphorical, to round off the resolution to anything more than a blunt, faded point.
‘…never inspires much effort to learn anything more about its world.’
🎭 Characters 🎭
Despite being headed by two powerhouse talents, Alone in the Dark struggles with its characters in a clunky, early-90s wooden-dialogue-delivered-stiffly kind of way. Jodie Comer and David Arbour, the latter a little bit more fitting in his role as gruff detective, deliver stilted, monotone performances that highlight not even the best onscreen performer can make the transition to voice acting.
Jill!? No…
Dual campaigns (very early Resident Evil) try to do the heavy lifting with the playtime but largely identical stories only emphasise the incredibly short length of the game. Haunted widow and haunted detective stereotypes only take the protagonists so far before the uninspired performances suck the emotion from any arcs Alone in the Dark tries to craft. I’m honestly a little baffled…all the ingredients are there, the game is not without a charmingly dark atmosphere, but they’re all thrown in with little regard for how they mix.
Chris!? No…
Supporting cast do a bit better. Still stiff in writing but their lines are delivered with a bit more relish. Haphazard appearances between viewpoints widens the cracks in the dust of their personal plots, never realising anything important or justifying their inclusion or their interesting but maligned issues that placed them at the mental institution in the first place.
‘…not even the best onscreen performer can make the transition to voice acting.’
👾 Gameplay and Graphics 👾
Resident Evil comes to the fore in Alone in the Dark’s third-person, over-the-shoulder gameplay. Weighty combat and movement provide a little tension while a dodge mechanic helps alleviate the claustrophobia. The heft feels a bit too heavy, with glitches galore ensuring the player will get stuck or clip into and onto as many things as possible while simplistic gunplay and melee provide some variety. Ammo and resources are somewhat scarce, prompting a thoughtful approach to encounters with the tiny enemy assortment, but a nonsensical stealth option is underbaked to the point of uselessness.
Good boy?
Sound design is crisp and well balanced, bringing Decerto to life as a creaky old Southern plantation dripping with atmosphere and history. Initial encounters inspire some uneasiness that awful controls eventually overwhelm while beautiful art design impresses despite the eclectic array of locales causing a bit of an identity crisis. Character animations aren’t quite as polished with rigid movements and emotionless faces giving the entire affair a glazed sense of boredom.
The descent into madness can be beautiful…
Exploration and puzzles fare a little better, breaking up the combat, and an okay mapping system provides a sense of relief that you’re probably not missing anything. That said, all of it is too regimented and you will miss things. Alone in the Dark has the frustrating tendency to restrict the player’s adventure to certain spaces at certain times, ripping exploration of the gothic plantation from the experience in favour of a narrower journey the narrative cannot justify.
‘…underbaked to the point of uselessness.’
💭 Final Thoughts 💭
Alone in the Dark is a disappointing survival horror far too derivative of its much better contemporaries. A nonsensical story falls back on powerhouse protagonists that do not make the transition from the screen to voice acting well at all, delivering stilted dialogue stiffly. The last bastion of defence, gameplay, doesn’t last long under the strain of trying to hold up the game, delivering decent sound design and visuals but awful and unresponsive controls. Mechanics are picked up and dropped, a dual narrative does little actual narration, and an eclectic neo-noir mystery can’t hide the lack of inspiration evident by its end.
If you’re looking for a weighty horror with some style and tension to scratch the itch between better titles, Alone in the Dark will either be your salve or even deeper irritation.
The Phoenix Project 