Alone in the Dark: The Trilogy 1+2+3

This game holds up surprisingly well. I did not grow up playing this game or anything, but so I am judging it for what it is. The game actually holds up after 25 years. Sure the graphics arent great, but the atmosphere, the story, and the mechanics hold up just fine, if not better than most horror games we have now. The fighting mechanic is great, but not easy, like it should be. The guns are extremely limited, im talking 30 bullets MAX in the whole game. Everything is extremely well thought out, and the lovecraftian elements arenailed in the monsters and the books. You can only really kill two types of enemies using weapons, and everything else has to be avoided because they can kill you with one touch, which is great and what lovecraft monsters should be. DO NOT LET ITS AGE KEEP YOU FROM PLAYING THIS. I fully recommend this title.

This is the granddaddy of what's known as "Survival Horror". If you enjoyed the original Resident Evil, then you should like this. The graphics may be a bit dated, but the game-play is rock solid. The game isn't big on Story, and there is NO character interaction. You are, after all, ALONE in the Dark! Basically, you find yourself in a house that is pure evil, and you just want out. It isn't that simple though, the house doesn't want to let you out. Sure the front door is right there, but just try opening those doors... make sure you save first! You'll need your wits to not only solve puzzles, but also to figure out what to do about the ghouls wandering the house. They can be killed by conventional means, but fighting a ghoul isn't easy, you're not some weapons trained SWAT officer or typical bad ass modern game star. Weapons are limited and of the few firearms you find, ammo is even more limited. Fighting is really a last resort in this game. As mentioned, there isn't really a story, just a goal; to get out alive! However, as you play you'll find documents and diaries explaining just why and how this mansion became a den of insanity. It's a nice alternative to a story, considering a story isn't needed. Not to repeat myself, but it's simplicity is it's strong point... just get out! Getting out alive is an accomplishment you'll relish, IF you can get out! As a bonus it come with AitD 2+3. These games are hidden away in the Free Goodies section, and even though they are fully fleshed out games, there ARE just a bonus to maybe kill an hour with. They don't hold a candle to the original game. They do continue the history of The Decerto House, but the game play is nowhere near as good or fun. The second game is more like Resident Evil with guns and weapons aplenty and combat is at the forefront, which might sound fun, but it's not. The third installment is even worse. If you clear the original, you might want to try these, but you'll quickly lose interest, I'm sure.

Alone In The Dark is truly a historical piece in gaming as it was the 1st game series to bring the tropes of the survival horror and the Resident Evil series. Does the trilogy holds up to this day? In terms of graphics, all 3 of em are pretty similar and very dated, but every next game slightly improves it in terms of the 2D backgrounds while adding some details, such as the ghost hand coming out from the ground in AitD 3, the 2nd and 3rd game also adds the cutscenes which were recorded in-game, but are played as actual movies instead. In Alone In the Dark 1 most of the mansions are made in 3D which, later on got rendered as a background until you reach underground part. Gameplay: If you have played classic Resident Evil series, then the control scheme is very similar. However, you need to select from the inventory to perform an action such as Search,Open,Fight etc. and in some sections of the game you get an additional one (Mainly Jump), melee fights depends on the direction you hold down to perform a specific attack, while it is considered bad, it is possible to even beat the enemy with bare hands without even hurting yourself while stunlocking the enemy. Most of the time you spend yourself solving puzzles around the game and in some cases it's pure trial & error. Many of the stories are told in a form of books and diaries, however the 3rd game keeps that way minimalistic. Be aware that you must check everything before moving on, otherwise you will miss one crucial item you need and get stuck with no way to progress. Audio: The GOG version offers the CD quality soundtrack and it nails the atmosphere really well, mostly the 3rd game. I do have an issue with Carnby's pain sound in later games which is too quiet. AitD 1: Pure horror, good and not so hard puzzles, many ways to die in the game. AitD 2: Best in the trilogy and pure action, somewhat tricky puzzles to perform, very few ways to die. AitD 3: A mix of horror and action, best atmosphere, hard puzzles.

I have the original floppy disk so i was fueled with nostalgia playing again this game, which is probably the best of the trilogy for multiple reasons: Open House after the first part where you can take diferent aproaches of how completing the game, diferent characters if only for astetic, the puzzles are the least moonlogic of the series. The gameplay consist in tank controls, actions controlled by inventory interface and inventory management (you should drop objects used because you have weight limit). It didn't age well, newcomers would need lot of patience to get used to the controls, there is also a lot of reading that you need to get though to solve most of the puzzles. I'm afraid that is my nostalgia that make me like this game so i dropped stars as i saw gameplay and puzzle problems that are much harder without a guide. Recommended as a museum of old games for those interested.

I had always heard that Alone in the Dark was the grandfather of my favorite genre (survival horror), but I had never given any thought to playing it until I saw it so cheap here on GOG. Let me just say that it was worth the money. Since the package includes all 3 of the original Alone in the Dark games, I'll metion each seperately: Alone in the Dark: It's definitely earned it's title as "The Grandfather of Survival Horror". So many tropes that later appeared in Resident Evil and Silent Hill started in this game. Not only that, but I was surprised to find that the voice acting was decent (something rare for older games), and the controls were bearable (something rare for Survival Horror). On top of that, it's genuinely interesting, and the puzzles usually aren't TOO difficult or nonsensical. 10/10. Alone in the Dark 2: Alright, this one is a bit sillier. It's lost the Lovecraftian theme in favor of pirates. However, the combat has been polished, and the controls are much better than the previous game. The whole game carries an atmosphere of whimsy and fun, something most can appreciate. It's not as good as the first, but it's fun. 9/10. Alone in the Dark 3: I didn't like this one as much. The controls and combat were just as they were in AitD2, but it's just not as good. It lacks the disturbing solitude and darkness of the first game, and it doesn't have the fun of the second. Not only that, but the puzzles are really, REALLY ridiculous. I had to consult the walkthrough multiple times because I didn't know that I had to use a playing card on a tombstone to activate an elavator, or use a bottle of ammonia on a door in order to not get impaled. However, it does redeem itself by featuring a boss fight with a cyborg-ghost-cowboy. Play it if you like, but don't feel shameful if you have to look on the internet for a solution. 6/10. All in all, though, definitely worth your 6 dollars. You won't regret it.