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

Beware newcomers, this game is only recommended to those who can't resist the curiosity or nostalgia forr the next reasons: - Early 3D is ugly, really ugly - tank controls - you don't have quick action buttons, you have to go to your character screen and select what action you want to perform (picking up items that are clearly in the open is ·automatic" - No questog/journal/map - there are some cheap deaths and apparenttly you can even screw youerself over by miusing items I tried it just out of curiosity , and even with all its issues I had fun, only at the very last puzzle (the altar) I struggled not knowing what to do and had to look up the answer, for the rest of the game I just had to pay attention and the answer somehow came to me, and that is quite satisfying, that said, I still don't know that the jug of water or the pot of stew are for If you decide to brave it here are some tips: - save frequently and over several slots - if it's edible eat it, you start with 20 hp but you can get many more ( I had 45 at one point) - don't be afraid to reload a save if things don't go too well (ie: taking too much damage in a single fight or wasting too much ammo because aiming is an oddyssey by itself) - pay close attention to the backgrounds, like in eraly 3D games, if it looks fishy, it is fishy - use the rebingding function of DOSbox (ctrl+F1) to remap the controls to something more to your liking (I poersonally went for WASD controls) I hope you enjoy it as much as I did, ah, also there are two campaigns, but I think I'll save the second run for another time

AitD1 is a great game, it has its flaws, sure, but trust me when I tell you that both the sequels are not worth your time in the slightest. The rating of 4/5 stars is for AitD1 only. If I had to rate the sequels, they'd get a solid 1/5. Most of the original team behind AitD1 left, because the higher ups wanted an action oriented sequel in the same engine. The problem is that the combat was the worst part of the game by far, so they just effectively shot themselves in the foot. AitD2&3 are very frustrating to play, not just because of the combat, but also because of the nonsensical puzzles that plague both of them. It all winds up being a huge waste of time and sanity. You're better off playing something else after you've finished AitD1, the sequels are simply not worth playing.

I still remember being alone at home as a teenager one night, playing this game in my dark and silent room. Slowly and carefully creeping around every corner, aware that at any point something could jump me. Completely absorbed by my mission and the atmosphere. Suddenly the phone rang. I basically stuck to the ceiling by my finger and toe nails. XD Sure, the graphics didn't age well, but boy, this atmosphere! Happy to pick it up now and give it another go for nostalgia's sake. Only ever started the second one for a brief moment, and never touched the third, but that first one is worth it for me all by itself.

I remember when the first Along in the Dark came out. It was a "hi-tech" marvel at the time. 3D graphic adventure that let you interact/fight with the world around the character. The first game is still great, the second is good, and the third is ok. All 3 installed, ran, and finished without any issues on a newly built PC using Windows 11. Highly recommend! Alone 1 - You can select one of two characters to play at the beginning, but Edward Carnby ended up being the protagonist throughout the remaining games. It is a creepy haunted house game where you have to search rooms, evade/fight zombies, and solve puzzles. The game starts you off at a slow pace to get used to the controls. The controls (keyboard only) take some getting used to, but all 3 games pretty much use the same mapped keys. There are only two issues I had with this game and they apply across all 3 games. The forced camera angles are neat but annoying after awhile. There can be things approaching you or happening off screen that you cannot see depending on where the character is stationed in relation to the camera. Also, the fight system is hit or miss (pun intended). If an enemy hits you, it seems almost instant death as the controls will not allow you to do anything once hit allowing follow up hits by the enemy. Always save! Enemies approaching are always precluded by a specific music playing, so listen for it. Alone 2 - This one is pretty much a clone of the first one with a few changes. You now have human/ghost enemies that say "Hey you!" in their John Wayne / Dirty Harry voice instead of music when they approach (same for #3). A slight change is that you split time between Ed Carnby and Grace Saunders (the girl you are trying to save). Grace is rather annoying to play as her "run" (skipping) is slow. Still it was interesting story overall. Alone 3 - Ok, but it lacked any detailed story like the first 2 had developed. Puzzles were solved with random objects and combos as well.

In 1992, Infogrames released a little Lovecraft inspired horror romp named "Alone in the Dark". While being a success at the time, no one truly released how much this game would affect the horror genre in video games. AITD started it all-opening the doors for games such as Resident Evil and Silent Hill. The first game is an absolute classic. The controls are for the most part pretty tight, except running can be a hassle. The game has some great puzzles, good traps, and is just fun to play. The sound effects excel-from the moans of a zombie to the creaking of a old door or floorboards. What I also found interesting was the ways you could avoid confrontations. For example, you could push a cabinet in front of a window to prevent a monster from bursting through, or lure a monster into a room, run past it and shut the door, and depending on the monster, it'll *usually* lock them in. While the game won't make you lose sleep at night, you'll giggle to yourself as your making your way through the mansion, wondering when a monster will ambush next. When it does happen, it's surprising, but never scary and always fun to laugh about to yourself. The combat is tight. If you don't have any weapons, you can always beat your adversary with your bare hands, which is always awesome. Let's see Leon Kennedy go mano-a-mano with a Resi Evil monster sometime eh? The puzzles are nice, not too hard and not too simple. Simply put, Alone in the Dark 1 is an absolute classic that should be played by any gamer, horror fan or not. Even better, GOG has been generous enough to give us AITD 2 and 3 to boot. To be honest with you, I have not played much of 2 and 3. From what I have played of 2, it felt more of an action game with supernatural elements as opposed to a full out horror game like the first. Which, in my opinion, is not bad at all, as the first was pretty light on the combat aspect, with only about two dozen enemies total, if even that. You immediately start the game with a revolver, with a zombie holding a Tommy Gun on the ground next to you. Upon trying to retrieve the Tommy Gun, the zombie wakes up and you two get into a fire fight. It's a really cool way to start the game, and there's a lot more fire fights in the game. Check this out if you're looking for more action. AITD 3 is set in the wild west, with Edward Carnby taking on a gang of ghost/zombie outlaws. I haven't really played more than 10 minutes of this game yet, which is a shame, cause I love everything to do with the Wild West. From what I did play though, it was quite awesome, and the ghost outlaws look very cool to boot. All in all, the original game is worth the price of $5.99 alone, but with the extra bonus of AITD 2 and 3 you're really getting a good deal here. I can guarantee you that you won't regret this purchase. If you do, well, maybe it's time to find a new hobby..