Alone in the Dark is the original survival horror game franchise inspired that inspired Resident Evil. The genre at its creation was known for its spooky atmosphere, fixed camera angles/tank controls, limited resources, and puzzle solving. Alone in the Dark is a remake of the first game in the series featuring two playable protagonists with enough differences in story and gameplay to reward a second play through. The game is set in an old mansion in Louisiana during the 1920's. A detective and his employer are searching for her lost uncle. The mansion of course has a dark and shady history but is currently a sort of voluntary mental institution run by a psychiatrist, a nurse, and an orderly. Gameplay is broken up between classic adventure gameplay made up of exploring the mansion and solving puzzles to unlock new areas. The second half of gameplay takes place outside the mansion (where specifically I will not mention due to spoilers) and consists of combat and action sequences. The balance between the two modes of gameplay really shines and allows for the game to stay true to classic action/adventure roots found in the original games. The combat sections are well made even if the combat itself becomes repetitive due to lack of enemy and weapon variety. There is only a couple of boss fights towards the end of the game, and perhaps the game would have benefitted from a few more challenging encounters earlier in the game. The story and pacing is fantastic. This is not a game for people that want to skip cutscenes and notes for action, it is far more enjoyable if you approach it as an investigator. Taking time to go through dialogue and reading notes and clues will give you a stronger understanding of the two major story beats as the game progresses. The dialogue and notes are fully voiced and give life to the characters and setting. While the game is not scary, it will appeal to those that enjoy film noir with Lovecraftian themes. 5/5 Highly Recommended
