A survival horror classic is being revisited by developer Pieces Interactive in a new third-person thriller.
A new Alone in the Dark is in the works, confirming the series return to its 1992 beginnings and paying homage to a game essential in the development of the survival horror subgenre. During their 2022 game expo, THQ Nordic revealed the reboot and gave an early look at the game, which would be a third-person psychological horror game.
THQ has given GameSpot an exclusive, hands-off preview of Alone in the Dark, which it describes as a “reimagining” and “love letter” to the original. As such, it retains many aspects of the original 1992 game, such as the Derceto Manor location and the private investigator Edward Carnby and his girlfriend Emily Hartwood who serve as the game’s two major playable characters. Both characters are vital to the game’s narrative, but you get to select which one you play as. The storylines of Edward and Emily aren’t identical, so you’ll need to play Alone in the Dark from both their perspectives to get the whole picture of what happened. This is similar to other survival horror classics like Resident Evil.
The trailer for Alone in the Dark, developed by Pieces Interactive, provides insight into the game’s gothic 1920s American South setting. Derceto Manor, the game’s focal point like in the first, has been transformed into a psychiatric facility for the wealthy. Similar to the first game, the protagonists have come here to learn more about Jeremy Hartwood; however, instead of investigating the house owner’s death, they are trying to track him down after receiving a peculiar letter from him addressed to Emily. In addition to Derceto, the game has a number of other environments, such as a mysterious other dimension planets accessible via portals and seemingly overrun with creatures.
Guns and melee weapons are at your disposal as you take on grotesque monsters in an over-the-shoulder perspective reminiscent of later Resident Evil games like Resident Evil 4, 5, and 6, as well as games like Dead Space. The makers say that you’ll have to make do with whatever is at hand in order to battle the monsters you encounter and that you could even have to resort to running away in order to stay alive.
The story of the new Alone in the Dark is also an important part of the game, and it was written by Amnesia: The Dark Descent and SOMA author Mikael Hedberg. During THQ’s presentation to the media, Hedberg stated that the tale would be more interactive than the original. Players could look forward to cinematic sequences and spoken dialogue, as well as notes, letters, and other objects they may uncover as they explored Derceto Manor and the world beyond.
Even though you’ll be fighting creatures and escaping from threats, THQ claims that this game takes a different approach than others in the survival horror genre. Instead of focusing just on the scary parts of horror, as most games do, Alone in the Dark attempts to examine the full range of emotions and experiences that come with the genre. For instance, while you will undoubtedly fight awful monsters, fighting may not be the major emphasis of the game, and the devs are focused on creating a deep, dark atmosphere similar to the original.
PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and PC will all get Alone in the Dark. No release date has been announced, however, THQ Nordic has said that development on the game began in late 2019. Later this month, attendees of Gamescom will be able to try out a demo starring Grace, a playable character from Alone in the Dark 2.
THQ Nordic also revealed a number of other forthcoming titles, such as the Burnout-inspired racing Wreckreation, the management simulator Space for Sale, in which players construct homes for aliens, and the real-time strategy game Tempest Rising, which harkens back to the 1990s.
