Alone in the Dark (PC)
alt="Man beside car" />What did Atari and Eden Games do to Edward Carnby? I remember Edward as a simple old gent with a moustache who investigated a creepy mansion in Louisiana that happened to be infested with creatures from H.P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos in the original Alone in the Dark. That was 16 years ago, when running the game on a 486SX 25 MHz machine was all the rage.
The Edward Carnby in the 2008 version of Alone in the Dark is gruff, tough, has scars running down his face, and says "f***" a lot. In fact a lot of people in the game say "f***" a lot. This is supposed to make it sound edgy and realistic, I guess. Turns out I miss the old Edward, and the old mansion, and the feeling of complete solitude that the original provided. These new characters can curse, scream, and yell all they want; it doesn't change the fact that this latest spin on the series is a monumental disaster.
alt="Inventory System" />It's really quite shocking. Alone in the Dark wants to be a great game -- it almost expects to be great. You can tell by the way it's crafted. The production values in general are sky-high. It looks superb and has nifty features like being able to skip around the chapters to get to the scenes you wish to play. It's sort of like playing a game with a remote control in your hand. If you're stuck, bored or frustrated with a certain portion -- just skip it.
The ironic thing about this feature is that frustration is one of the game's key ingredients. Most of the problems are purely gameplay-related. It doesn't take long for warning sirens to pop off in your head as you traverse the game's tutorial level. This is supposed to be a first- and third-person action adventure that gives you the option to play from either perspective. This is a lie.
alt="Hallway fire" />The game knows when it wants to slap you into third-person view and it doesn't care one bit if you want to play entirely in first-person. You're going to play in third-person and deal with it, and worse still, playing with that view is nearly impossible, as the controls are horrendous and unresponsive using the keyboard. There's nothing more fun than walking around in first-person and then getting whisked away to a view behind Edward when the game deems it time -- and this could be during combat or when simply maneuvering around the environment. It was a huge developmental mistake not to pick one perspective and stick with it.
alt="Edward hanging from a Gargoyle" />Edward hangs from a gargoyle in an early cut scene.
Then there's the inventory system. It truly boggles the mind that Eden Games decided to go with this monstrosity of a design. By pressing the "I" key, you access Edward's jacket where all of his gear is located, from batteries to pistols to a flashlight. This is all done in real time, so if you need to switch to an item in the heat of the moment ? good luck with that. The shortcut system for accessing inventory is basically broken, so while you're scrambling to get your gun reloaded an enemy zombie thing is trying to remove your head from your shoulders. You also have very limited space inside your jacket, so you are constantly removing and adding items that might be used together (a lighter and alcohol, for example). A feature is only innovative if it works. This is just different for the sake of being different, and it's just another feature that drags down the game.
alt="Car sequence" />Eden Games is the developer behind some of the Test Drive and Need for Speed games, so you'd expect, almost by default, that any driving sequences would at least be entertaining. After you leave the game's entry levels and enter the main area -- in this case, Central Park -- Edward gains access to some wheels. Again, Alone in the Dark manages to disappoint: Driving is an exercise in futility, as your vehicle stops for no apparent reason, hitting imaginary objects -- in short, it's clunky, the cars don't react properly, and it's just a huge chore. It was at this moment when the game's DVD fast-forward feature was a very welcome addition, indeed.
alt="Bats" />Despite the insane inventory system, the horrible camera and almost laughable driving sequences, Alone in the Dark's biggest crime is that it isn't scary. It's not a question of graphics or art direction -- both are actually quite good. Spooky music and things jumping out in "gotcha!" sequences are not terribly frightening. BioShock, for example, a game that doesn't go out of its way to scare you, is far better at giving you occasional chills than this game, which supposedly rests within the survival horror genre.
There are some cool features that are wasted due to the game's poor execution. Some of the puzzles are particularly clever, and even though it would have been better if the design focused on gameplay and providing you with a real sense of dread, figuring out some of the more interesting brain teasers is entertaining.
alt="Edward close up" />Despite the fact that fire is way too prominent throughout the course of the game, its use is actually pretty crafty -- it spreads over the ground and can be used to your advantage on many occasions, sometimes very creatively. Plus, as if they were D&D trolls, the bad guys need to be doused with flames in order to permanently kill them.
Still, good graphics, solid art direction, some clever puzzles, and nifty pyrotechnics cannot save Alone in the Dark from its woeful gameplay. In what has to be the biggest surprise of the year -- this game is a tremendous failure.
This review was based on a retail copy of the game purchased by Crispy Gamer.
