The series Alone in the Dark has already had a long journey in the world of video games, but it is a given that most of the time the result was not good. There are many reasons for this.

The game made its appearance when there was no competition, making it easy to impress everyone. With so many action horror video games out there and so many great stories, but also with the Atari's limited experience in managing the series in the modern era, mediocrity was inevitable. However, the latest Alone in the Dark comes with different data and is now available for PS5 and Xbox Series X, in an attempt to revive the franchise.

The story and the reboot

Emily Hartwood learns that her uncle Jerremy has disappeared from the Derceto mansion where he was being treated. This place is designed to care for mentally ill patients and she takes on a mission to explore what is happening, asking for the help of detective Edward Carnby. Crossing the picturesque Louisiana of 1920, you learn what has happened and then choose which of the two heroes you will play. This choice plays a significant role, as the story you will see in front of you will be completely different. And we are not talking about just a different performance of the same story, as each character sees different cutscenes and experiences the story differently, with Emily playing more and with her emotions. Since both heroes are not fighters and have not learned to use weapons, the process of battling the creatures that will appear to them is not the classic fast-paced one. The stressful way in which the two characters will even fill their weapon changes the whole character of the title, which leans more towards survival. I had to explore every corner of the house to find objects and I must admit that I never had a problem with ammunition, as in many modern video games of the category.

The huge mansion

The mansion you will encounter is quite large, which means there are plenty of spaces to explore. You will enter many rooms, go out to several outdoor areas, but constantly find locked doors for which you will have to search for the relevant key to open them. Not that you will always find useful objects inside, but all this will lead you to a relentless search. The mansion's design is old-school and from a certain point on, you will be able to easily remember where you are looking for what. In all this, the map comes to help you, which is quite detailed and has many markings. In all this, there are also puzzles that may simply ask you to find an object and place it somewhere or move something else to unlock a mechanism.

The difficulty of these puzzles varies and it is not unlikely to seek relevant help in guides on YouTube.

To old school gameplay

In addition to the old school design of the world, we also have the gameplay that remains in the... old school. The animation is not rich, the characters are "shallow" and will not make you "bond" with them at any point. The battle system is very simplistic with weapons and items, but many times you may not be able to aim well and simply waste time. The artificial intelligence also operates at a mediocre level, allowing you to escape difficult battles and moments with relative ease.

Is it worth it?

Alone in the Dark cannot be compared in any case to modern games in the category, such as Resident Evil. Whether due to the inability to assign it to a third major studio, or due to the decision to keep it low budget, THQ Nordic has given it a AA production character and it is worth adding to your collection if you are interested in this genre of games and only that.

Advantages/Disadvantages:

Advantages include:

• Stands out from other games in the category
• The world is interesting
• The music
• The port from the original is as faithful as it could be

Disadvantages include:

• Technical aspects
• Mediocre battle system
• Uninteresting world characters