Alone in the Dark (2024) Reviews
Despite not reaching the level of the original, Alone in the Dark honors the franchise's legacy by being the best title since 1992, with a decent, albeit modest, use of Lovecraft's madness, as well as a great setting and an enigmatic story that captivates from beginning to end, tying several knots in your head. A great experience for long-time fans, and for the most aficionados of survival horror, old or current.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
All in all, Alone in the Dark celebrates a positive resurrection with a new direction that I really like at its core! The dense atmosphere in combination with the staging, story and detailed world of a marvellous 1920s setting carried me through the title very well. The puzzle solving shines as a core gameplay element in the narrative-driven game, making Alone in the Dark a really competent video game, at least in these aspects. However, I have to grumble a little more about the combat. Spongy gunplay, a bitchy camera, a meagre variation of enemies, as well as a sometimes stupid AI spoil the fun of the game. This needs a comprehensive overhaul for a hopefully upcoming second part. Because the new edition is a really successful work in this series, which has recently been in crisis and has a really solid pillar in its story, presentation and puzzle solving, on which a rosy future can be built. However, developer studio Pieces Interactive should take another look at the battles, which fortunately make up a smaller part of the overall work, as their genre colleague Resident Evil has already demonstrated in the third-person spin-offs.
Review in German | Read full review
It’s rare that I say this, but this video game probably should have been a movie instead. Honestly that’s the biggest thing I felt during this whole experience, between the live action stars, the way the cutscenes are shot and paced, the way the gameplay felt almost like an afterthought, it truly feels like they were basically trying to make a movie but decided it must be a game instead. Now, that’s not to say there’s nothing to enjoy, far from it! I really enjoyed the writing and performances, but it likely says something that I had a lot more fun just rushing through on a second playthrough on easy to see the story differences than I did on my initial go on normal where I actually had to explore.
"Alone in the Dark" is not the revival the series deserved, but it's not a complete descent into madness either. It's a middle-of-the-road experience that might entertain, and might frustrate, but will undoubtedly leave you thinking about what could have been.
The new Alone in the Dark is just the right game for fans of games full of suspense, who are tired of annoying jump-scares. So if you value the captivating atmosphere over adrenaline jumps in similar titles, you will really enjoy this reboot.
Alone in the Dark, despite its aspirations, falls short of delivering a cohesive and captivating experience. The disjointed narrative, coupled with lackluster gameplay mechanics, detracts from what could have been a triumphant return to form. While it may offer moments of enjoyment, it ultimately fails to recapture the essence of its predecessors, leaving fans yearning for the chilling embrace of true horror. As the credits roll, it becomes apparent that Alone in the Dark, for all its ambition, remains but a shadow of its former self, a tantalizing glimpse into what could have been.
Alone in the Dark pays homage to a horror classic with a strikingly familiar and yet utterly fresh retelling of a cult classic. Modernized gameplay, stunning graphics, and a faithful yet expanded retelling of the classic story make Alone in the Dark perfect for fans of the original and newcomers to the series alike.
Alone in the Dark is an impressive take on the 1992 classic. Featuring solid survival horror mechanics inspired by the latest Resident Evils, a strong selection of puzzles and a narrative that returning fans and newcomers alike can enjoy.
It’s such a great time to be a horror game fan and I feel going into Alone in the Dark with an open mind will help for a much more enjoyable experience.
Alone in the Dark is a good game that lacks that extra something to establish itself as a top title. The nostalgia operation works great, but the game does not shine in any aspect, ending up doing a decent job without impressing.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Conclusively, Alone In The Dark properly writes its love letter while creating appeal to a wider audience through cinematic aspects. The classic horror elements and nods to its origins are seen, heard, and felt from beginning to end.
Verdict: Despite its faults, Alone in the Dark is a return to survival horror genre roots with a high emphasis on exploration and storytelling.
As a rebirth of a classic, Alone in the Dark is able to capture the atmosphere of the Lovecraftian universe. From one adventure to the next, it gives us a great thriller that takes us through a seemingly endless series of nightmares.
Review in Turkish | Read full review
The truth is, I'm a little confused as to the purpose of this new Alone in the Dark. From an investigative point of view, it's well-balanced, but there's no trace of the series' signature horror formula, let alone any element of survival. On top of that, it doesn't bring anything new to the genre. It's an emotionless experience that seems to use the franchise's name only as a strategy to attract players looking for novelties in the genre. Alone in the Dark deserved better, and Pieces Interactive obviously couldn't get the job done.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Return to Derceto Manor in this reimagination of Alone in the Dark, a love letter to the 90’s cult classic horror game. PS5 version reviewed. Review copy provided by company for testing purposes. Alone in the Dark is a bland entry in the survival horror genre that fails to say anything with its themes, and that barely holds up.
Well worth a look if you’re seeking the comfort of nostalgia with some quality acting talent.
Alone in the Dark is definitely turning out to be a masterpiece that needs to be experienced by new players and those looking for a blast from the past. Between the world and character design, along with the brilliant voice acting, you’re in for a hell of a ride while possibly running for your life at times.
Alone In The Dark is a loving remake, as well as an epic stand-alone. Even if you have not played the original, this is well worth a play. The scares are effective, and the tense nature of the game can’t be expressed enough; you will be terrified every time Dercito changes into something more sinister. The stealth elements aren’t perfect, and some of the movement and gunplay need some tweaking, but overall, the story is amazingly told with complex characters and a stunning narrative.
Adapting a classic like Alone in the Dark to modern times has been a very tough gamble, improving a timeless classic and a precursor to what for many was the horror genre of the 90s is something very difficult, so we can't help but applaud trying. Unfortunately, we have to say that they have tried to innovate so much that the idea of what they should have really focused on, being alone in the dark, has been diluted. Far from being a bad game, it entertains, but it has completely lost its essence and does not give the real feeling of being a survival horror as its original was, but rather a simple action game. As if this were not enough, it needs a good polish, since we have experienced quite a few situations where we have been forced to restart the game because the character has gotten stuck between two elements of the scenario. Fortunately, the game allows recording at any time and this is easily corrected by loading the nearest checkpoint with all the objects taken up to the time of saving (and there are checkpoints every so often!). The game has a Deluxe edition that includes comments from the director, a 20s-style sepia filter and, most interestingly, the possibility of playing with the skins of the original 1992 characters! By the way, finishing the campaign with one character took us around 8 hours, so if we want to do it with both it will easily take us about 12 hours (the second round will be faster because we will already know what we have to do and where to go). And finally, mention that by completing some sets of collectibles in the second and third game you can unlock different endings or alternative scenes, a good incentive for the curious and that will further extend the duration of the title.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
The team at THQ Nordic has managed not only to bring Alone in the Dark back to life, but to breathe so much new life into it that it has become a stand-alone work perfectly in keeping with the modern era and, at the same time, with a noir-like charm that only games of yesteryear had.
Review in Italian | Read full review